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Æneas Coffey (1780–1852)

E. J. Rothery B.Sc.

To cite this article: E. J. Rothery B.Sc. (1968) Æneas Coffey (1780–1852), , 24:1, 53-71, DOI:
10.1080/00033796800200041

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 ~neas Coffey (1780-1852) 53

iENEAS C O F F E u (1780-1852)
B y E. J. ROTHERY, B.Sc.*

FROM time to time, in the history of any subject, there occurs an intriguing
name that cries out for an explanation and that, sooner or later, will
appeal to those with a taste for the incongruous. Such was the name of
.~Eneas Coffey, the inventor of an alcohol still which contained in its
design the basic ingredients of the fractionation column.
Just a century ago, in 1863, H. A. Coffey1 came across the genealogy
of one of the first members of that family, the Sept of Cobhtaigh, or the
Victorious Clan, to use the modern form of the name. This was Teighg
Coffey or Teige O'Coffy, whose descent was traced back many generations,
through one Eneas, to another Eneas of the Bloody Spear, offspring
of Luy, Alias Mac Con, Monarch of Ireland in about the third century A.D.
According to a second account quoted b y the same author Cobhtach
was the proper name of an Irish chief from whom the ancient family
called O'Cobhthaich derived their name and descent. They were the
chief lords of the territories later called Barryroe, east and west, in the
county of Cork.
From a third source, H. A. Coffey indicates that the clan produced
bards, teachers and preachers, but no gentleman (by which, presumably,
was meant landowner). But, although the name of fEneas Coffey recalls
the early history of Ireland, the origin of the man himself remains
obscure.
~Eneas Coffey was born about the year 17802. The evidence for his
birthplace is conflicting. An Irish source a states Calais. I f this is correct
it suggests a possible connection between his family and the numerous
French investigators: Adam, Solimani, Berard, Cellier Blumenthal,
I)erosne, Alegre, Menard, and St. Marc, who constructed crude patent

* D e p a r t m e n t of Chemistry a n d Biology, College of Technology, Dublin.

1 H . A. Coffey, Genealogical a n d Historical R e c o r d s of t h e Sept Cobhthaigh, n o w Coffey,
Dublin (printed for p r i v a t e circulation) 1863.
2 Obituary Notice in The Times, Nov. 30th 1852. ' N o v e m b e r 26th, a t Bromley,
Middlesex, iEneas Coffey, in his 73rd year '.
a j . j . Kerr. ' ~Eneas Coffey a n d his Still ', Dublin Historical ]Record, vol. 9, No. 1, 1946.
54 E . J . Rothery on

stills. Several writers 4,5 have noted the similarities between Coffey's
still and that of Cellier Blumenthal.
Coffey's grandson s stated that .tEneas was born in Dublin, son of
Andrew Coffey, City Engineer. Andrew was instructed as a boy by
James Dinwiddie, Professor in New College, St. Andrews. He was also
assistant to Dinwiddie when he lectured in Dublin in 1785. Andrew
Coff~y was employed ~ in the Dublin City Waterworks from 1774 to
1832. There is evidence s that he worked at waterworks other than in
Dublin and this may have some bearing on the possibility that his son
_/Eneas was born in Calais.
No surviving records of the Education of ./Eneas have been traced.
His grandson s stated that he was educated in Trinity College, Dublin.
His name does not appear in t h e University Alumni, 9 but those of three
of his sons, including _/Eneas II, do. He entered the Excise as a Waiter,
Gauger and Searcher in 1800. l~ This is not recorded in the Dublin
Directories and he may have worked for a while in Britain. In the year
1808, he married Snssana Logie. His brother Daniel William Logic n

4 E v a x i s t Vignier, Recent Progress in the Distilla~on of Spirits, L o n d o n , 1880. ( P r i n t e d

for p r i v a t e circulation).
5 Georg F o t h , Handbuch der Splritus trabrika~on, V e r l a g s b u e h h a n d l u n g , P a u l P a r e y ,
Berlin, 1929, p. 691.
6 A. H . Coffey, L e t t e r to J a m e s A. Dore, J o h n D o r e & Co. Ltd., B r o m l e y , Middlesex,
1931.
A n d r e w Coffey, ' A view of t h e P a s t a n d P r e s e n t S t a t e of t h e W a t e r W o r k s of t h e
City of D u b l i n ', 1829. R o y a l I r i s h A c a d e m y L i b r a r y , D u b l i n , p. 33.
s Ditto, p. 14. T h e following e x t r a c t f r o m a r e p o r t b y W i l l i a m Mylne, E n g i n e e r to
D u b l i n W a t e r W o r k s , 1777-1790 i n c l u d e d in t h i s p u b l i c a t i o n :
' Before I conclude, I t h i n k it is b u t J u s t i c e in m e to declare t h a t A n d r e w Coffey is a n
i n g e n i o u s y o u n g m a n w h o h a s all along c o n d u c t e d h i m s e l f w i t h t i m g r e a t e s t p r o p r i e t y a n d
was t h e o n l y p e r s o n e m p l o y e d in t h e w o r k s I could p u t a t r u s t in, in ease of emergencies.'
W i l l i a m Mylne.
D u b l i n 10th April, 1786.
M y i n e w a s a b r o t h e r of Y4obert Mylne, E n g i n e e r of [New R i v e r H e a d W a t e r W o r k s
of London.
9 University Alumni, National Library, Dublin.
D e c e m b e r , 6, 1824. 2Eneas, age 15, B o r n D u b l i n
W i l l i a m , age 1389 B o r n Dublin.
b o t h e n t e r e d T r i n i t y as pensioners. F a t h e r : Generosus. N o v . 4 t h 1833. A n d r e w Coffey
ago 15, b o r n D e r r y , B.A. Vern. 1838. F a t h e r : !Viercator. T h e d e s i g n a t i o n of t h e f a t h e r ' s
o c c u p a t i o n altered w h e n h e left t h e civil service a n d b e c a m e a still m a n u f a c t u r e r .
10 I-I.M. C u s t o m s a n d E x c i s e L i b r a r y , L o n d o n .
n T h e r e is a conflict h e r e b e t w e e n t h e different records. A c c o r d i n g to Ref. 6, t h e r e were
t w o Logic b r o t h e r s , D a n i e l a n d ~vVilliam, w h o b o t h m a r r i e d sisters o f _/Eneas. T h e E x c i s e
Records, D u b l i n Directories a n d I r i s h I~egistry of Deeds, h a v e f r e q u e n t references to
Daniel W i l l i a m Logic.
 iEneas Coffey (1780-1852) 55

was at this time Surveyor of Excise in Cork and he became Inspector

General for Dublin City in the following year. iEneas was appointed
Surveyor for Dublin City in 1809 and in 1810 he was transferred to
Co. Donegal, where he was in charge of operations against illicit distilling .12
According to Irish tradition, distilling was discovered in Ireland in
the eleventh century independently of the earlier Arabian invention.
Irish distillers reacted with hostility to Excise Laws which t h e y associated
with penal laws and British domination. The Excise repression of
illicit stills appears to have been rather severe and t h e y were criticized
by the l~everend Edward ChichesterTM in 1818 in a pamphlet addressed
to a British Member of Parliament. Chichester was a member of one
of the ruling families of Ulster, and the fact t h a t the attack came from
this source suggests t h a t it was not coloured by nationalistic emotions.
Chichester states t h a t the distresses and outrages which he details
were produced by an oppressive law relative to illicit distillation, la This
law resulted in the prohibition of small stills in Ireland. Only large
stills were licensed. He stated 14 t h a t small stills were freely licensed in
Scottish mountainous districts with a consequent fall in illicit distilling.
Significantly the only legal stills in Ireland to-day are large. The small
stills are all illicit and are found mainly in mountainous districts. In
Scotland, however, small legal stills abound in the Highlands and illicit
distillation is not as common as in Ireland. I t seems t h a t Coffey con-
tributed to the decline of Irish distilling in two ways, by the suppression
of small distilleries and paradoxically by the invention of a modern
still, which was rejected by Irish distillers.
Chichestcr describes at length the brutality of the Excise suppression
and the severity of the fines on illicit distillers. But the savagery was
exercised on both sides. Chichester writes 15 ' I n the year 1810, Mr.
Eneas Coffey, who is now an Inspector General of Excise, having detailed
some of the military under his order to make seizures, the remainder were
surrounded and disarmed by the country people near Culduff in
Innishowen and Mr. Coffey himself beaten until he was supposed to be
dead.' A reward 16 was offered for information leading to the capture

12 R e v , E d w a r d Chichester : ' O p p r e s s i o n s a n d Cruelties of t h e I r i s h R e v e n u e Officers '.

1818.
la 5 5 t h Geo. I I I , Chap. 151.
14 Chichester, op. oit., p. 100.
~ Ibid. p. 68.
i~ Londonderry Journal, A d v e r t i s e m e n t , 2 0 t h N o v e m b e r , 1810.
E X C I S E O F F I C E D U B L I N , 12th November, 1810.
W h e r e a s o n t h e 8 t h d a y of N o v e m b e r , inst. Mr. E n e a s Coffey, officer of E x c i s e , assisted
b y 5 soldiers of t h e K i n g ' s C o u n t y Militia, while in t h e e x e c u t i o n o f h i s d u t y a t C a r t h a g e ,
n e a r Culduff in t h e C o u n t y of D o n e g a l , w a s a t t a c k e d b y a g r e a t n u m b e r of persons, as y e t
56 E . J . Rothery on

of his attackers, but there is no available evidence to suggest that it

was successful.
Coffey's pamphlet I~ in reply appears to have acted as the official
mouthpiece of the Excise. He had made a number of visits to London
about this time TM (1818), presumably for briefing. His defence is not
very convincing. He stated that the law affected smuggling districts
only, Yet Chichester maintained that a relaxation of the law would
encourage the illicit distillers to seek legal status. Coffey also admits 18
that the erection of new small stills was prohibited. Chichester answered
with a further pamphlet, a~ which appears to have been unanswered by
Coffey. Chichestcr quoted a further ease ~1, where the Excise attempted
to close down a small still at Carrickfergus because a large still had been
constructed (prop. John Thompson) in 1818 nearby in Belfast. Thompson
appealed successfully against the closure and later we find that this same
distillery was the site for some of Coffey's experiments. Chichester 2~

17 Coffey's reply. (Illustration). T h i s is Coffey's o n l y r e c o r d e d p u b l i c a t i o n a p a r t

f r o m t h e 1830 p a t e n t .
is Second R e p o r t of C o m m i s s i o n e r s of I n q u i r y i n t o t h e R e v e n u e arising in Ireland.
A p p e n d i x . T h e e x p e n s e s o f t w o visits to L o n d o n b y Coffey (1816 a n d 1818) a r e listed,
pp. 957, 969-990. T h e v i s i t in 1818 e x t e n d e d f r o m A p r i l to O c t o b e r or longer.
19 Ref. 17, p p . 74, 77.
20 R c v . E d w a r d Chichester, ' Second L e t t e r , w h e r e i n t h e o b s e r v a t i o n s o n a F o r m e r
L e t t e r a r e considered a n d R e f u t e d ' 1818.
~1 I b i d . , p. 39.
22 I b i d . , a p p e n d i x I I , p. 202.

u n k n o w n , w h o r o b b e d t h e soldiers of t h e i r a r m s a n d c a p s a n d s e v e r e l y w o u n d e d t h e said
E n e a s Coffoy a n d also b e a t a n d ill t r e a t e d several of t h e soldiers.
N o w t h e C o m m i s s i o n e r s of I n l a n d E x c i s e a n d T a x e s in I r e l a n d , b e i n g d e t e r m i n e d to
b r i n g t h e p e r p e t r a t o r s o f said o u t r a g e to u n d e r g o p u n i s h m e n t , do h e r e b y offer a [illegible]
of s to a n y p e r s o n or p e r s o n s w h o shall, w i t h i n t h r e e c a l e n d a r m o n t h s f r o m t h e d a t e
hence, a p p r e h e n d t h e person, w h o w o u n d e d t h e said E n e a s Coffey w i t h a b a y o n e t , so t h a t
h e shall be p r o s e c u t e d to c o n v i c t i o n for t h e sanle.
And a reward of s for t h e a p p r e h e n s i o n w i t h i n t h e t i m e a f o r e s a i d o f e a c h a n d e v e r y
o f t h e several o t h e r p e r s o n s c o n c e r n e d in t h e said o u t r a g e , so t h a t h e or t h e y shall be
p r o s e c u t e d to c o n v i c t i o n for t h e s a m e a n d a r e w a r d of s will be p a i d to a n y p e r s o n or
p e r s o n s w h o shall w i t h i n t h e t i m e aforesaid give s u c h p r i v a t e i n f o r m a t i o n , as shall lead
to a d i s c o v e r y a n d a p p r e h e n s i o n of t h e said offenders.
A n d if a n y o f t h e p e r s o n s c o n c e r n e d in said o u t r a g e s e x c e p t t h e p e r s o n w h o a c t u a l l y
w o u n d e d t h e said E n e a s Coffey w i t h a b a y o n e t , shall discover a n d p r o s e c u t e to c o n v i c t i o n
h i s accomplices, s u c h p e r s o n shall n o t o n l y be e n t i t l e d to t h e a b o v e r e w a r d of s [illegible]
b u t a p p l i c a t i o n will be m a d e to t h e G o v e r n m e n t for H i s M a j e s t y ' s g r a c i o u s p a r d o n .
B y order o f t h e C o m m i s s i o n e r .
GEORGE WALLER.
E x t r a c t f r o m t h e m i c r o film records o f t h e N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d P u b l i c R e c o r d s O~tlco,
Belfast.
 OBSERVATIONS

ON THE

REV. EDWARD CHICHESTER'S PAMPHLET,

ENTITLED

OPPRESSIONS A N D CRUELTIES

OF

IRISH R E V E N U E OFFICERS.

B Y / E N E A S COFFEY,
ACTING INSPECTOR-GENERAL O1' E X C I S E .

LONDON':
I~r~I~TF, D BY W~ CLOWE$, NO1ZTHU~-~BERI, AND-COUP.T t $ T R A ~ D ,

1818.
 ~neas Coffey (1780-1852) 57

relates how two Excise Officers W-M- and E-C- Esq., (a superior Officer
of the Excise and brother-in-law of W-M.), bargained in a rather irregular
manner with a farmer accused of illicit distillation. A study of the
names of all the Excise Officers in Donegal and Derry at this time indicates
that Chiehester must have referred to Coffey and William Miller (Assistant
Inspector General in Letterkenny). Miller is included tentatively on
the family tree as married to one of Coffey's sisters.
Another pamphlet in 18252a also substantiates many of Chichester's
accusations. Coffey~a was Surveyor for Dublin County in 1813-14.
In 1815-16 he was Surveyor for Clonmel and in 1817 he was transferred
to Cork. In 1818 he was appointed Acting Inspector General and this
appointment was confirmed in 1819.
In the year 1821, we have the first available evidence of his inventive
genius, when Coffey and other officers (including his brother-in-law
Logie) were appointed to superintend experiments at Carrickfergus
Distillery, mentioned above. The distiller was Captain Thomas
Pottinger.
The principles on which his experiments were conducted had a two-
fold object. First to keep the produce out of reach of the distiller during
its process, and at the same time, allow him to ascertain the strength,
heat and colour of the spirits while it is running. Secondly to secure the
casks so as to prevent any defalcation in the contents, or diminution
of the charge. To secure these objects, a glass jar was stationed at the
end of the worm, in which was placed a hydrometer, and to the outside
was affixed a scale to indicate the strength, the heat being at the same
time determined b y an adjoining thermometer. To prevent all access
to the fluid or run from the worm, a glass cylinder was placed overhead
which it was impossible to remove without breaking. To effect the
second object, the different receivers were covered b y iron plates, bolted
and secured within. Each was furnished with a ball cock to prevent its
being filled above a certain height, in which was placed a very large
copper ball attached to a pump to regulate the strength of the liquor
at the time of pumping. The balls were in reality hydrometers, which
when the liquor became stronger than the usual standard, sank to the
b o t t o m and b y that means opened an air valve which communicated
with the pump and prevented it from working. To these contrivances
a machine was superadded within the spirit receivers, b y which the
spirits were measured as they came from the worm, and the quantity

2a A n Irish Magistrate (anon.) A letter to a B r i t i s h 1VIember of P a r l i a m e n t on t h e state

o f I r e l a n d in t h e y e a r 1825, p. 13.
~4 D u b l i n Directories.
58 E . J . Rothery on

registered by an index. The whole was so secured as to be inaccesible

to the distillers or the visiting officers.
At the suggestion of Mr. Coffey (inventor of the still) who was
a p p o i n t e d by the commissioners to superintend Captain Pottinger's
operations, fresh experiments were made with a new and improved
apparatus on a still containing 500 gallons. The improvements of
Mr. Coffey were, t h a t no wash could be put into the still without being
measured and recorded. For this purpose, a close vessel was employed,
denominated the wash measuring gauges, having two stop cocks or
rather a double cock so constructed t h a t the act of opening the one for
filling the charger, shut the other for employing it while at the same time
the distiller was enabled to fill this charger and convey its contents
into the still. This double cock was enclosed in an iron box containing
a few wheels by the revolution of which the quantity of wash put into
the still was marked on an index visible through small glass apertures ,.25
This invention as modified by Coffey is still used in Irish Distilleries,
but its origin appears to be forgotten.
Coffey's name continues to appear in Excise Reports until 1824.
In this year we find the following reference.
'Friday 12th March, 1824.
Aeneas Coffey, Inspector General of Excise in Ireland, having desired
leave to relinquish as by his letter of the 20th December, ordered that
he have leave ,.26
There is a gap in the records until 1827. In t h a t year there is a
record ~ of the purchase of 800 acres of land in Co. Kfldare by Coffey,
Logic and an Edward Mooney. At this point it appeared that Coffey
had decided to retire from active life. Nevertheless, in 1828 he established
the firm ' ~Eneas Coffey and Co.', which survives and flourishes to-day
under a different name. The Dublin Directory for 1828 gives the
Company's address a s : Distillery Offices and Stores, 27 Sth. King
Street, Dublin. In 1829 we find Coffey acting as assignee in a bankruptcy
case in Co. Meath. 2s His patent application entitled 'Apparatus for
Brewing and Distilling ' is dated 1830 and he describes himself as ~Eneas
Coffey of the Dock Distillery, Dublin, Distiller. Unfortunately, the
record of the previous five years is very incomplete and we have no
surviving record of his preliminary researches.

25 Inebriating Liquors, by Samuel Morewood, Collector of Excise, 2nd edn., Dublin,

1838, p. 657. See also House of Commons Estimates and Accounts Ireland, 1821, p. 538.
26 Private communication, Dr. Slater, Ealing Technical College. The reference is
extracted from a manuscript in the Customs & Excise Library, London.
27 Registry of Deeds. Dublin. 1827.
2a Ibid., 1829.
 ~,neas Coffey (1780:1852) 59

Coffey's first invention described above contains m a n y features that

might have been devised by a waterworks engineer. It is very significant
that Andrew Coffey, Senior, had been trained in the Waterworks
Department and was Engineer in Charge of Waterworks for Dublin
Corporation until 1807, when he was appointed City Engineer. This
connexion is again evident with Coffey's still in 1830. The profusion
of pipes in the apparatus is very striking in contrast with the simple
worm of the pot still.
The similarity with the Cellier-Blumenthal still has been already
mentioned and Coffey m a y have had some contacts with French distillers
during his visits to London in 1816 and 1818. In the latter year
Cellier-Blumenthal~9 disposed of his invention to Desrosne, a Parisian
Apothecary. It is also possible that Coffey had some contact with
Sir Anthony Pettier, a~ of Cork, when he was stationed there by the
Excise in 1817. In Perrier's still t h e liquid flowed gradually and con-
tinuously over the heated surface of the boiler while it separated from
the alcohol-rich v~pour, The bottom of the boiler was divided by
concentric partitions~ sufficiently high to prevent the liquid boiling over
them and with openings to each other at opposite sides to form a labyrinth.
In flowing through the labyrinth, the liquid traversed the whole surface
at the bottom, and when the spent wash reached the discharge pipe
at the opposite side it contained very little alcohol. A system of chains
swept the eompartment)s and prevented the deposition of sediments.
Some of the ordinary pot stills in Ireland were beginning to evolve
towards patent structures. Drawings of proposed new stills by a Dublin
still-manufactureral in 1831 and 1836 have a squat cylindrical structure in
contrast to the usual spherical or ellipsoid pot stills.
I n the year 1825, sh0~ly after Coffey left the Excise, St. Marc e9
patented a fire-heatedp~-still, with a number of rectifying chambers
imposed on it. This was iocated at Belmont distillery, Vauxhall, London,
and in 1827, assisted by Alegre, he patented a fire-heated continuous
still. In 1827 also, Robert Stein patented a continuous still, which was
used successfully both at Wandsworth (London) and at his brother's
distillery at Kirkliston (Scotland). A still similar to St. Mare's was
proposed by Wright 29 and in 1829 a rectifying fitting for pot stills was
constructed by a William Egan.

29 R o s s Wilson, p r i v a t e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s a n d articles, i.e. ' T h e E v o l u t i o n o f t h e Con-

t i n u o u s Still ', W i n e a n d Spirit T r a d e Record, O c t . - D e c . 1962.
a0 Ibid. a n d p r i v a t e c o m m u n i c a t i o n f r o m Mr. Wilson. T h e a c c o u n t of P e r r i e r ' s Still
is e x t r a c t e d f r o m , ' C h e m i s t r y , Theoretical, P r a c t i c a l a n d A n a l y t i c a l , as applied to t h e
A r t s a n d M a n u f a c t u r e r s , b y W r i t e r s of E m i n e n c e ', u n d a t e d (British M u s e u m ) .
al R e c o r d s o f D a n i e l Miller a n d Co., C h u r c h St., D u b l i n .
60 E . J . Rothery on

Coffey appreciated that other patent stills suffered from the dis-
advantage of mixing weak and strong spirits in the fashion of the older
pot stills. In his first experiment a2, he inserted two pipes in the first and
second rounds of the condensing worm to collect the condensates of
higher boiling-points and to lead them back to the still. This represented
a first step towards fractionation.
The most important feature of his patent still is the separation of the
analyzing portion (corresponding to the old low-wine or wash-still) from
the rectifying column which produced the purified spirit. It is clear
that Coffey was familiar with the more important patent stills that
were already in use at this time as he clearly classifies ' the improvements
which I claim as new, and as m y Invention, a r e , - -
First, the plan and practice of forcing the wash to pass rapidly
through a pipe or pipes of small diameter, during the time it is acquiring
heat and before it reaches its boiling temperature.
Second, the plan and practice of causing the wash, after it has come
in contact with the vapours, to flow into a continued and uninterrupted
stream over numerous metallic plates, furnished with valves, as herein
described.
And third, the method of ascertaining whether or not the wash
exhausted of its alcohol b y means of the apparatus herein described
or any similar apparatus, whereby the vapour to be tried undergoes
a process of analyzation or rectification, and is deprived of much of its
aqueous part before it is submitted to trial ,.an
It is probable that Andrew, the waterworks engineer (now about
70 years old), contributed to the design of the pipe system, leading to the
first improvement. The second point is the most important feature
of the Coffey Still, the vertical column with ' numerous metallic plates '
has remained the essential feature of most fractionating columns in
industry to this day. Rather curiously the laboratory equivalent (the
' pear column ') did not appear until almost a hundred years later. This
is an unusual inversion of the customary time-lag between laboratory
discovery and engineering application.
The third feature has been superseded by hydrometers. ' The flame
of a lighted taper or small lamp is to be kept constantly at the orifice,
and should the smallest quantity of alcohol find its w a y down with the
wash to the lower vessel it will be immediately detected b y the vapour
taking fire, and thereby warning the attendant to increase the supply
of steam from the boiler, or to diminish the supply of wash, or both, as

a2 Personal communication, James A. Dore, (John Doro & Co. Ltd., Bromley).
as Appendix II.
 _/Eneas Coffey (1780-1852) 61

he m a y see fit.' The orifice referred to was the upper orifice of the worm,
which was contracted to about one-eighth or one-tenth of an inch in
diameter.
The patent was granted to Coffey for Ireland only, for 14 years dated
the 5 March 1831, and sealed on 11 April following. The Treasury
Warrant allowing the use of the still is dated 10 September 1837.
An improved apparatus for cooling brewers' or distillers' wort is also
included in the patent. This is an elaborate arrangement of pipes
immersed in water. Similar plants were already in use at the time, b u t
Coffey states 3~ ' I claim as new, and m y invention, the improved
arrangement of such pipes, b y dividing them into short straight lengths
perpendicularly fixed, and opened at the top, as hereinbefore described
and set forth ; which arrangement almost entirely prevents the deposition
of sediment in the pipes, and allows the person superintending them
at all times, even when they are in action, to keep them perfectly clean
b y the simple application of a bit of sponge at the end of a straight rod,
and thus their conducting power is preserved in its full energy during
the longest process, which is not the case with any other arrangement
of cooling pipes. The same arrangement of pipes m a y also be used with
advantage to heat wort or distillers' wash b y making the external cistern
or bath steam-tight, and surrounding the pipes with steam instead of
water.'
The directory entries ~4 after 1830 indicate that the Dock Distillery
had now become a patent-still manufactory. Until 1834 Coffey tried
unsuccessfully to sell his still to Irish Distillers. This failure was partly
due to their conservatism. The Excise regulations, which were mentioned
earlier, tended to concentrate stills in large units in the cities, thus
favouring more prosperous distilleries. Unfortunately, Coffey's first
commercial stills were made using iron pipes, 6 which gave the whiskey
an unpleasant flavour. The Irish distillers promptly returned the stills
and reverted to the old pot stills. To this day Irish distillers advertise
their product as ' P u r e P o t Still' and their trade organization is ' t h e
Irish P o t Still Distillers Association '.
~Eneas Coffey was rejected and forgotten b y the Irish. Within two
generations they had bitter cause to remember him.
Coffey and his family left Ireland in 1835 or earlier and the firm
tEneas Coffey and Sons was established at St. Leonard's St., Bromley,
London. 35 The Dublin Office was continued until 1856. 8s In 1839 the

Appendix II.
8s, 2Eneas Coi~ey & S o n s ' was established in Bromley in 1835. (Records of J o h n
Dote & Co.).
8e Registry of Deeds, Dublin, 1856/2/178.
62 E . J . Rothery on

Directory entry is changed to tEneas Coffey, Junior, which suggests

that Coffey's eldest son was in charge of the dwindling Irish business.
Morewood (1838) refers to the construction of a number of stills and only
one of these was constructed in Dublin. a7 The latter (Busby's) did not
survive as it is not recorded again. A further reference in 1841 probably
refers to 2Eneas Junior. as One other son, Andrew, remained in Ireland
until 1838 where he obtained his B.A. Degree in Trinity College, Dublin.
The records indicate that b y 1840 all members of the family were
working from the London headquarters.
The Logic family moved to London at about the same time as the
Coffeys, b u t they did not take any direct part in the patent-still
Manufactory.
The names Christopher and Tom Coffey appear frequently in the
records, b u t there is no direct evidence to connect them with the family.
One Christopher was associated with some of the directors of the Dock
Distillery in 1807 and 1824. a9 It is possible that tEneas inherited his
interest in this firm from Christopher. The names, Christopher and Tom
again appear in the London records 4~ and it is possible that they were
father and son.
Coffey's move to London led to a steady growth in orders for his
still, although there were some difficulties. According to a contemporary
account : ' Mr. Coffee had many impediments to contend with, from the
opposition of the excise authorities, in his first attempt to introduce
this ingenious invention into public use ; but prejudice and ignorance
have at length given way, and the Coffee's still m a y be now seen in
operation at almost every large grain distillery in the kingdom.'41
In May 1836 Coffey's recorded address is as Arlington Road, Camden
Town (then a fashionable part of London). a~ Records survive for some
major contracts in the London area, but Scotland was the richest harvest
for the still manufacturer.

a7 Morowood, op. cir. (foot-noto 25), pp. 650, 656.

38 Registry of Deeds, Dublin, 1841/15/165. An ~Eneas Coffoy was a debonturo holder
of two s shares i n tho Thoatro Royal, Dublin. Theso shares ontitled tho holder (and
guest) to attend ' Musiek a n d Dramatick Art ' froo of chargo. Tho tickets woro not trans-
forablo, b u t tho sharoholdors named (including -?Enoas) had thoir sharos to-acquired
compulsorily by tho Company because thoy abusod thoir privilegos by giving or selling
tho tickets to non-shareholders. This suggests thag all tho Coffoys had now loft Dublin.
89 RogUery of Deeds, Dublin, (a) 1807/590/338/40/560, (b) (1813-1815), 6571/451556.
a0 Rocords, J o h n Doro & Co. Ltd.
41Uro. ' Dictionary o] Arts and Manufacturers of Wines ' (Ed. H u n t 1875), col. iii,
p. 50.
 ./Eneas Coffey (1780-1852) 63

A spokesman for the Distillers Co. Ltd. (Mr. W. H. Ross) 42 told a

commission in 1908-9 t h a t the first Coffey Still was set up at Port Dundas
distillery about 1840. This is not strictly correct. Morewood indicated
t h a t Coffey Stills were already being erected in the 1830s. I t is possible
t h a t these were designed and built at the Dublin Still Manufactory, but
the Coffey Company records indicate t h a t substantiM Scottish Orders
were first received in the 1840s. The Scottish business was so important
t h a t ~Eneas, accompanied by his sons, ~Eneas, Philip and Andrew, spent
a lot of time at the sites in Scotland, and also at Bristol and Worcester,
while William remained at the Head Office in Bromley. a~
tEneas wrote to William from Edinburgh, Linlithgow, Seggie, Kilbagie
and Haddington.4~ The Edinburgh correspondence indicates both the
difficulties of constructing the new stills and Coffey's persistence in
overcoming them.
' We made a most disastrous attempt at starting with water to-day.
Every joint of the pump made with gutta percha leaked, or rather let
the water through in torrents, so that after endeavouring for some hours
by screwing up the bolts and substituting paste board in some cases we
have abandoned all hope except that of taking it all to pieces and putting
it together again, re-making all the joints. At first some of the gutta
percha joints appeared sound enough and Carter [one of his staff] only
remade the defective ones with p a s t e b o a r d but on trying to work we
found the other gutta percha joints gave way and no screwing up of the
bolts we could give (which was very little) in the slightest degree diminished
the leakages. When we will get the changes effected or whether when
done it will be effectual I pretend not to guess.'
Among the earlier stills built in London was a very large still for
Sir Felix Booth, aT renowned explorer and gin-distiller.
~Eneas died at Bromley on 26 November 1852, 8 and his eldest son
~Eneas died a few months earlier. The remaining sons continued to
carry on the business. Unfortunately at about this time the use of
the patent still began to decline and in 1868 ' owing to dwindling business
A~neas Coffey's remaining son Philip Edward Coffey accepted the position
of manager of Thames Bank distillery, Pimlico, and made over the
goodwill of ~Eneas Coffey and Sons to his previous foreman (25th March,
1872) Mr. J o h n Dore who had been associated with their business m a n y
years. 'a0
~Eneas H. Coffey4a was also associated with the firm, now J o h n Dore
& Co. Ltd., as a consultant for m a n y years. Subsequently he was

42Royal Commission,What is Whisky. :Evidenceof W. H. Ross.

43Ref. 3, J. J. Kerr, assumed incorrectlythat -~EneasH. Coffeywas son of the original
~Eneas. lie was in fac~a grandson (see familytreo).
 64 E . J . Rothery on

manager of a patent-still distillery in South Africa, until shortly before

the Boer War. He died in Richmond, Surrey, in 1935 without issue.
In 1877, some of the Scottish Distillers amalgamated to form the
Distillers Co. Ltd. I~ow prosperity began to revive in the industry, and
b y 1887 the patent stills were being installed all over Scotland. Alfred
Barnard found Coffey stills in all the major Scottish Distilleries. ~
In Ireland the competition of the Scottish industry was now felt
very strongly. Whisky which was blended with the patent-still product
was more economical than a product made wholly b y the old inefficient
open-fire pot-still. In 1878 four leading Dublin distilleries co-operated
on the publication of a booklet Truths about Whisky. ~ The authors
attacked ' sham ' Scotch whisky because of the doubtful origin of the
raw materials and the artificial flavours which 'contain a considerable
proportion of ammonia, and for this reason many of them are prepared
from horse dung, which affords a cheap supply of the alkali. It is probable
that creosote, or its kindred preparations, are sometimes used? a6 The
Scottish distillers maintained that patent-still spirit was ' silent ', (pure
ethanol in aqueous solution), but the Irish stated that it frequently
' t o l d tales of its o r i g i n . . . Cargoes of spoiled grain, cargoes of rice,
cargoes of spoiled potatoes, crops of diseased potatoes, which would
previously have been ploughed into the soil on which they grew, and
molasses refuse, are probably the staple of the trade ,.aT
Many of the points made b y the Irish Distillers are justified b y
contemporary accounts of court cases and proceedings in the British
Parliament. as The Irish Distillers claimed that Scottish ' s i l e n t ' spirit
of doubtful origin was imported to Dublin and blended with Irish whiskey,
The subsequent product was sold under a Dublin label.
In the enthusiasm of their attack the Irish Distillers appear to have
forgotten that the patent-still was Irish in origin : ' Nearly fifty years
ago, a Mr, Coffy invented a still which m a y be roughly described as
intended to combine, in its action, the two processes of distillation and
of rectification. 'a~ Even the spelling of the inventors name is not

44 Alfred B a r n a r d , The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom, p u b l i s h e d b y t h e

p r o p r i e t o r s o f Harpers Weekly Gazette, L o n d o n 1887.
45 Truths about Whisky, S u t t o n S h a r p e & Co., L o n d o n , 1878.
46 Ibid., p. 48.
4: Ibid., p. 33.
4s Ibid., p. 78-p. 103.
49 Ibid., p. 31. See also evidence o f I r i s h Distillers to w h i s k y c o m m i s s i o n e r s in 1908,
e.g., E v i d e n c e o f A n d r e w J a m e s o n , vol. i, p. 630. I t e m 1408.
' I do n o t k n o w a g r e a t deal a b o u t t h e p a t e n t still b e c a u s e I h a v e n e v e r w o r k e d it a n d
n e v e r h a v e s e e n it a t w o r k : as a m a t t e r o f f a c t u n t i l n o t v e r y l o n g a g o I h a d n e v e r s e e n
O128 '.
 A~neas Coffey (1780-1852) 65

justified b y any contemporary source. Gradually the customers' taste

appeared to shift towards the blended product and Irish Distilling began
to decline. (Only four survive to-day, compared to 87 in 1833.) 5~ The
Irish Distillers m a d e a last-ditch stand at the Royal Commission in
1908, ' What is Whisky ~. ' The Irish maintained that the name should
be reserved for the pot-still product. The Commissioners approved
the patent-still and its use spread to the manufacture of rum, vodka,
arrack and other spirits. In the twentieth century the Irish Distillers
accepted the still and it is now used for the manufacture of whiskey, gin
and vodka in Ireland.
Unintentionally 2Eneas Coffey contributed to the decline of distilling
in Ireland, both as an Excise Officer and as an inventor.
Perhaps the belated use of his invention will now reverse the process.

Acknowledgments
I am deeply indebted to a large number of people who helped me
compile this paper, in particular the following: Mr. L. D. Batt, the
late Mr. Pierce ttiggins and Mrs. Higgins, Dr. A. Slater, Mr. Ross Wilson,
the Librarians of the National Library and Trinity College and the
Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, and the Public Records Office, Belfast.
I am especially indebted to Mr. James A. Dore and the late
Dr. F. W. Gibbs whose continued help, constructive criticism and
encouragement made this paper possible.

6o 7th Report of Customs and Excise. I n 1833 there were 87 distilleries in Ireland,
260 in Scotland a n d 12 in England.

Ann. of 8cA.--Vol. 24, No. I. e

66 E. J. Rothery o n

APPENDIX I

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 Coffey's Improvements in Apparatus for Brewing and Distilling. 67

AP~EI~DIX I I

A.D. 1830 ....... N ~ 5974.

Apparatus for Brewing and Distilling

COFFEY'S SPECIFICATION.

TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, _/E~EAs

COFFEY, of the Dock Distillery, Dublin, Distiller, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fifth day of August, in the first year of His reign, did 5
give and grant unto me, the said tEneas Coffey, His especial licenee that
I, the said tEneas Coffey, m y e~ors, adrhors, and assigns, and such others
as I, the said tEneas Coffey, m y e=r adlfiors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, 10
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and also in all His said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad,
m y Invention of " C e r t a i n I m p r o v e m e n t s in t h e Apparatus or
M a c h i n e r y u s e d in t h e P r o c e s s of B r e w i n g a n d Distilling :" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said ~Eneas Coffey, 15
shall cause a particular description of the nature of m y said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said inpart recited Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more flflly and at large 20
appear.
N O W K N O W YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
2Eneas Coffey, do hereby describe the manner in which m y said Invention
e2
 68 Coffey'sImprovements in Apparatus for Brewing and Distilling.
is to be performed b y the following description thereof, reference being had
to the Drawing annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say : -
My first invention is an improved apparatus for cooling brewers' or dis-
5 tillers' wort; which apparatus is also applicable to other purposes in the
processes of brewing and distilling, and is constructed as follows : - -
I cause a number of pipes or tubes to be made of thin sheet copper or other
metal, but copper tilmed I consider to be the best material. These pipes or
tubes are to be straight, open at each end, of moderate length, and of small
10 diameter. B y moderate length I mean such length as that each tube, when
in anupright or perpendicular position, can be conveniently cleansed b y means
of a straight rod with a bit of sponge on the end of it, or b y any similar
device. I have found six feet in length and one inch diameter to be con-
venient dimensions, b u t other sizes m a y perhaps answer equally well. It is
15 necessary, however, that allthe pipes used in the same apparatus be of equal
length. I next procure twovessels of size proportionate t o t h e number of tubes,
which vessels I consider to be best made of copper, b u t other materials m a y
answer. One of these vessels, which I call the uppermost vessel, is open at the
top, and its bottom is to be perforated with holes equal in diameter and number
20 to the diameter and number of the pipes intended to be used, and which holes
m a y be from one to three inches, or more, distant or separated from each
other. The other vessel, which I call the undermost vessel, is a closed vessel,
except that it has a pipe with a discharge cock at the bottom, and that its top
is to be perforated with holes exactly in the same manner as the bottom of
25 the uppermost vessel (that is to say), it is to be so perforated that if the
b o t t o m of the uppermost vessel be laid on the top of the undermost vessel
the holes in each will correspond. One end of each of the tubes or pipes is to
be then firmly fixed in one of the holes in the top of the undermost vessel and
the other end of each tube or pipe in the corresponding hole in the bottom of
30 the uppermost vessel; and the whole being erected in its proper position, the
uppermost vessel will be elevated perpendicularly over the undermost, and the
distance between them equal to the length of one of the pipes or tubes, each of
which pipes or tubes will form a perpendicular communication, through which
any liquid poured into the uppermost vessel m a y descend in the undermost,
35 and be drawn off through the discharge cock of the latter. When the appa-
ratus is to be used for cooling wort, it is to be immersed in a cistern or bath
of competent dimensions, which bath should be fed b y a sufficient supply of
cold water flowing in at the bottom, and out at the top thereof. The hot
wort being then let into the uppermost vessel is cooled in its passage down the
40 perpendicular pipes or tubes, and m a y be drawn off through the discharge
cock in quantity proportioned to the sige of the apparatus. I do not make an
exclusive claim to the principle or practice of using pipes or tubes immersed
in water for cooling brewers' or distillers' wort; b u t I claim as new, and m y
 Coffey's Improvements in Apparatus for Brewing and Distilling. 69

invention, the improved arrangement of such pipes, b y dividing them into

short straight lengths perpendicularly fixed, and opened at the top, as herein-
before des oribed and set forth; which arrangement almost entirely prevents the
deposition of sediment in the pipes, and allows the person superintending them
at all times, even when they are in action, to keep them perfectly clean b y the 5
simple application of a bit of sponge at the end of a straight rod, and thus
their conducting power is preserved in its full energy during the longest
process, which is not the case with any other arrangement of cooling pipes
The same arrangement of pipes m a y also be used with advantage to heat
wort or distillers' wash b y making the external cistern or bath steam-tight, 10
and surrounding the pipes with steam instead of water.
The annexed drawing, Figure I, shews a section of an apparatus for cooling
weft. E, F, G, I-I, is the upper vessel; I, K, L, M, the lower vessel. The
b o t t o m G, H, and the top I, K, are united b y the tubes or pipes o, o, o, o;
P, P, is a larger tube in the centre to allow room for a spindle for turning an 15
agitator, r, s. A, B, C, D, the bath or cistern, supplied through the pipe u
with cold water, which flows off heated through T. The vessels E F G H,
I K L M, m a y be of any shape; b u t I consider cylindrical vessels as the most
convenient in general.
My next improvements are in the apparatus used in the process of distilling 20
and I describe them with reference to the Drawing annexed, marked Figure 2
A, B, B, is a section of the principal part of the distilling apparatus strictly so
called, wherein the wash is deprived of its alcohol, and the vapours analysed. It
consists of a cylindrical or rectangular vessel A, surmounted b y a distilling
column B, B, the horizontal section of which m a y be either cylindrical or 25
rectangular; b u t I have found it most convenient when rectangular. The
lower part, forming about one-half the length of their column, is divided into
compartments b y horizontal plates of thin copper or other metal. Each of
these plates turns down at one end until it nearlytouohes the plate beneathit,
as shown at d, d, d, d, &o. and leaves a passage b y which any liquid falling on 30
a plate m a y descend to that next under it, and so on from plate to plate at the
alternate ends, until the liquid falls into the vessel A through the pipe W.
Each plate is furnished with several light valves opening upwards, through
which the steam m a y ascend, and it may also be performed with holes for that
purpose; but these holes must not be so numerous or so large as to admit of 35
all the steam passing up through them without raising the valves. C is a
pipe throughwhiehthe alcoholic vapour, after having been analized andraised
to the required strength, is conveyed into a close vessel D, in which it is
condensed on the surface of the pipe o, o, o, and falls in a liquid state
into the pipe E, and is carried forward to a small worm or refrigeratory 40
of the ordinary construction, which is not shown in the Drawing; F, a vessel
through which the spent wash flows after being discharged from the distilling
apparatus in a state of ebullition; G is a wash charger or elevated vessel,
 70 Coffey'sImprovements in Apparatus for Brewing and Distilling.

containing the wash to be distilled. Instead of this elevated vessel a force

pump may in most instances be advantageously substituted to drive the wash
through the distilling apparatus with the required velocity, o, o, o, o, o, o, is
the pipe through which the wash is to be forced with considerable velocity,
5 either from a wash charger sufficientlyelevated, or by the use of a force pump.
It is necessary t h a t this velocity should be such as to prevent the deposition of
sediment in the pipe. The requisite velocity and the diameter of the pipe m a y
therefore vary according to the thickness or thinness of the wash; I would
not recommend with any corn wash a less velocity t h a n an hundred feet per
10 minute. The pipe o, o, o, through which the wash is thus forced, passes first
into the spent wash cistern F, then through the close vessel D, and lastly
through the upper part of the distilling column, in each of which, by a number
of coils or turns into ~he pipe, the wash is detained long enough to acquire a
considerable increase oftemperature, untilit is at last dis chargedneaxlyboiling
15 on the upper plate at m, and comes into contact with the vapours rising from
below. Care must be taken t h a t the wash shall not reach its boiling tempera-
ture while enclosed in the pipe o, o, for which purpose a thermometer is to be
fixed at n, by attending to which and by increasing or diminishing the supply
of wash through the cock x, this temperature m a y be regulated at pleasure.
20 The wash as discharged from the pipe o, o, flows along the upper plate, falls at
d on the next plate, flows over this and again falls, and so on alternately until
it reaches the vessel below through the pipe w, from whence it is discharged
into the spent wash cistern through the cock P; at the same time a sufficient
quantity of steam generated in a proper boiler, not shown in the Drawing, is
25 conveyed into the apparatus through the pipe R, R, the lower part of which
within the vessel A is perforated with small holes, the better to spread and
divide the steam. This steam passes up through the plates, partly by the
holes perforated in them, and partly through the light valves, which yield to a
very slight pressure. In thus passing up through the column, the steam goes
30 through the layer or stratum of wash flowing over the plates, and thus the
steam is made to pass through every portion of the wash as m a n y times as
there are horizontal plates in number. The wash, during its course, parts
with some of its alcohol to the steam on every plate untilit is entirely deprived
of its strength or spirit, which it will be in general on seven or eight plates;
35 but it willbe prudent to guard against accidents or inattention by employing a
greater number, as shown in the Drawing. a is a steam pipe, about half an
inch diameter, rising from the vessel A, and opening into a small box b, from
which rises a small worm, immersed in a water bath. The steam enters the
lower part of the worm, and a sufficient supply of water is given to the bath to
40 condense the much greater portion which falls back through the pipe e; a very
small quantity of this steam is allowed to pass up uncondensed, and issues at
the upper orifice of the worm, which is contracted to about one-eigth or one-
t e n t h of an inch diameter. The flame of a lighted taper or small lamp is to be
 Coffey's Improvements in Apparatus for Brewing and Distilling. 71

kept constantly at the orifice, and should the smallest quantity of Moohol find
its way down with the wash to the lower vessel it will be immediately detected
by the vapour taking fire, and thereby warning the attendant to increase the
supply of steam from the boiler, or to diminish the supply of wash, or both, as
he m a y see fit. The distilling apparatus, which I have herein described, m a y 5
be varied in m a n y of its details according to local and other circumstances,
but the improvements which I claim as new, and as m y Invention, a r e , -
First, the plan and practice of forcing the wash to pass rapidly through a
pipe or pipes of small diameter, during the time it is acquiring heat and
before it reaches its boiling temperature. 10
Second, the plan and practice of causing the wash, after it has come in
contact with the vapours, to flow into a continued and uninterrupted stream
over numerous metallic plates, furnished with valves, as herein described.
And third, the method of ascertaining whether or not the wash exhausted of
its a!eoholbymeans ofthe apparatus hereindescribedor anysimilar apparatus, 15
whereby the vapour to be tried undergoes a process of analyzation or rectifica-
tion, andis deprived of much of its aqueous part before it is submitted to trial.

In witness whereof, 1, the said iEneas Coffey, have hereunto set m y

hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, One thousand eight
hundred and thirty-one. 20
iENEAS COFFEY. (L.S.)

AND IT BE REMEMBERED that on the Fifth day of February, in the

year of our Lord 1831, the aforesaid iEneas Coffey came before our sMd
Lord the King ill His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
O sMd, and MI and every thing therein oontained and specified, in form above 25
written. And Mso the Speoifieation aforesaid was stamped aceording to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-one.
r

IIII

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