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There is a debate in another forum about foreshots. Common sense tells me that regardless of how many times you run the same spirit, or if you do a stripping run, then a spirit run, that you toss foreshots in ALL runs. Yet, some think that once the foreshots are tossed in the first run, that they are not present in any other subsequent run such as a double or triple distillation. Who is correct and I looked through the searches and could not find much backing one way or the other. So, Who can point me to the correct information?

I always toss foreshots, regardless how many times I've ran it. I could be totally wrong, but I'm a better safe than sorry guy. Here is my thinking:

The chemicals that make foreshots deadly aren't gone after foreshots are tossed, they are throughout the run in smaller overall percentages of the liquid. They are are a higher percentage of the foreshots because their boil point is lower that the other chemicals that join them at higher temps.

That being the case, on the 2nd run, 3rd run, etc. they are still in there, and will therefore still come off earlier than the good stuff, because they come off at an earlier temp.

I always take out a foreshot, stripping or spirit run. There will always be some smearing because distillation does not provide perfect seperation. Plus, I will take pot stilled heads and reprocess them via a reflux still. Heads off the reflux still are always used as a cleaner / fire starter.

There's another train of thought that does not differentiate the foreshot from heads, especially early heads. If you are making cuts on your product, and you should be, the heads aren't going to make it into your drink anyhow. That begs the question why make a separate collection of foreshots?

In the end, there's really nothing wrong with any management strategy for foreshots, so long as you get them out of your drink one way or another.

When I do a stripping run, I make ZERO cuts. I keep everything that exits the still. When I do a spirit run, that is where I discard foreshots and make cuts. If I do a 2nd spirit run, if what exits the still first smells foul, I'll discard it just as I would foreshots. If it doesn't smell foul then I usually pour it in my feints keg.

To me it's such a tiny fraction of the overall output that I just go the better safe than sorry route and take fores off every run regardless if it's strip or reflux.

The only time I don't is when making small gin batches from neutral. The first 10mm is super heavy in citrus oils so I separate it and add to my gin tails bottle to be rerun.

rickyaifd wrote: ↑Mon Jun 05, 2023 8:31 am... So, Who can point me to the correct information?

https://homedistiller.org/wiki/index.ph ... _fractions

I do my cuts on the spirit run.

rickyaifd wrote: ↑Mon Jun 05, 2023 8:31 am There is a debate in another forum about foreshots. Common sense tells me that regardless of how many times you run the same spirit, or if you do a stripping run, then a spirit run, that you toss foreshots in ALL runs. Yet, some think that once the foreshots are tossed in the first run, that they are not present in any other subsequent run such as a double or triple distillation. Who is correct and I looked through the searches and could not find much backing one way or the other. So, Who can point me to the correct information?

There are any number of debates that make their way here from other forums borne from indifference, ignorance, or regrettably, a trollish need to stir things up.

Typically, if a 'correct' approach to a process is not clear and apparent on this site, just choose whichever method works for you. After a conservative (or generous) heads cut, any manner in which fores were removed can't be faulted much less identified.

The fact that every distiller (not just here) may manage foreshot removal differently should answer your question.

managing foreshots

Managing foreshots in distilling

If you want some cleaner, help yourself to the foreshot, but the first jar off a pot still spirit run is never going to be selected for the heart cut, whether you take off a foreshot or not.

NZChris wrote: ↑Mon Jun 05, 2023 1:57 pm If you want some cleaner, help yourself to the foreshot, but the first jar off a pot still spirit run is never going to be selected for the heart cut, whether you take off a foreshot or not.

That's why I don't worry too much about a 200-500ml dedicated foreshot. I will run the first jar low and slow on pretty much every run and that jar if not first two or three jars always goes into the fire starter or cleaning run jugs.

Cheers!
-jonny

Pot stills don’t seperate stuff like a good reflux still does.

If I’m gonna strip to then re-run in a Reflux still , I won’t take any cuts and leave it up to the superior compressing ability of the reflux still .

On the other hand , if I’m gonna be Pot stilling the spirit run , I’ll make a foreshot cut on both runs.

If you have vapour coming out at 65°C, it's foreshots.
I usually dump it up to around 72°C, there I call it recyclable heads.

Don't take my temp as an exact figure though. My measurements won't be the same as yours. And I aim for a temp stabilized plateau. Where the temp is stable for a while, you know you have the same compound vapourizing.
When temp starts to rise, we are heading for a new plateau. Relatively speaking. You can easily spot the fast temp changes and the slow. The largest and slowest temp change is your major contents, ethanol.

I only take fores on the spirit run. It's where it's most concentrated, and you will get out the largest concentration of nail polish remover. Heads are recycled anyways and gets its fores taken at the next spirit run.

jonnys_spirit wrote: ↑Tue Jun 06, 2023 10:26 am

NZChris wrote: ↑Mon Jun 05, 2023 1:57 pm If you want some cleaner, help yourself to the foreshot, but the first jar off a pot still spirit run is never going to be selected for the heart cut, whether you take off a foreshot or not.

That's why I don't worry too much about a 200-500ml dedicated foreshot. I will run the first jar low and slow on pretty much every run and that jar if not first two or three jars always goes into the fire starter or cleaning run jugs.

Cheers!
-jonny

I’ve always been confused about why foreshots are even a separate concept from “heads”. To me there’s the continuum of distillate that didn’t make the hearts cut on the front end and the continuum of distillate that didn’t make the hearts cut at the back end. What am I missing out on by not considering foreshots at all?

jonnys_spirit wrote: ↑Tue Jun 06, 2023 10:26 am I will run the first jar low and slow on pretty much every run and that jar if not first two or three jars always goes into the fire starter or cleaning run jugs.

I keep every jar that comes off a spirit run, often doing a pot stilled All Feints run with some fresh wash that has been held back for that purpose. It's made me some fine, flavorsome, products for fast aging tricks and for drinking young to keep my hands off my aging heart cuts.

I always do a small forshots cut on stripping runs.
The forshots rinse out any crap left in the condenser from the last run.

I did my first run last week, I didn't cut my foreshore from my head as I was going to reserve it all for fire starter. Reading this, I can use it again in a spirit run as-is?

Wiley0717 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 7:12 am…I didn't cut my foreshore from my head…

That sounds dangerous.

Wiley0717 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 7:12 am…Reading this, I can use it again in a spirit run as-is?

“For sure”.

Rerun it all (the low wines you’ve collected from the strip run).
ss

[That sounds dangerous. ]

Wasn't planning on drinking, but I do go through a lot of charcoal lighter in a year.
Thank you for the reply!