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When running my potstill, I've noticed that I get my first drop at 45*C (Almost every run, wash doesn't seem to matter).
Starts out at 1 drop every 3 to 4 seconds and slowly builds up speed until it hits 78*C where it transitions to a steady stream. I usually heat the boiler pretty quick so haven't paid much attention to it.
This last run, I heated it pretty slow, took an hour to hit 78*. Sure enough, first drop at 45*C, collected 25ml of some seriously foul smelling stuff between 45 and 78*C before I moved the parrot into place. The rest of the run pretty much matched the calculated temp/ABV figures, so I'm pretty sure it's not bad thermo placement or readings.
Anybody ever notice this on thier stills?

Mine starts to drip at uner 50C also but dont get a steady stream till close to 80C

Yep sounds pretty normal.

Thanks guys,
I figure this has to be the acetone, methanol and other early nasties. I've started to collect this seperate from even the foreshot cut. (I keep my fores' for other non-consumption purposes)

stilled my first DWWG today.
never noticed that stuff before,its the first time i try to pot still(bokakob with 8" column valve fully open no packing) i used that mode only for neutral stripe runs and i just put a jug under it.
anyway on the dwwg today i watched for the stuff,read thit tread few days ago.
man that stuff smell so sweet, any idea what it could be?
sweet nut like smell.
i got about 10ml from 6 gallon wash.
i could really see that stuff go back in but what is it?
Cyanide

On my UJSM it smelled so bad I didn't want to add it to the foreshots.

Are you talking about the distillate coming off at a temp that might seem really early? It's pretty normal for that to happen, esp. in a potstill. At 45-48 degrees, everything you collect is foreshots, utterly toxic undrinkable stuff which I collect to put in the fireplace outside . You don't want to start collecting drinkable spirit until the still hits at least 78-79 degrees. everything under that is poison

I use a pot still and the thermometer is simply a guide, nothing else. I've found over time that nose and taste is by far the best guide, but then I always collect in 200ml amounts and blend a day or two later.

blanik

I did several runs tonight and collected in double shot-glasses that are tall and narrow. This allowed me to do a reading on the spirits as I went, every 40 to 50ml if I felt like it. Mostly I collected using a jug, but found the first 50ml absolutely nasty...as well as the last several hundred [everything under ~30% abv].

Like some above I didn't use temp control at all, just set the heat to the minimum needed for the boil and let 'er rip. Seemed to work quite well...just started/stopped collecting by combining taste and smell, plus the abv readings.

In response to the original poster though...yeah I got a bit of early stuff, before the usual amount of my coil heated up [air cooled coil]. It was nasty as expected and made the 'bin bottle'. Hate to think what the distillate would taste like with it in

- boingk