Pot still, single run.

[still_stirrin]

I like the large mouth vessels for larger pieces of staves (not cut down to fingers) and have several one gallon size.

Jonny,

I learned the hard way that stave chunks swell somewhat when soaked in whiskey in a mason jar.

I had stave chunks that easily fit in the jar mouth when they were dry. But when it came time to take them out, a long time later, the chunks wouldn’t fit through the opening. So, I drained the liquor out thinking the chunks would dry out and shrink allowing me to remove them. But guess what...they didn’t shrink enough, even after months of drying, to allow me to snag them out. Now what?

I had to take a long bladed sawzall to cut the chunk so I could get it out. Dang. Now, I make sure the stave chunks will easily fit in (and out) even with the expansion of soaking for a year, or more.
ss

[The Baker]

Hair dryer?

Geoff

[still_stirrin]

Hair dryer?

Geoff

Geoff, do YOU have experience with a hair dryer? Let’s hear about it.

[Twisted Brick]

Hair dryer?

Geoff

Perhaps, but thinking about it, would take forever. One might try resting the jar in the oven at a low setting overnight, but who knows?

still_stirrin's remedy is sound (and timely), but his warning is the definition of valuable experience passed on: "been there - done that!"

[The Baker]

Hair dryer?

Geoff

Geoff, do YOU have experience with a hair dryer? Let’s hear about it.

Used it to free up the fan on the computer.
It was a failure really; at the moment I stick a skewer through one of the tiny holes and give a fan blade a flick.
And that doesn't work well, I need to figure out how to remove the fan and clean and grease it.
Or insert a new one if necessary.

Well, you asked!

Geoff

[Dancing4dan]

Thanks for being patient and for all of the advice.

Three batches were stripped. Fore shots removed each time. Stripping runs collected until the proof of the collection jar was down to 20. All three runs were combined into one spirit run in addition to about 15 L of left over wash that didn’t fit in the still from run 3. Four liters of distilled water added totaled 23 L in the still for spirit run. Didn’t want to expose the heater element and dilution was way down below explosion level. It was pretty foamy when it was poured into the still so a dollop of butter was added.

The spirit run was very educational! First I’ve done. Took lots of notes. The transition from heads to hearts was pretty abrupt and easily recognized compared to doing just a single run. 400 ml of heads were pretty nasty. The next 200 ml were in between heads and hearts. Then it transitioned to hearts at 136 proof. Collection was done in 200 ml jars and were numbered and proofed mostly for me to learn the still. Power/ temperature was slowly increased based upon the output stream from the still. After going slowly through collection of heads output was increased in order to maintain a very thin stream or rapid dripping after that.

Collection was done until output proof hit 84. Then... there were no more 200 ml jars! At that point the heat was turned all the way up and 2000 ml (tails) were collected in one large vessel. I just let it run while cleaning up equipment.

3400 ml saved for blending and oaking. In addition to that the 600 ml heads and 2000 ml tails (?) will be saved for a all feints run or added to next strip run.

What I learned. 1) strip / spirit runs make a big difference. 2) I need more 200 ml jars. 3) lots more to learn!

Collecting parts for a steam set up. Would like to mash, ferment and distill in same kettle on grain... Lots to learn.

[SaltyStaves]

Thanks for being patient and for all of the advice.

Three batches were stripped. Fore shots removed each time. Stripping runs collected until the proof of the collection jar was down to 20. All three runs were combined into one spirit run in addition to about 15 L of left over wash that didn’t fit in the still from run 3. Four liters of distilled water added totaled 23 L in the still for spirit run. Didn’t want to expose the heater element and dilution was way down below explosion level. It was pretty foamy when it was poured into the still so a dollop of butter was added.

20 proof?? As in 10% ABV? Why would you do that? If it was 20% ABV, that is still on the low side for a run that won't have high ABV feints added for the spirit run. I'd only ever run that low if my feints would be sufficient to raise the ABV into the mid to high 20's (thats percent, not proof!).

15L of wash and 4L of water in a 23L charge is a lot of water and not a lot of alcohol for a spirit run. Something is fundamentally wrong with your stripping or fermentation protocols.

[Dancing4dan]

Thanks for being patient and for all of the advice.

Three batches were stripped. Fore shots removed each time. Stripping runs collected until the proof of the collection jar was down to 20. All three runs were combined into one spirit run in addition to about 15 L of left over wash that didn’t fit in the still from run 3. Four liters of distilled water added totaled 23 L in the still for spirit run. Didn’t want to expose the heater element and dilution was way down below explosion level. It was pretty foamy when it was poured into the still so a dollop of butter was added.

20 proof?? As in 10% ABV? Why would you do that? If it was 20% ABV, that is still on the low side for a run that won't have high ABV feints added for the spirit run. I'd only ever run that low if my feints would be sufficient to raise the ABV into the mid to high 20's (thats percent, not proof!).
15L of wash and 4L of water in a 23L charge is a lot of water and not a lot of alcohol for a spirit run. Something is fundamentally wrong with your stripping or fermentation protocols.

Sorry Salty. You read that exactly as it reads and it is misleading as written. I appreciate your comments.

I don’t collect all in one jar as most may do so the collection went to 20 proof but much of that wasn’t added to spirit run . I removed fors each strip run and anything that was below 80 proof from what was kept for the spirit run. From each of the three strip runs what went into the spirit run was 100 proof.

Diluted with wash for flavor and added the water to ensure the still didn’t run dry and expose the heat element. Could have not added the water but looking for a Large safety margin as I learn.

As I said I have much to learn. Having only this site and no person to person contact with another distiller makes a lot of the information seem contradictory on the site. That’s not a criticism of anyone. It’s just the reality of working through this alone.

[SaltyStaves]

I don’t collect all in one jar as most may do so the collection went to 20 proof but much of that wasn’t added to spirit run.

Why wasn't it added? What was it set aside for?

I removed fors each strip run and anything that was below 80 proof from what was kept for the spirit run. From each of the three strip runs what went into the spirit run was 100 proof.

100 proof means a lot of flavour and character is left behind. You cannot substitute it with fresh wash.

Diluted with wash for flavor and added the water to ensure the still didn’t run dry and expose the heat element. Could have not added the water but looking for a Large safety margin as I learn.

Water has no flavour. Wash has more, but low wines that are enriched with the acidic water and alcohols from the tail end of the strip are better again. Strip your washes completely if you have to. The alcometer might be reading zero a long time before you kill the heat, but you'll be enriching your total collection with the character of your wash. If you have to run more out to keep your element covered for the spirit run, then just do that. Using wash because its leftover is not always in your best interests. 15/23L is a too much water and not enough flavour and alcohol for a spirit run and leaves your hearts cut virtually invisible.

[Dancing4dan]

Water has no flavour. Wash has more, but low wines that are enriched with the acidic water and alcohols from the tail end of the strip are better again. Strip your washes completely if you have to. The alcometer might be reading zero a long time before you kill the heat, but you'll be enriching your total collection with the character of your wash. If you have to run more out to keep your element covered for the spirit run, then just do that. Using wash because its leftover is not always in your best interests. 15/23L is a too much water and not enough flavour and alcohol for a spirit run and leaves your hearts cut virtually invisible.

Thanks Salty.

When I am done a stripping run, do I put it all into the spirit run? What is the percent or proof I should put in the still for a spirit run? Is it straight from the stripping run? Its my understanding that I should I be diluting down to 35 - 40 % and no further prior to spirit run?

I got hung up on making cuts on a stripping run...me thinks. Im making this more complicated than it is aren't I?

[SaltyStaves]

If making a flavourful spirit (Whiskey, Rum etc), then you would aim to run the strips until the final collection is between 25-32% ABV. Also assuming foreshots are taken and excluded.
With that in mind, you would want to work backwards to determine how big your fermentation needs to be in order to be able to have a large spirit run that takes advantage of your boiler size. If your fermenter is only as big as your boiler, then you'll need to rethink your process.

When I am recycling my feints (mostly for single malt), I factor in how much volume they will add and how much they will boost the abv of the spirit run, so I strip the low wines even lower - 20-24% ABV and then the addition of the feints will raise the total abv into the high 20's, low 30's for the spirit run.

When making a neutral, I would stop stripping after the total collection is anywhere between 50-45% ABV and then use water to dilute down below 40% ABV for the spirit run. With a neutral, that ensures that undesirable flavours are kept out of the collection jar, because you want a characterless result in that scenario. Different protocols for different outcomes.

Where new distillers get confused, is learning about a protocol for making tasteless neutral and thinking that protocol applies for flavoured spirits.

[Deplorable]

Dan, when you do a stripping run, strip all the alcohol out. Your TOTAL COLLECTED VOLUME should be about 30 to 35% ABV maybe less, but mine usually end up here. (That is measuring a sample from the total collected, and blended together if using multiple jars)
Ive done this a couple of ways, first, using a parrot to measure the proof at the spout and running to about 5%, and just running into a large pot and measuring a sample of the pot.
Personally, I make no cuts on the stripping run, others do.
From a 10 gallon still charge of 8% beer, I get about 2.5 gallons of low wines. I do this twice and get a 5 gallon charge of about 30% ABV low wines with all of the flavor and all of the alcohol produced from the ferment.
Now you're charged for your spirit run, with 30 to 35% ABV Low wines. Run a slow heat up, take your fores and heads as slow as you can stand, I collect at them at a very broken stream, maybe 4 or 5 drops a second. After a liter, I increase the heat ever so slightly until I get a pencil lead thin stream collecting 300ml in each pint jar. Do not adjust the heat again. every time you switch jars measure the ABV, write it down and note the smell and texture between yor fingers, and how it feels when you touch it to your lips and tounge.
You'll note a difference in ABV as you transition to hearts, and the smells and sting disappear.
When you begin to get past the hearts, the ABV will drop, and smell will change, and different flavors will come on. You'll note the smell starts to get funky about 55 to 60% as you transition to tails. You make the call when to stop collecting in small jars for the blend, and move to a large collection vessle to collect the remaining alcohol for feints, now you can crank the heat again to collect the rest of the alcohol as in a stripping run. Set those aside for a feints run later.

[Dancing4dan]

Thanks for the advice! I appreciate your help.

My fermenter is three times the size of my still, 16 gallons. The still is six gallons. One of the other things that I am learning is the relationship between fermenter and still size.

Your stripping run for whiskey explanation helps a lot! Thank you

Up until this last ferment I was using pails and carboys going up and down stairs. Im really early in my learning curve on every part. Mashing, fermenting, distilling. There is way more to it as you know. Every time there is so much that I learn.

[Dancing4dan]

Dan, when you do a stripping run, strip all the alcohol out. Your TOTAL COLLECTED VOLUME should be about 30 to 35% ABV maybe less, but mine usually end up here. (That is measuring a sample from the total collected, and blended together if using multiple jars)
Ive done this a couple of ways, first, using a parrot to measure the proof at the spout and running to about 5%, and just running into a large pot and measuring a sample of the pot.
Personally, I make no cuts on the stripping run, others do.
From a 10 gallon still charge of 8% beer, I get about 2.5 gallons of low wines. I do this twice and get a 5 gallon charge of about 30% ABV low wines with all of the flavor and all of the alcohol produced from the ferment.
Now you're charged for your spirit run, with 30 to 35% ABV Low wines. Run a slow heat up, take your fores and heads as slow as you can stand, I collect at them at a very broken stream, maybe 4 or 5 drops a second. After a liter, I increase the heat ever so slightly until I get a pencil lead thin stream collecting 300ml in each pint jar. Do not adjust the heat again. every time you switch jars measure the ABV, write it down and note the smell and texture between yor fingers, and how it feels when you touch it to your lips and tounge.
You'll note a difference in ABV as you transition to hearts, and the smells and sting disappear.
When you begin to get past the hearts, the ABV will drop, and smell will change, and different flavors will come on. You'll note the smell starts to get funky about 55 to 60% as you transition to tails. You make the call when to stop collecting in small jars for the blend, and move to a large collection vessle to collect the remaining alcohol for feints, now you can crank the heat again to collect the rest of the alcohol as in a stripping run. Set those aside for a feints run later.

Thanks! You guys cleared up what I have been struggling to get my head around! Others said it as well but it just got to sinking in.

One question about “Do not adjust the heat again”. Mine is a small pot still. I adjust the element depending on the output stream as you describe. When the heat is increased to maintain the thin stream you mentioned, eventually the output will slow or even stop. I just creep the heat up until output stream returns to that pencil lead size. Over the course of the run the increase went from 81.6 deg C to 87.7 deg C. I record temperatures as a reference point but run the still based upon stream size. The need to do this must be from my still design / build? Temperature is read at head.

Thanks again for stepping in to help. Really appreciate it.

[Deplorable]

eventually the output will slow or even stop. I just creep the heat up until output stream returns to that pencil lead size.

When you do that, you'll push deeper into the tails. If the output is slowing that much, the ABV is dropping and you are likely out of the hearts and entering tails. what does your distillate smell and taste like when you get to that point?

[30xs]

Dan, when you do a stripping run, strip all the alcohol out. Your TOTAL COLLECTED VOLUME should be about 30 to 35% ABV maybe less, but mine usually end up here. (That is measuring a sample from the total collected, and blended together if using multiple jars)
Ive done this a couple of ways, first, using a parrot to measure the proof at the spout and running to about 5%, and just running into a large pot and measuring a sample of the pot.
Personally, I make no cuts on the stripping run, others do.
From a 10 gallon still charge of 8% beer, I get about 2.5 gallons of low wines. I do this twice and get a 5 gallon charge of about 30% ABV low wines with all of the flavor and all of the alcohol produced from the ferment.
Now you're charged for your spirit run, with 30 to 35% ABV Low wines. Run a slow heat up, take your fores and heads as slow as you can stand, I collect at them at a very broken stream, maybe 4 or 5 drops a second. After a liter, I increase the heat ever so slightly until I get a pencil lead thin stream collecting 300ml in each pint jar. Do not adjust the heat again. every time you switch jars measure the ABV, write it down and note the smell and texture between yor fingers, and how it feels when you touch it to your lips and tounge.
You'll note a difference in ABV as you transition to hearts, and the smells and sting disappear.
When you begin to get past the hearts, the ABV will drop, and smell will change, and different flavors will come on. You'll note the smell starts to get funky about 55 to 60% as you transition to tails. You make the call when to stop collecting in small jars for the blend, and move to a large collection vessle to collect the remaining alcohol for feints, now you can crank the heat again to collect the rest of the alcohol as in a stripping run. Set those aside for a feints run later.

Thanks! You guys cleared up what I have been struggling to get my head around! Others said it as well but it just got to sinking in.

One question about “Do not adjust the heat again”. Mine is a small pot still. I adjust the element depending on the output stream as you describe. When the heat is increased to maintain the thin stream you mentioned, eventually the output will slow or even stop. I just creep the heat up until output stream returns to that pencil lead size. Over the course of the run the increase went from 81.6 deg C to 87.7 deg C. I record temperatures as a reference point but run the still based upon stream size. The need to do this must be from my still design / build? Temperature is read at head.

Thanks again for stepping in to help. Really appreciate it.

On your double distilled you will have a longer run through the hearts that will afford a setting that will allow you to start into tails before you need to bump it up. If it slows and you think it’s still “good” bump it up a little and collect some more. Air it for 24-48 hours and decide for yourself if the bump up is needed or wanted.

[30xs]

eventually the output will slow or even stop. I just creep the heat up until output stream returns to that pencil lead size.

When you do that, you'll push deeper into the tails. If the output is slowing that much, the ABV is dropping and you are likely out of the hearts and entering tails. what does your distillate smell and taste like when you get to that point?

Not meaning to sound negative, but... He was doing single runs. Taste would have been subjective throughout.

[Deplorable]

The best thing you can do is tape over that thermometer and learn to run your still using all your senses.
When I built my new still, I omitted the thermometer port in the vapor path. I've made several runs with it and havent missed it yet.
Listen to the sounds the still makes as the charge heats up, feel the temperature of the riser, and you'll know when to turn on the water to the condenser. Smell, taste (dont drink) and feel the output. Note everything about it, write it down. Watch the output rate, and the ABV of your sample jars. It wont take you long, and you'll be able to detect the transitions throughout the run, better than your gage could ever tell you.

Do yourself an educational favor, and on your next set of stripping and spirit runs, do just what I said above, and corelate it to the temps you see on your thermometer. You'll find that if you do what's above you dont need that thermometer. It isn's telling you shit.

I'm not an old sage at this, only been at it for about 5 or 6 months, and only made about 8 gallons of finished product aging. But, I'm telling you, pay attention to what your equipment is telling you, and you will become a much better operator than if you just pay attention to a gage.

Once you master your still, focus on fermentation, and maturation of your spirits.

[Deplorable]

eventually the output will slow or even stop. I just creep the heat up until output stream returns to that pencil lead size.

When you do that, you'll push deeper into the tails. If the output is slowing that much, the ABV is dropping and you are likely out of the hearts and entering tails. what does your distillate smell and taste like when you get to that point?

Not meaning to sound negative, but... He was doing single runs. Taste would have been subjective throughout.

You make a good point.

[Dancing4dan]

“ Do yourself an educational favor, and on your next set of stripping and spirit runs, do just what I said above, and corelate it to the temps you see on your thermometer. You'll find that if you do what's above you dont need that thermometer. It isn's telling you shit. ”

That’s what I’m doing.....and what I said.

[Dancing4dan]

Appreciate the input and will definitely read it over again in the morning

[Dancing4dan]

On your double distilled you will have a longer run through the hearts that will afford a setting that will allow you to start into tails before you need to bump it up. If it slows and you think it’s still “good” bump it up a little and collect some more. Air it for 24-48 hours and decide for yourself if the bump up is needed or wanted.

I see. Probably set it lower than I needed after collecting heads. That would explain what you guys are saying.

The temp inputs were very small and started right after heads (600 ml) at 136 proof Were collected. I could have bumped it more but I don’t have the experience yet so went “slow” as have been advised. I’m not in a hurry and time isn’t a factor for me when distilling. I need to run while monitoring temperature a few times to know what the still is doing. The head temp was 87.7 when it reached 100 proof. Pretty straight forward to just set to 88 deg C after heads are collected next run. That puts it in ballpark.

Using deplorable advice / method at the same time will allow me to develop more of a visceral/ instinctual understanding for what the still is doing.

Thanks for the help guys! Looking forward to next mash and ferment.

[WillC]

Dan, when you do a stripping run, strip all the alcohol out. Your TOTAL COLLECTED VOLUME should be about 30 to 35% ABV maybe less, but mine usually end up here. (That is measuring a sample from the total collected, and blended together if using multiple jars)
Ive done this a couple of ways, first, using a parrot to measure the proof at the spout and running to about 5%, and just running into a large pot and measuring a sample of the pot.
Personally, I make no cuts on the stripping run, others do.
From a 10 gallon still charge of 8% beer, I get about 2.5 gallons of low wines. I do this twice and get a 5 gallon charge of about 30% ABV low wines with all of the flavor and all of the alcohol produced from the ferment.
Now you're charged for your spirit run, with 30 to 35% ABV Low wines. Run a slow heat up, take your fores and heads as slow as you can stand, I collect at them at a very broken stream, maybe 4 or 5 drops a second. After a liter, I increase the heat ever so slightly until I get a pencil lead thin stream collecting 300ml in each pint jar. Do not adjust the heat again. every time you switch jars measure the ABV, write it down and note the smell and texture between yor fingers, and how it feels when you touch it to your lips and tounge.
You'll note a difference in ABV as you transition to hearts, and the smells and sting disappear.
When you begin to get past the hearts, the ABV will drop, and smell will change, and different flavors will come on. You'll note the smell starts to get funky about 55 to 60% as you transition to tails. You make the call when to stop collecting in small jars for the blend, and move to a large collection vessle to collect the remaining alcohol for feints, now you can crank the heat again to collect the rest of the alcohol as in a stripping run. Set those aside for a feints run later.

I have a 10 gallon still, no thump keg.
When doing your spirit run you charge your 10 gallon with 5 gallons low wines without adding water?

[Deplorable]

I get 5 gallons of low wines from two 9 to 10 gallon stripping runs. That 5 gallons goes in to the still at whatever the ABV is so long as it is between 30 and 40%. Over 40, and I would dilute with water to get there, but thats never happened.
Each stripping run I collect from the boiler until the collected ABV is 30-35%. That usually takes me down to near 0 ABV coming out of the spout.
5 gallons of low wines at 35% usually yeilds me about 1.25 gallons of wide keep for aging or about .75 gallons for white sipping shine at around 120 to 130 proof.

[subbrew]

I’m sure I will get sucker punched for this but here goes.

If distilling repeatedly removes flavors.... how does that taste better?

I’m not really a Vodka fan for the reason that it lacks flavor.

Does everyone strip flavors from the original grains then infuse or oak to something they like to drink?

I do single run, make cuts to flavor and smell, oak that to taste, and enjoy.

Seems odd to strip flavor then reflavor then drink....

This won’t hurt for long.

If you cant taste the improvement from a 1X to a 2X distillation, I really dont know what to say that might not be found offensive. My Low Wines are surely full of flavors, but they arent really suited for drinking, yet. Frankly, if I was to bottle my low wines, they'd likely taste like ass in the end. As others have said, pull the center 300 to 600ml jar from your first run, then run all the rest a 2nd time and compare the two middle jars. What do you have to lose?

Don't know about the rest of you but I am here to experiment and see what I can make. Just started this hobby so don't have a lot for comparison yet. But after my first couple of washing I started a line of rum and one of UJSSM. I am keeping about 250 ml from the middle of each stripping run so I can see the difference in each generation as I am using backset/dunder on the next gen after a stripping run. I will also be able to compare this to the final product from the spirit run. Only on second/third generation and already interesting to see the differences. I believe good notes and being able to do side by side comparisons will provide a lot of learning.

For most of us, we could buy a lot of cheap vodka for just the money we have in equipment, let alone ingredients, fuel and time. So it is not for the buzz we do this (that is a fortunate plus). We do this to have fun, to learn, improve, and via experimentation make something that tastes perfect for our enjoyment.

[BlueSasquatch]

Where new distillers get confused, is learning about a protocol for making tasteless neutral and thinking that protocol applies for flavoured spirits.

Just coming to this realization myself after about 1.5 years and a dozen batches. I can make a quite smooth product but it's bland, been stripping until my output was 20% and then stopping, which caused me to have to proof down my strip to 40% prior to spirit run. Taken a while for me to figure this out, shouldn't put the cart before the horse here but I'm expecting a jump in flavor with the next batch, when I strip for much longer, shooting for a cumulative total of 20-30% instead.

...
Now you're charged for your spirit run, with 30 to 35% ABV Low wines. Run a slow heat up, take your fores and heads as slow as you can stand, I collect at them at a very broken stream, maybe 4 or 5 drops a second. After a liter, I increase the heat ever so slightly until I get a pencil lead thin stream collecting 300ml in each pint jar. Do not adjust the heat again. every time you switch jars measure the ABV, write it down and note the smell and texture between your fingers, and how it feels when you touch it to your lips and tounge.
You'll note a difference in ABV as you transition to hearts, and the smells and sting disappear.
When you begin to get past the hearts, the ABV will drop, and smell will change, and different flavors will come on. You'll note the smell starts to get funky about 55 to 60% as you transition to tails. You make the call when to stop collecting in small jars for the blend, and move to a large collection vessel to collect the remaining alcohol for feints, now you can crank the heat again to collect the rest of the alcohol as in a stripping run. Set those aside for a feints run later.
...
I get 5 gallons of low wines from two 9 to 10 gallon stripping runs. That 5 gallons goes in to the still at whatever the ABV is so long as it is between 30 and 40%. Over 40, and I would dilute with water to get there, but thats never happened.
Each stripping run I collect from the boiler until the collected ABV is 30-35%. That usually takes me down to near 0 ABV coming out of the spout.
5 gallons of low wines at 35% usually yeilds me about 1.25 gallons of wide keep for aging or about .75 gallons for white sipping shine at around 120 to 130 proof.

My spirit run has been pretty consistent in terms of stream size, I've never operated it intentionally to have a broken stream, how do you know when to turn the heat up to increase the stream size and what is the reasoning behind such a slow start? Just less smearing into the start of hearts?

Also your all-feints run, do you just collect and process the tails essentially? What about heads? I seem to find contradictory information out there about if one should use heads or not. I've got 6-gallon carboy almost filled to the brim with head/tails from the last dozen batches, since I rarely make the same thing twice, I don't have high hopes for this hodgepodge of feints, but seemed to hard-earned to throw them away, perhaps I should have separated them out better.

[Deplorable]

I dont store them separately. They all go in a feints keg and get refluxed. You'll get really good heads compression and there is a lot of good alcohol in there to be recovered.
I charge the boiler with feints diluted to ~25% abv and a couple tablespoons of baking soda for a neutral run. It's a mix of heads and tails.

If I am working to fill a barrel heads are kept separate, and tails are added to the next stripping runs until I have enough product to fill a barrel. Then the heads and remaining tails from the last spirit run are all tossed into the feints keg for a later reflux run

[BlueSasquatch]

I dont store them separately. They all go in a feints keg and get refluxed. You'll get really good heads compression and there is a lot of good alcohol in there to be recovered.
I charge the boiler with feints diluted to ~25% abv and a couple tablespoons of baking soda for a neutral run. It's a mix of heads and tails.

If I am working to fill a barrel heads are kept separate, and tails are added to the next stripping runs until I have enough product to fill a barrel. Then the heads and remaining tails from the last spirit run are all tossed into the feints keg for a later reflux run

Feints keg, I like that, I've got an extra 11 gallon keg that would buy me more time, with the 6 gallon glass carboy being about full-up. Good to hear you utilize the heads as well, will be interested to see what I get from it all at the end. I know some people say all-feints runs are excellent but I think that's when they all came from the same recipe

[NZChris]

I know some people say all-feints runs are excellent but I think that's when they all came from the same recipe

https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... 6#p7661509