Understanding Heads, Hearts and Tails: Making Perfect Cuts

Making "cuts" is the single most important skill in distillation—it's the difference between harsh, hangover-inducing spirit and smooth, professional-quality product. During distillation, different compounds come through at different times based on their boiling points. Foreshots and heads contain harsh, potentially harmful compounds. Hearts are the pure, drinkable spirit. Tails contain heavy oils that cause cloudiness and bad flavours. Knowing when to switch between them is what separates good distillers from great ones.

This guide from Distillery King teaches you to make perfect cuts every time.

Table of Contents

• The Four Fractions Explained
• Foreshots: Always Discard
• Heads: Set Aside or Discard
• Hearts: The Good Stuff
• Tails: Save or Discard
• How to Make Cuts in Practice
• Cuts by Still Type
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Four Fractions Explained

When you heat your wash, alcohol vapours rise and condense back into liquid. But "alcohol" isn't just one thing—your wash contains many different compounds, each with different boiling points:

Foreshots: Always Discard

The foreshots are the first liquid from your still—always discard them without exception.

What's in Foreshots?

• Methanol: The "bad" alcohol—toxic in large quantities
• Acetone: Nail polish remover smell
• Aldehydes: Harsh, irritating compounds

How Much to Discard?

• T500 (25L wash): First 50ml — see the T500 collection
• Air Still Pro (4L wash): First 10-15ml (automatic on Air Still Pro) — see the Air Still Pro collection
• Rule of thumb: Discard 1-2ml per litre of wash

The Methanol Reality

There's a lot of fear around methanol in home distilling, most of it exaggerated. Here's the truth:

• All fermentation produces trace methanol—commercial spirits contain it too
• The dangerous blindness cases came from Prohibition-era industrial methanol poisoning, not home distilling
• Fruit-based washes (especially stone fruits) produce more methanol than sugar washes
• Discarding the foreshots removes the concentrated methanol
• The remaining trace amounts in your hearts are no different from commercial spirits

Heads: Set Aside or Discard

Heads won't hurt you, but they'll give you a worse hangover and make your spirit taste harsh.

Identifying Heads

After the foreshots, the next fraction is heads. They're characterised by:

• Smell: Sharp, solvent-like, nail polish, paint thinner
• Taste: Harsh, biting, chemical (taste sparingly!)
• Appearance: Often slightly cloudy or oily sheen

What to Do With Heads

You have three options:

1. Discard: Safest option, ensures clean spirit
2. Add to next wash: The alcohol will redistill into your next batch
3. Feints jar: Save all heads and tails in one container, redistill when full

Heads Transition

Heads don't stop abruptly—they gradually transition into hearts. As you collect, the harsh notes fade and cleaner alcohol character emerges. This transition zone is where skill comes in.

Hearts: The Good Stuff

Hearts are what you're distilling for—clean, pure ethanol that becomes your finished spirit.

Identifying Hearts

• Smell: Clean alcohol, neutral (for reflux), or pleasant wash character (for pot still)
• Taste: Smooth, no harsh bite, pleasant warmth
• Appearance: Crystal clear, no cloudiness

Hearts Characteristics by Still Type

Reflux Still (T500): Hearts should smell almost entirely neutral—pure alcohol with minimal character. This is what you want for vodka, gin base, or spirits you'll add essences to.

Pot Still (Alembic): Hearts will carry more wash character—fruity notes, grain character, or whatever your wash base contributes. This is desirable for whiskey, rum, and brandy. Check out our Alembic Pot Still options.

When Hearts End

Hearts don't last forever. Eventually, the heavier tails compounds start coming through. Signs you're hitting tails:

• Sweet or oily smell develops
• Wet cardboard or musty notes appear
• Water test shows cloudiness (add drops of water to a sample)
• Taste becomes heavy, coating, less clean

Tails: Save or Discard

Tails contain recoverable alcohol but also the compounds that cause cloudiness and off-flavours.

Identifying Tails

• Smell: Wet cardboard, oily, musty, sometimes sulfurous
• Taste: Heavy, coating, unpleasant aftertaste
• Appearance: May appear oily; turns cloudy when water is added
• ABV: Drops significantly (below 50-60% indicates tails territory)

What's in Tails?

• Fusel oils: Heavy alcohols (propanol, butanol, amyl alcohol)
• Water: As alcohol depletes, more water comes through
• Fatty acids: From grain or fruit washes

What to Do With Tails

Never throw tails away—they contain valuable alcohol. Options:

1. Add to next wash: Dump tails into your fermenter before distilling
2. Feints jar: Combine with heads, redistill when you have enough
3. Stripping run: Run tails through your still quickly without cuts, then redistill the low wines properly

How to Make Cuts in Practice

The Collection Jar Method

This is the most reliable method for beginners and experienced distillers alike:

1. Set up numbered jars: Use 200-250ml jars, number them 1-20+
2. Collect sequentially: Fill each jar, move to the next
3. Smell and taste each jar: Note any changes
4. Perform the water test: Add drops of water to each jar—tails turn cloudy
5. Combine hearts jars: After the run, combine only the clean hearts jars
6. Keep the others separate: Heads and tails can be redistilled

The Water Test

Your most reliable tool for detecting tails contamination:

1. Take a small sample from your collection jar
2. Add a few drops of water
3. If it turns cloudy or milky, you've collected tails
4. If it stays clear, you're still in hearts territory

The Glass Test (Post-Run)

To evaluate your overall cut quality:

1. Swirl some spirit in a clean wine glass to coat the sides
2. Pour out the spirit
3. Let the glass dry overnight
4. Smell the empty glass the next morning
5. Clean = good cuts. Sour or oily = cuts need improvement

Cut Points for a T500 (25L Wash)

As a starting guide (adjust based on your results):

• Foreshots: First 50ml—discard
• Heads: Next 150-200ml—set aside
• Hearts: Next 2.5-3L—keep
• Tails: Everything after—save for redistillation

Cuts by Still Type

Reflux Still (T500) Cuts

Reflux stills produce high-purity spirit, making cuts somewhat easier:

• Heads transition is relatively quick and obvious
• Hearts are extremely clean and neutral
• Tails onset is clear—quality drops noticeably
• Aim for fewer, tighter cuts—quality over quantity

Pot Still (Alembic) Cuts

Pot stills carry more flavour, making cuts more nuanced:

• Heads transition is gradual—takes experience to identify
• Hearts have desirable wash character you want to preserve
• Some early tails can add body and complexity (whiskey, rum)
• Cuts are more subjective—depends on spirit style

Air Still Pro Cuts

The Air Still Pro simplifies the process:

• Automatic foreshot collection diverts first 30ml
• Smaller volume means smaller cut amounts
• Collect in 50-100ml jars for finer control
• In pot still mode, hearts have more character

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I don't separate heads and tails?

Your spirit will be harsh, cause worse hangovers, and potentially turn cloudy. Heads add chemical harshness; tails add oiliness and cloudiness when diluted. The spirit is still technically safe, just unpleasant.

Can I mix heads into my hearts for more volume?

Yes, but your spirit quality will suffer. Some distillers blend a small amount of late heads for character (especially in whiskey), but this is a deliberate choice, not a shortcut. For vodka, never include any heads.

How do I improve my cuts over time?

Practice and note-taking. Keep detailed records of each run: cut points, smell/taste notes, final spirit quality. Over time, patterns emerge. Your nose also improves with experience—you'll recognise transitions faster.

My heads seem to go on forever—what's wrong?

Likely fermentation issues: high fermentation temperature produces more heads compounds. Use Pure Turbo yeast and ferment cooler (18-20°C). Also ensure your wash is properly cleared before distilling.

Do commercial distilleries make cuts too?

Absolutely. Every quality distillery makes cuts. Industrial producers may use continuous stills that separate fractions differently, but the principle is identical—remove the bad stuff, keep the good stuff.

What's a "feints" jar?

"Feints" is the traditional term for heads and tails combined. Many distillers keep a single feints jar, adding all non-hearts cuts to it. When full, you redistill the feints to recover the alcohol in purer form.

Practice Makes Perfect

Making cuts is a skill that improves with every batch. Don't be discouraged if your first few runs aren't perfect—every distiller learns by doing. The key is paying attention, taking notes, and gradually refining your technique.

Need supplies? Browse our distilling accessories including collection jars, hydrometers, and alcometers.

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