A joint essay & publication by Matthew Fergusson-Stewart of Whisky Molecules, and Whisky & Wisdom.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, your two correspondents were co-hosting a tasting event together and explaining the distillation process to the audience, going into detail about the fractioning – better known as the foreshots, middle cut, and feints. We explained that the foreshots was heavy in methanols and other undesirable elements, which everyone was happy to accept. We also explained how the foreshots and feints are never wasted, but are mixed back in with the next batch of low wines, and the process continues repeatedly. Everyone was happy to accept that, too. Well, almost everyone. One chap sitting near the front objected: “If the foreshots keep being recycled and mixed back in, won’t you get a continually increasing build-up of methanol in the spirit?” Ummmm……
It’s a vexing question that’s since been posed to us both many times. What do they do with the methanol and where does it go?
