Tasting Tails

[logic]

I have 12 mashes under my belt and just as many stripping runs. I've recently completed my 2nd spirits run which was incidentally my 1st AG spirits run. The mash bill was for the most part 80/20 corn and barley malt. One of the mashes I introduced rye in the bill but had a hell of a time with it and decided to stick with corn and barley malt for now, but it ended up in my low wines for the spirit run nonetheless. I collected 750 ml of what I would call hearts. I discarded the first 200 ml of fores. The next 250ml I marked as heads. The following 750ml were the hearts and the final approximately 750ml were the tails. The 750ml of hearts were 170 proof. I proofed a portion down to 85 to have my first drink. I tasted it at 170 and drank it for a while at 85 and it tasted ok. I wouldn't call it fantastic but it held up to store bought unaged whiskey that I tried along side it. I then decided to mix it with cola at the 85 proof. All I could taste was strong taste of wet cardboard coming through. When I first came to this message board, I read in a thread here that tails taste like wet cardboard. I'd say that is a fairly accurate description of what tails taste after identifying the flavor in my limited distilling experience. I would have never thought that it would have tasted fine alone at 170 proof and again at 85 proof and the reveal itself within the cola I mixed it with. Anyone else had a similar experience or am I just hallucinating? I realize my cuts probably need some work, but this was a shock to me.

[scuba stiller]

Tasting at 85% numbs taste buds.

[Prairiepiss]

Dilute a bit to 20% or so. For testing to make cuts.

[Fastill]

I've found that sometimes tails show after a couple of days of sitting, airing out or sealed in jars.
Also like PP said, maybe the cola diluted the shine enough to allow the tails to come through. High ABV is good at hiding tails.

[Halfbaked]

85% kills taste buts and skin in your mouth. It is dangerous do not do it. I taste with my nose. I have a very sensitive sniffer and can smell and taste at same time. Wet cardboard smell taste yea tales. If I taste it and it burns my mouth it makes it hard for me to tell anything. I am a nose and feel kinda guy and eyes work also for heads. Anything above 130 I don't think is very safe. That being said I don't recommend anything over 100-110 proof but lower proofs without cola helps detecting flavors.

[MitchyBourbon]

halfbaked wrote,
85% kills taste buts and skin in your mouth.

I have taste buds in my mouth.

[woodshed]

First off, never be satisfied with holding your own against a store bought.
Your post makes it sound as though you were tasting only hearts.
If so why the tails taste? I like 9 days of airing in our environment.
2 gallons of 80% ABV loses 4 ounces in that time. The ABV increases to 82%.

[Halfbaked]

halfbaked wrote,
85% kills taste buts and skin in your mouth.
[/quote
I have taste buds in my mouth.

85% neat? You are more of a man than I if you are drinking 85%.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

halfbaked wrote,
85% kills taste buts and skin in your mouth.
[/quote
I have taste buds in my mouth.

85% neat? You are more of a man than I if you are drinking 85%.

I think he was commenting on that fact that you use "taste BUTS" instead of taste buds. ABV aside.

[Tokoroa_Shiner]

He's not drinking it at 85% it's 85 proof. 42.5%abv.

[NZChris]

My final taste test for my cuts is often Cola, or hot coffee. Both will bring out the tails for me.

[Halfbaked]

No more posts for me tonight.

[thecroweater]

Cut by smell is not good for me. I use a table spoon and a tea spoon . I fill the table spoon with rain water and the tea spoon I use to ladle shine into the larger spoon of water . This is after several days of airing, higher the proof harder faints are to pick in my opinion

[logic]

Thanks for all the replies. I was not aware that it would be necessary to dilute down so much to do cuts and will do so going forward. I originally thought I was dealing with a conservative hearts cut but apparently not. I'll be more vigilant when doing a run and separate the distillate into smaller samples until my skill with this improves.