Is it mostly just heads that cause hangovers?

[mmmmmm]

I have about two pints of fairly high proof.. 140ish (from a pot still spirit run) that were too tailsy to make the cut for my main stash.

I thought I'd read that there isn't really anything in tails that causes hangovers, that the hangovers come from heads and the tails are just non-desirable because of the off taste and smell.

I was thinking about doing like a.. apple pie with those first two pints of tails. It's still strong liquor.. I just don't like the taste/smell.

[rad14701]

If you don't like the taste or smell of the distilled spirits you won't disguise it by making a flavored drink out of it... They'll creep right through, trust me...

[frozenthunderbolt]

If you don't like the taste or smell of the distilled spirits you won't disguise it by making a flavored drink out of it... They'll creep right through, trust me...

1+ Back in the day i buggered up a good amount of spiced rum by adding too much tails cut - all the spice in the world wont cover it

[mmmmmm]

No one has really answered my question, but..

Hell with it I'm going to try it. Worst case scenario I'm out a can of apple juice concentrate some brown sugar and a cinnamon stick and I throw it in with my next run like I would have done with it anyway.

[Jimbo]

Throw some oak in them pints and stick them in the back of your cabinet. Tails turn into grainy character with age and oak. You might decide them 2 pints are damn fine in 6 months. Seriously, tails do dissipate, way more so than heads, which will stick around for decades.

[Stainless dude]

You could also save up those tails, and when you have two or three gallons do a all feint run..

[Dan P.]

Tails give the jitters.

Personally, I find feints, when recycled with low wines, are very important in bringing flavour to a distillate, if they are from a quality wash.

[Jimbo]

+1 on feints adding goodness to the next round. And boosts the hell out of your yield too. I run strippers deep so I have lots of feints from the spirit run.

No kidding jitters Dan? any idea whats in there that causes that? Got me curious enough to drink some tails and see what happens haha. Ok maybe not.

[Dan P.]

I don't know what causes jitters, but in my life I have had the pleasure of living in some pretty far out places, where I drank some pretty far out booze. In a lot of traditional distilling cultures you do just one run right down to the arse of it.

[heartcut]

In a non-scientific sense- every time I drink headsy tasting spirits it's hangover time. That's from 1st and 3rd world spirits, expensive to cheap. Traveling has it's drawbacks.

[greybeard_biker]

I know a guy that has something similiar, makes me wonder, he cant control it, doctors dont know what caused, but I do know he drank shine until his massive heart attack. a couple years ago, he quit alcohol cold turkey after, but still has involuntary muscle movements, mostly his hands & his head with slight shakes occasionally.

[aj2456]

Throw some oak in them pints and stick them in the back of your cabinet. Tails turn into grainy character with age and oak. You might decide them 2 pints are damn fine in 6 months. Seriously, tails do dissipate, way more so than heads, which will stick around for decades.

i was wondering if it was just me- just did the same thing to some of the 40% tails from my apple brandy- tastes better than the main brandy atm- heads definately still there

glad i kept the two jars as a way to add oak to the finished stuff so they will be going back in (if they survive long enough)

[Bardstown Road]

I have a friend that has a reflux, uses turbo sugar washes, and dilutes it with distilled water. His shine burns like hell always and gives me the absolite worse headaches. I have a pot still, drink mostly hearts of ujsm, aged in my mini barrels, very smooth going down, and dont get hangovers. I imagine the methanol acetone and other crap in the heads are what causes habgovers.

[Jimbo]

. I imagine the methanol acetone and other crap in the heads are what causes habgovers.

yes sir

[Odin]

I feel "heads" and "tails" very well describe what they give you. Heads give head aches. Tails gives you the sh*tes.


Odin.

[Jimbo]

haha, so far we got one vote for the shakes and one for the shits.

Can you order that at the bar? Id like a glass of the shits and shakes please, neat.

[Odin]

Ordering JD will get you there, Jimbo!

[redmud]

I feel "heads" and "tails" very well describe what they give you. Heads give head aches. Tails gives you the sh*tes.


Odin.

+1 perfect description

[BDF]

Not to mention that you need to properly hydrate yourself to mitigate hangovers, which is something that I feel often gets overlooked on this board when talking about the product that is made here.

[Steam Drip]

One theory I heard from a medical professional is the alcohol metabolizes into an alcytlhide that cause much of the hang over. Not so sure of it though as quality stuff has less hangover.

[MadMasher]

Not to mention that you need to properly hydrate yourself to mitigate hangovers, which is something that I feel often gets overlooked on this board when talking about the product that is made here.

+1 No matter what I'm drinking(store or homemade), if I have a cup(8 fl oz) of water after every drink (beer, wine, a shot) I won't get hungover.

[Yodaspike]

Hi all
Thought i way in a bit, old thread this but sure there are still people wondering.

As far as heads go, think those are stuff that makes you sick, as in stomach pains, sure a little of it would give you a hangover as well.

Tails, not too sure, have drunken half a bottle of tails few times, and was ok, perhaps drinking it after i had a few propper drinks it could of perhaps made a difference as well, (supposedly ethanol counters the effect/toxins in methanol) not sure how true is, sure wont try it.
So in short i think if you go on taste alone and keep what you like you should be just fine, can always run in througb some carbon as well to be on the safer side.