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I just finished my first run in pot still mode ( I actuay used my top part of my reflux column with copper packing and only the out flow condenser)
i got 11 jars (1/2 pint about 2/3 full)
the abv was 70,65,58,58,53,45,40,35,30,25,20... threw out 250ml foreshots.
all of the jars smell pretty good the first couple have a sharper smell but I don't know if it is the heads or just because it is more alchol. the last jar didn't really smell any different but I culd see a very light oily film if you held it just right to the light.
should I keep all of this? mix it togather or just keep the middle 4 or 5 jars? Any advise would be appreciated

I keep the middle stuff for aging. The rest goes into the feints jar. Feint runs generate some very tasty whiskey when run on their own, for me anyway.

beowoulfe wrote:I keep the middle stuff for aging. The rest goes into the feints jar. Feint runs generate some very tasty whiskey when run on their own, for me anyway.

plus 1 on that. keep the middle goodies and stash the rest for a future all feints run. the oily stuff is fusal oils from deep in the tails, its worth stashing to. when ya got enuff for a boiler charge saved up dilute with water to under 40abv and rerun it. it will make a fine drop. i have found if ya age the SF on white oak for a 6 mos. then remove the oak and let sit for another 6 mos. its smooth as silk.

thanks for the info guys.
how much would you consider the middle or hearts of the run? I'm not a big drinker, just doing this for the education and fun of learning somthing new. I can tell a difference in the smells this morning but I tasted all the jars and they all tasted pretty much the same to me. Is there an ABV that I could use to determine the hearts?

Hey there swamper. Give this a read to better understand... http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=11640

And here's an oldy but goody... http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 46&t=13305

swamper wrote:thanks for the info guys.
how much would you consider the middle or hearts of the run?

Something you have to figure out yourself. I tasted and tested many batches and now I know to keep a half gallon for aging and a half gallon for feints on a 5 gal charge. But that is my still and I know how it runs. I probably put some good stuff into the feints jar, but I know I will get it back a little down the road. I like feints run whiskey!

when you run the feints do you run it in pot still mode? also since I have thrown out the fore shots do you still have to do that on the feints run? I kept the middle 4 jars (2 pints) and put the rest aside to run again when I get enough

That's all that I have is a pot still.

I still take a little fores off like 4oz instead of 8, best not to be greedy.

A full boiler charge of feints gets a LOT more usable product than a straight spirit run of a wash, surprisingly more. And HOT, as in ABV. My pot puts out 135 ABV on a wash run and 160 ABV on a feint run (at first anyway, drops slowly as the run progresses).

well, I have a 2nd gneration batch ready. I'm going to run it then run what I get back through along with the feints from the first run. I'll let you know how it comes out

well, I did a stripping run then ran the results with the feints frome tha first run. it came out really good, I could really tell the differents smells in the heads, hearts and tails. should I just keep the heads and tails and run with the next batch?