This paper reports work at the laboratory and pilot scale concerning the design of a process for the production of valuable higher oxygenates from synthesis gas. The performance of a Snamprogetti high-temperature catalyst for the synthesis of methanol and higher alcohols was extensively studied, and a lumped kinetic model was developed; this accounts for the product distribution over the range of interest of temperature, pressure, and space velocity and includes the effect of synthesis gas composition. The model was applied to the preliminary simulation of a multistage adiabatic reactor. A single-stage adiabatic pilot reactor was then realized and operated. It was verified that higher alcohol synthesis can be carried out without the risk of uncontrollable heat buildup by properly tuning the amount of methanol in the feed stream.