Hi, :greetings-waveyellow:
Just joined and am new to home distillation. I have made Wine and Beer in the past so thought I would try my hand at a bit of hard liquor.
Just purchased a 35L Alembic Pot Still and am currently fermenting my first TPW. I plan to try my hand at some gin (and have purchased some pre-packed botanicals as my first try before doing some experimenting).
I know that I need to do a stripping run before distilling through my botanical basket as part of my second run and am was wondering if when doing the stripping run I need to remove the foreshots and heads? The instructions I have read are unclear in this regard. I know I need to remove them during the spirit run but just am not sure during the stripping run.
Another question is how do you know when the runs change from Hearts to Tails - is it the smell of the spirit or just based on the temperature of the still?
Sorry if these are basic questions but it would be good to understand this before I start my runs.
Nice to be part of the forum - look forward to learning and sharing.
Thanks
Axel