stail

-e, -ean, sf Bandage, strap. 2 Still. 3†† Whisky-pot. [stal — Gairloch & Lochbroom]. Taigh-stail, a distillery, a smuggling bothy.
The parts of a still:
1. Anger {tancar?} an uisge-bheatha; the spirit receiver.
2. Bòrd-guaile, am ~; the lid of the still with a hole in the centre into which the clogaid was inserted.
3. Bucaid an leanna or an spùidsear; the bucket for baling or emptying the beer out of the dabhach (vat) into the stail or still.
4. Bucaid a’ bhùirn or spuidsear a’ bhùirn; the bucket for supplying the worm-cask with cold water out of the cold water tub. The bucaid or spuidsear was used in Lewis instead of the discharge cock (charger or filler) and the chute for supplying cold water distilling was retained in canes and in accessible jars where water had to be carried.
5. A’ chliath; the worm. This was a copper pipe in four coils and was placed inside the worm cask or tub. One end connected with the feadan on top of the cask and the other end comes out two inches above the bottom.
6. An clogaid; the still head in the shape of a lum hat, was inserted into the hole in the lid and was full of steam.
7. Am feadan; the connecting piece between the still head and the worm.
8. Measair a’ bhùirn; the cold water tub, which was always kept full to supply the worm cask with cold water to condense the steam into spirit that was in the worm.
9. Smugan; The spout into which a large needle was inserted with a woollen thread attached on which the spirit was dripping into the spirit receiver.
10. Stannda na cléithe; the worm stand or worm tub.
The above names were given by Mr Donald Murray of Aberdeen who hailed from Lewis. He, in turn, obtained them from his uncle Mr Roderick Murray who used to distil whisky himself and was the last, as far as is known, to have distilled whisky in Ness. Mr D. Murray added that although bucaid or spuidsear was the term most commonly used, the correct Gaelic name for bucaid was taoman. Thus taoman leanna and taoman a’ bhùirn were the old Gaelic names. See also a’ phoit-dhubh, the ‘sma’ still.


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