Is it really Methanol?

[Bslingshot]

I am no expert and do not claim to be. However, I have read for years that the fore shots/heads should be tossed out because it is Methanol that boils off at a lower temperature than Ethanol (148.5F versus 173.1F at sea level). I know the fore shots contain something nasty because they do not smell very nice. However, most of the articles I have read also say the amount of Methanol in a wash or mash should be considered about 1 percent. 2 percent is a very safe assumption. Now, look at an equilibrium chart for Methanol and you will see, at the 2 percent mark on the X axis (mole of Methanol per mole of total solution which equates to percent) the solution has to achieve 206 degrees F for Methanol vapor to begin coming off. My question - why do we think the fore shots is Methanol since the solution in the still (wash) has not been close to 206 degrees yet, therefore there should be no methanol vapor in the column or collection head. The 148.5F value is for pure Methanol but we are not distilling pure Methanol, we are distilling a solution that has a very low percentage of Methanol, which should not be coming out of solution at the temperature the still is producing fore shots.

I always throw the fore shots away because I do believe it is something not desired but I have never believed it to be Methanol. This dilemma has always puzzled me and I would like to understand it. It would be interesting to run some fore shots through an analyzer and see what is in it. I think it is some type of fusel oils very closely related to Methanol. I have researched this many times for an explanation but every article I read gives a 280,000
page explanation on why Ethanol does not boil out of an Ethanol/Water solution at 173.1 degrees, shows why you need to look at an equilibrium chart, and then advises to toss the fore shots because they are full of Methanol coming off before the Ethanol due to the difference in boiling points. What about the fact that there is 10 to 15 times more Ethanol than Methanol in the solution and the amount of Methanol is less than 2 percent, requiring a much higher temperature than 148.5 degrees to begin coming out of solution. Am I missing something important here?

All opinions welcome but be easy with the spankings!