>> we have distilled using fractional distillation and soxhlet <<
Hey Skippy, thanks for the suggestions and the compliment! I assume that your Soxhlet contains a drying agent or molecular sieves to absorb the water. That's the best way to get the maximum yield of ester, removing the water during the reaction and letting the Le Chatelier principle do its thing. A Dean-Stark trap is good for removing the water also, if one is available.
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I assume that your Soxhlet contains a drying agent or molecular sieves to absorb the water. That's the best way to get the maximum yield of ester, removing the water during the reaction and letting the Le Chatelier principle do its thing. 
A Dean-Stark trap is good for removing the water also, if one is available.