How much of store-bought spirits is hearts?

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davek14
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How much of store-bought spirits is hearts?

Post by davek14 »

I've been dabbling in some very half-*ss stovetop distillation. So very "prison still" like that we will not discuss here. I have learned a little of the tastes and smells of foreshots, and especially tails. Learned of the hangover inducing effects of the tails as well. It has me wondering how much commercially produced liquor separates the hearts in the final product. Some liquor will give a worse hangover than others. Is that from undesirable esters?

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still_stirrin
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Re: How much of store-bought spirits is hearts?

Post by still_stirrin »

Where I get the worst hangover making alcohol is from bad cuts on the top, not the bottom. It is the “late heads/early hearts” that get included in the keep that create the headache for me. Of course, the esters present add a fruity sweetness to the keep, but it also adds the acetone (solventy smell and taste) as well as the ethyl acetate (fingernail polish remover) smells.

I’ve found this to be the zone where decisions have to be made. A little of the esters adds some complexity, especially when a little of the late hearts/early tails is included, which brings more of the grain’s flavors back to the product. Blending properly is the challenge here, but it does take experience (and practice) to make your “signature spirits”.

Late heads/early hearts is nice, especially when the product will be char-cask aged. It will also help keep the blend’s proof slightly higher for its aging process.

Ultimately, collection in a number of vessels from which you can “tune” your final blend will help you develop the skills for making top shelf spirits. You’ll soon have friends returning their empty jars back to you for (free) refills. Practice, practice, practice.
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davek14
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Re: How much of store-bought spirits is hearts?

Post by davek14 »

That's awesome information. I'm finding that stuff extremely interesting. What I'm wondering now is how the commercial distillers do it. How much of the heads and or tails do they leave in?
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still_stirrin
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Re: How much of store-bought spirits is hearts?

Post by still_stirrin »

davek14 wrote:... how the commercial distillers do it... How much of the heads and or tails do they leave in?
All of it! It’s all profit.

Although, some “small batch” producers may actually make some cuts. I doubt they cut nearly as conservatively as we (hobbiests) do because “cut outs” represent lost revenue. But since we’re not driven by profit, we can make good conservative cuts keeping the hearts nice and clean for our own consumption.

There is no reason that our home produced product cannot surpass what commercial producers make.

Don’t try to measure yourself by the commercial distillers...you can do better than that.
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Yonder
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Re: How much of store-bought spirits is hearts?

Post by Yonder »

Well, we had a major brand store open here a while ago, where they give out free samples of the whisky. Tried about 8 of em and my feeling was that 7 were awful 'heady' and clearly made by timing the runs with a thermometer. We can all do better when we make cuts.
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