I did my first ever spirits run a couple of days ago.
TLDR: My hearts now taste like rocket fuel.
I ditched 250ml of foreshots (didn't mean to do so much, but it was running fast than I meant to at the start.)
I then took 200ml cuts into glass jars and let them sit for 48 hours.
I then smell and taste tested each one. I combined 1 teaspoon of spirit with 2 teaspoons of filtered water and smelt and tasted it before spitting it out. I rinsed glass each time and drank water between each taste.
Jars 1-5: Smelt like fake banana and had a really harsh burn. Ditched into the feints bottle. As I mentioned earlier I was running a bit fast early on so expected plenty of heads.
Jars 6-10: Very little nose, a touch of warmth, but not harsh in the mouth. Struggled to describe any particular taste. I thought this was my hearts. Ended up combining these in a glass bottle - combined were 89% ABV. Diluted down to 65% ABV with filtered water while I decided what to do with it.
Jars 11-13: Had pleasant slight fruity smell (not tomato) and maybe a slight burn in the mouth but nothing like the heads I ditched. Wasn't sure what to do with these so kept em separate.
Jars 14+: Wet cardboard and into the feints.
Fast forward 24 hours and I thought I'd show the Mrs I'd made some nice clean neutral spirirt. Diluted a shot down to 40% ish ABV. The look on her face said everything. Rocket fuel. I had a taste as I couldn't believe it. Tasted like the cheapest store bought vodka you can imagine. :angry-banghead:
What happened?
Was my palette already burned out by the first 5 jars?
With the transferring and combining did I oxygenate some stuff that I couldn't taste before?
Other info:
Yes, had done vinegar and sacrificial run prior.
Fermentation ran a bit hot for the first 36 hours or so. I pitched yeast at 34 degC and it rocketed up over 38degC