Stripping Run: Concentrate Low Wines Before Your Cuts

A stripping run is the fastest way to move from a fermented base to something you can cut cleanly. You are not trying to make a perfect hearts cut yet. You are concentrating alcohol so the next run is easier to fractionate.

That matters because good cuts depend on separation. The more concentrated your input is, the more workable the finishing run becomes when you start collecting heads, hearts, and tails in smaller fractions.

You’ll run a simple stripping approach: charge the boiler, run at higher power to save time, collect low wines, and write down enough baseline data to support recipe development.

Quick summary

Context: stripping is concentration, not cuts

In the overall workflow, stripping comes before finishing stripping as the concentration step. Cuts and fractions belong to the finishing run finishing run and fractions.

Your goal in stripping is straightforward: collect a concentrated run so the later fractioning work is less messy.

Setup: charge, cooling water, and collection

Once the still is clean, charge the boiler with your fermented base. The example here uses 6 liters of white wine.

Start cooling water, close and secure the lid, and set up a collection container and hose so you can collect the stripping run without scrambling mid-run.

Run strategy: go fast and record your baseline

Stripping is intentionally run faster than a finishing run. You are optimizing for time and concentration, not precision fractioning.

Power approach

The approach described is to heat up at 100% power, then reduce once you feel the column warming, typically to around 70% for the run. The point is to keep the run moving without spending hours on a gentle boil.

What to write down

Before product starts coming over, write down the date and what you’re distilling. The example baseline includes the base material (white wine), brand, starting percentage, and volume in the boiler (6 liters in this run).

Ignore cut points on purpose

If your control app shows cut points, you ignore them for stripping. You will use cut points later when you fraction the low wines in a finishing run.

Ending the run and preparing for finishing

The endpoint for the stripping run is determined by the temperature in the column in this example. When you reach the chosen endpoint, stop the run, switch off power, and let the still cool before opening.

Once cooled, you can open the system and prepare to run the finishing run using the low wines you just collected.

Continue with Finishing Run: Finishing Run Prep to build directly on this foundation.

Key Takeaways