Stripping protocol, saving very low wines?

[Steve Broady]

I’m putting this here because at least in my experience it has only come up with AG recipes and the relatively low ABV that they produce.

First off, I freely admit to being inexperienced and most likely incompetent. With that out of the way, this is what I’ve been doing. I’d like to know if this is a common thing, or is this maybe something that is a complete waste of time? Is there a name for it?

When I strip, I try to aim for about 30% ABV on the low wines. For my pot still and my taste, that usually results in a final cut that’s right around 60%, perfect for aging on wood. But with the low ABV beer that’s going into the still, there’s a fair bit of alcohol left after I reach that point. So what I’ve been doing is to swap to a different vessel and keep running, usually until the ABV off the spout is under 5%. That yields a fair bit of 10-15% low low wines, which I recycle into the next striping run of the same recipe.

My theory is that alcohol is alcohol, and why pour it down the drain? But also, I know that there can be some good flavors hiding way down in the tails, so presumably these low low wines have something to contribute.

Am I a fool, or have I hit upon a good idea?