🥃 Heads, hearts, tails
The three parts into which the distiller divides spirit during pot distillation: heads with the most volatile substances and methanol, the heart for the drink, and tails with heavy fusel oils.
Heads, hearts and tails are the three parts into which a distiller divides the spirit during pot distillation. Heads come first and contain the most volatile substances, the heart is the purest spirit from which the drink is made, and tails are the heavier compounds at the end. The points at which the distiller makes the cuts largely determine the flavour of the distillate.
Heads. Substances with a low boiling point come out first: acetaldehyde, esters and methanol, which boils at about 64.7 °C, while ethanol boils at about 78.2 °C. According to Difford's Guide, as little as 10 ml of methanol can cause blindness, so the heads do not go into the drink.
Heart and tails. Next comes the heart: in Scotch malt whisky it has about 68% vol. As the strength falls, the tails, or feints, appear, carrying heavy fusel oils. Heads and tails are usually set aside and added to the next distillation so that no alcohol is lost.
In different drinks. Cuts are made during the double distillation of cognac and malt Scotch, and the technical files of protected names often describe them separately. The file for Hasseltse jenever describes heads with methanol, aldehydes and esters and tails with fusel oils; the file for Herbero de la Sierra de Mariola allows them to be redistilled. A wider heart gives a denser taste, a narrower one a lighter taste.
Why this matters to you. Careless separation of the heads is exactly what makes homemade drinks dangerous: methanol poisoning can cause blindness and death. It is safer to choose only drinks with a label and a known producer. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Distillation method | division into fractions in batch pot distillation: heads, heart, tails |
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How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Heads, hearts, tails → kind of → ⚗️ How spirits are made → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- 🥃 Distillation, 🥃 Double distillation, 🍷 Ethanol, 🥃 Charentais alembic
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health
- Part of
- ⚗️ How spirits are made
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that the heads of a distillation are poisonous?
Yes, they are dangerous: the heads collect methanol and acetaldehyde; according to Difford's Guide, as little as 10 ml of methanol can cause blindness, so the heads do not go into the drink.
What is the heart of a distillation?
The middle part of the distillate with the best ratio of ethanol to aromas; the drink is made from it.
What happens to the tails?
Usually, like the heads, they are set aside and added to the next distillation to recover the alcohol from them.
Are there cuts in column distillation?
In a column the process is continuous: light and heavy compounds are taken from different plates, so there is no manual division into heads, heart and tails as in a pot still.
How do the cuts affect the taste?
A wider heart with part of the tails gives a denser, oilier taste; a narrower one gives a purer, lighter distillate.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🥃 Charentais alembic — Copper batch still from the Charente region: white wine is distilled twice into cognac spirit; pot up to 30 hl, heated by open fire.
Similar
🥃 Distillation · 🥃 Double distillation · 🥃 Column still · 🥃 Ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin · 🥃 Aqua vitae · 🥃 Blending
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Difford's Guide encyclopedia: Distillation — the science of distillation (ethanol boils at 78.2 °C; heads/foreshots with acetaldehyde and methanol, hearts, tails/faints; methanol 64.7 °C, ~10 ml can cause blindness)
- The Scotch Whisky Experience: Whisky making — wash still produces low wines at about 20 % vol.; spirit still; foreshots and feints set aside and redistilled; heart of the run about 68 % vol.
- eAmbrosia: technical file 'Hasseltse jenever/Hasselt', PGI-BE-02010 (head — first runnings incl. methanol, aldehydes and esters; tail — final run-off with fusel oils; separated from the heart; the cut strongly affects taste and aroma)
- eAmbrosia: fiche technique de l'IG 'Herbero de la Sierra de Mariola', Ref. Ares(2016)1248130 (les têtes et les queues sont séparées et peuvent être redistillées)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)