Making cuts: foreshots, heads, hearts and tails
A pot still run doesn’t come off as one spirit. Here is what each part is, what to throw away, and how to choose the cuts.
Updated
In short
A run comes off in four parts: foreshots, heads, hearts and tails. Throw the foreshots away, keep the hearts, and set the heads and tails aside to run again. Collect in small numbered jars, note each jar’s strength and temperature, and choose the cuts by smell and taste once the jars have aired, rather than by a fixed number.
The four parts of a run
- Foreshots come off first. They carry the most volatile compounds, such as acetone, acetaldehyde and ethyl acetate, with some methanol, and smell sharply of solvent. Never drink them; throw them away.
- Heads follow, still harsh: nail varnish, glue or green apple on the nose. They are strong and fade gradually into the hearts.
- Hearts are the clean, sweet middle of the run, the spirit you keep.
- Tails come last as the strength falls: wet cardboard, wet dog or oily, and dull on the tongue.
Heads and tails still hold good alcohol. Many distillers keep them as feints and add them to a later run.
How much to throw away
There is no exact amount; it depends on the wash, the still and how fast you run it. A cautious habit is to throw away at least the first 100 to 200 mL from a 20 to 25 L pot still charge, and more from a fruit wash, which makes more methanol. If what is coming off still smells of solvent, keep discarding. Throwing away a little too much costs far less than keeping too little.
Collect in numbered jars
Rather than guessing the moment to switch, collect the run in small jars, 250 to 500 mL on a hobby still, numbered in order. For each one, note the volume, the alcoholmeter reading and the temperature it was read at. The strength falls and the temperature at the top of the still rises as the run goes on; both help you find your place, but neither marks a cut on its own.
On a pot still spirit run the hearts often start somewhere around 80% and the tails around 60 to 65%. Every still and wash is different, so take those as a starting point for your own records, not a rule.
Choose the cuts the next day
- Leave the jars loosely covered for a day, so the sharpest heads can air off.
- Smell each jar in order. Then taste a small sample, diluted with water to drinking strength.
- Mark where the heads give way to the hearts, and the hearts to the tails, and combine the hearts.
- When a jar is in doubt, leave it out of the hearts and put it with the feints. You can always add it back in.
Keep records
Cut points you have written down get easier each time: the same still, recipe and heat setting tend to give the same jars. Compare the run with your last few on the same still before you start.
Safety and the law
Distilling spirits needs a licence in many countries, including the UK and the US; check the law where you are. Never leave a running still, keep the room well aired and away from flames, since alcohol vapour catches fire, and keep the foreshots well away from anything anyone might drink.