You may have heard that it is impossible to distill alcohol to greater than 95.6% (191.2 proof). This is true, although reverse osmosis and molecular sieves can bring alcohol up to a full 100% concentration (200 proof).1
Now, however, new advances in technology have made possible even higher concentrations of alcohol. Albert Säufer, who invented this revolutionary process in his secret laboratory, explains:
So far, with my new procedure, I have been able to achieve proofs of 212 or so, but the process I have patented shows the theoretical potential of producing alcohol as strong as 247.0001 proof. You wouldn’t, of course want, to drink this stuff. It doesn’t taste very good, and will take the skin off of your tongue: look at mine.
Once patented, Säufer hopes to license his process to other clients who are concerned about the purity and potency of their products. He believes that textile makers, metal refiners, and producers of bottled water may be interested.
So keep your eyes peeled—before very long, you may be seeing suits made with 200% wool.
“Liber de arte distillandi,” Hieronymus Brunschwig. Chemical Heritage Foundation, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
- Note that the British have traditionally used a different system of alcoholic proof, based on the concentration of alcohol capable of exploding when applied to gunpowder. ↩
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