Heads distillation.. getting rid of akward tastes possible?

[Evil_Dark]

Hi All,
Just wanted to clarify something... When I make my cuts, I remove a big amount of foreshots and discard them (150ml on a 20L run). I remove heads as they have exploding akward tastes and keep them separate.
Afterwards If we make a full run of heads, will it be possible to seperate again the akwards components/flavors of it and have let say a good neutral spirit out of it? Or we are just stuck with these heads tastes? Will a reflux helps?
Not sure about this. I've read different parts of opinions on this, just want to have clarifications on what to do with them.
I tried to make a raspberry liquor with my UJSSM heads, but the heads taste was very present and hard to dissimulate (with sugar).

Thanks for the clarification!

Regards,

[still_stirrin]

Gonna’ tell you this just once: read through Kiwistiller’s Guide to Cuts.

In it, you’ll learn that the “hearts” are spread with fores, heads, and even the tails. But the concentration is cleanest through the mid-section. So, extrapolating from this knowledge, your “heads cut” can contain some useful “hearts”, although the amount is minimal. And add to that, the ability to extract the goodness from your feints jar will require more, and possibly different processing that you did for the spirit run from which you collected the feints.

If you can reflux the feints run, you well may be able to separate some additional hearts. If all you have is a potstill, then multiple distillations will likely be necessary to clean up the feints enough to get a portion worth keeping. But note that multiple distillations with cuts will eliminate some of the “front end” and the “back end”, leaving with less and less of the (middle) hearts. But it will allow you to salvage some goodness from otherwise discarded feints.

So, go have a good read of Kiwistiller’s guide. Read through it a couple of times so you understand the process well. Then, give it a try with your “feints jars”.
ss

[Ben]

Throw them (foreshots) in with your tails (feints). If you are running a pot still add them to your next low wine charge. If you are running a column add them in to your next boiler charge. Some people also do all feints runs.

[Evil_Dark]

Gonna’ tell you this just once: read through Kiwistiller’s Guide to Cuts.

Thanks, I appreciate the answer. It guides me and confirms what I've doubt to be the answer.
I've read ALL the wiki. Most of it twice. It doesn't answer everything, and I already distilled 6-7 batches of UJSSM and tried once a rum (and failed ).
So still more to learn!
The reason that I've asked this question is that there is some divergences on what people do with their HEADS. I know that tails are different, and feints are also very different from distillers to distillers. Feints of a type of wash/mash can be reintegrated in the next run of the same type for potentially improving the yeld and flavors.
Some are throwing away heads as they hate their funky tastes and they are not willing to have any of these in their final products. It make sense that the "Stuff" included in the heads can have a tendency to stick and stay over distillations. It may be the most volatile components, and by discarding the foreshots every time you get rid of these lighter fluids/vapors.
Exactly as you said, Heads are not PURE in any way, so they contains potentially good ethanol or good hearts.

So I will try a run of heads in my new reflux column to see what can I produce with it!

[ThomasBrewer]

If you're OK with retrieving mostly neutral, you can process the heads with washing soda to convert the ethyl acetate back to ethanol. There are quite a few threads on this topic.

[Evil_Dark]

If you're OK with retrieving mostly neutral, you can process the heads with washing soda to convert the ethyl acetate back to ethanol. There are quite a few threads on this topic.

Good, I am researching on this subject... Not easy to search through all the posts with the akward searching function of this site!!!
Seems interesting for making a run of neutral spirits!!

[BourbonStreet]

Baking soda works, too. I’ve tried it. Put 1 tsp/15ml in every quart/liter and let it sit about a week. Run it again and the off-flavors will be gone.

[Setsumi]

, I remove a big amount of foreshots and discard them (150ml on a 20L run).

That is not a big amount of fores. How much do you take on heads? If on reflux what is your average abv?

Even if your heads are from a potstill rather work it into the next strip.

[Evil_Dark]

That is not a big amount of heads. How much do you take on fores? And is the 150ml heads on potstill or reflux? If on reflux what is your average abv?

Even if your 150ml heads are from a potstill you will recover little worth drinking from the 150ml. If you discard fores work the heads into the next strip.

150ml is the FORESHOTS. not the HEADS. there is usually 1.5L of heads in a 20L of UJSSM run, with my potstill. I want to start using my new reflux column (Cooling management). The ABV usually starts at 70%-75% in the heads, hearts are roughly in the 60-65% unitl 50% (approx 2L), and I got another 1.5L of tails until 30%. All these numbers are in the only run of the wash, as I currently do only a single distill (not really a stripping run, as I keep the spirits as they come out the still without making another spirit run).
I want to go with a bit of Reflux to have higher ABV on the first run.
I will then make a full reflux with the heads collected over time to make a neutral spirit for the gin or other products. That's why I had questions about the bad tastes of the heads...
Looks interesting that with a good reflux and calcium carbonate we may recycle these heads into a potentially good neutral!

Regards

[squigglefunk]

I currently do only a single distill (not really a stripping run, as I keep the spirits as they come out the still without making another spirit run).

I mean, this could be it right there, I think a double distill would clean up this "awkward" taste

[NZChris]

What type of still are you using?

[Evil_Dark]

I mean, this could be it right there, I think a double distill would clean up this "awkward" taste

The hearts collected have a great taste. I was speaking of the heads. When you remove the heads on a run, it's because of the taste... So how much distill were made, heads are heads. My question was if you re-distill all the collected heads, can we collect some good hearts of it?

[Evil_Dark]

What type of still are you using?

A pot still with a 2in column. For now used as a simple pot still, but my reflux section in CM is ready to use.

Regards,

[NZChris]

Don't listen to advice from distillers who reckon that they can make good product with a single run through a simple pot still. No matter how good their product is, they could do better with traditional strip and spirit runs.

[Demy]

Ethanol (hearts) is a finite quantity, it is not infinite ... you can recover something from the "Late" heads but not keep the first shots, you can instead keep part of the tails, you need a reflux system to squeeze more alcohol..

[jonnys_spirit]

I make a specific feints cut where I take a couple/three jars of heads into the fire starter jugs (along with fores) and keep may late heads & tails for re-running as feints mixed with the next low wines charge of the same or similar spirit - ie; brandy feints cut goes towards grappa, bourbon feints cut goes towards next bourbon, etc... it's an ongoing experiment as to what goes into the feints jug but i'll also throw some oak in it too (or wine pomace and oak for grappa) because it may be a couple few months before next similar run...

Sugar head feints or one-off's go into the feints carboy to save up for a reflux or cleaning run...

At least until I fill up all the carboys lol.. Right now I've got sugarhead feints, bourbon feints, brandy feints, honey shine feints, and sorghum juice feints (prolly end up refluxed with the sugarheads but it's pretty flavorful and a one-off)...

Cheers!
-j

[Truckinbutch]

Fores and heads make a good fire starter . Not worth fucking with to squeeze that last greedy drop out of a run .
Quality , not quantity .

[shadylane]

What type of still are you using?

A pot still with a 2in column. For now used as a simple pot still, but my reflux section in CM is ready to use.

Regards,

Your headed in the right direction.
The CM rig will do fine job redistilling the low-wines you've been making.

[Deplorable]

I do something similar to Jonny. I do not collect a jar of "fores". I collect in 300ml samples through the heads until I am in obvious hearts. The first two jars go into a jug of fire starter/solvent. the next liter or so that doesn't make the final blend goes into the feints keg. The tails go into the next stripping run if I'm making multiple ferments of the same product to fill a barrel, otherwise all the tails that don't make the final blend go into the feints keg. My current 5 gallon keg of feints is all grain bourbon feints and pure corn feints. I'll see what I can squeeze out of that looking for 5 liters or so of clean neutral.