Straight Corn Whisky, Cuts and Tails?!

[CharliePattonsSon]

Now fermenting my 6th and 7th runs of Corn Whisky.
Current recipe is 9 lbs flaked corn to about 1.5 lbs crushed malt barley 2 row in 8 gallons of bottled spring water.
I'm using a home built stainless milk can still with a copper 1.5" collection column and 3/8 OD copper tubing to a coil condenser. Propane heat source.
Have been getting very consistent and excellent product so far! I'm averaging about 2 and a quarter quarts of drinkable, very smooth very flavored whisky. Even the wife likes it and she is beyond not normally a fan of sipping whisky of any kind! lol Likes that canned garbage mojito mixer toilet water stuff normally
The 2 and a 1/4 quarts I'm bottling at the end are around 50% alcohol after I make my cuts. I started tossing the heads and only putting the tails into the next runs now. I noticed I was just wasting propane and time out in the wood shed at -25 celsius doing runs and collecting more and more paint stripper jars of heads before cutting into my mid run anyway so I just chuck them now except for the last cup or so before it breaks clean into my mids. I mix that in with the tails and into the next run.

My question is this now, I used to dilute my final product with spring water down to 40% by volume down from 50%. I am finding that I actually quite like the taste of tails!
Including the deep tails that end up around the 25% -20% mark about where I shut off the still.
I always was told and from doing research before I started this hobby that the tails is supposed to be an overpowering flavour but I don't find it even remotely so. Not sure if it's just my rig and mash/setup that's producing the very pleasant tails though. Or is this normal?
What I started doing was actually using my tails cuts at 30%-25% to dilute my mid cuts from 50% down to 40%. I end up with more product and the flavour is very very nice.
I'm getting a very sweet corn whisky that's smooth as water with no burn/bite at all and just enough of the warmth at 40% now.
Am I the only guy that actually enjoys the taste of deep tails and is cutting my mids with it to drop ABV? Am I messing something up by doing this?

[raketemensch]

Everyone's taste is different. I see a lot of posts from people who make their cuts, decide where the tails are, then keep tasting for another deep tails jar that tastes really good to them. I think there's a lot to be said for seeing what comes after the first hints, or even heaviest tastes, of wet cardboard.

I also see a lot of people talking about going deeper into tails for stuff that they'll be aging for a 6 months or more, to get more character.

[CharliePattonsSon]

Everyone's taste is different. I see a lot of posts from people who make their cuts, decide where the tails are, then keep tasting for another deep tails jar that tastes really good to them. I think there's a lot to be said for seeing what comes after the first hints, or even heaviest tastes, of wet cardboard.

I also see a lot of people talking about going deeper into tails for stuff that they'll be aging for a 6 months or more, to get more character.

Seen.
I have not yet got much of the wet cardboard taste/smell. Just a bit in my late late tails and that is about where I will shut the still off but when I proof my run afterwards for fun/data collecting I notice it's around the 20% area. That won't go into my mids for blending diluting though just back in the feints jar for the next run.
Almost everything leading up to that I find tastes great!

Seems like all the flavour/character is in there. The first runs I did I kept the the mids very tight. About a quart total for a whole run. The whisky was very smooth but had very little character or flavour to it.
I guess I was expecting to be repulsed by it immediately from the readings I've done prior to getting set up and actually putting the theory into practice.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Current recipe is 9 lbs flaked corn to about 1.5 lbs crushed malt barley 2 row in 8 gallons of bottled spring water.

I think your leaving some alcohol on the table in the form of starch. That's pushing the edge of enzyme ability. Otherwise, glad you like your drop.

[MichiganCornhusker]

I hear ya, brother. I had a conversation with rager (another member here) about this very thing.
We both agreed that all grain tails are not offensive at all. The only times I've experienced the wet dog cardboard thing was with UJ tails or waaaay down in a stripping run of AG.

I say blend it how you like it, and maybe change as your tastes evolve.
Sounds like you're making good stuff, congrats.

[rager]

I hear ya, brother. I had a conversation with rager (another member here) about this very thing.
We both agreed that all grain tails are not offensive at all. The only times I've experienced the wet dog cardboard thing was with UJ tails or waaaay down in a stripping run of AG.

I say blend it how you like it, and maybe change as your tastes evolve.
Sounds like you're making good stuff, congrats.

hey MCH


OP, i dig really deep into the tails for my whiskey. if it tastes good and isnt cloudy it goes in ( a little oil on top isnt a big deal) . personally i think thats where the true flavor of a " good whiskey" comes from . my hearts come through pretty clean and neutral . but blending those tails in and letting it sit on oak for 6 months really comes together nice

cheers