Finishing Run Prep: Safe Charge, Glasses, and Starter Cuts

A finishing run is where you start making real decisions: you collect fractions, taste them, and set cut points. That only works if your setup is safe and your collection plan is ready before the first drops arrive.

You’ll prep low wines for a finishing run the way it’s done here: avoid running the heating elements dry, avoid dilution that strips taste, handle hot parts safely, and set starter cut guides you can refine later.

Quick summary

Context: this is where cuts begin

Your stripping run concentrated alcohol into low wines ending the stripping run and preparing for finishing. The finishing run is where you collect multiple fractions and decide what becomes heads, hearts, and tails finishing run and fractions.

Build a safe boiler charge

In the example, the stripping run produced about 1.5 liters. That is not enough volume to run safely on its own because heating elements can run dry.

The approach described is to combine low wines with fresh base material (the same wine used for stripping) until you reach about 5 liters, then charge the boiler.

Why not dilute with water

The reason given for not adding water is taste: diluting with water removes a lot of flavor. Using the same base material keeps the run aligned with the spirit you’re building.

Avoid cross-contamination

If you keep the same base material, you do not need to repeat the vinegar cleaning step. The warning is about switching styles: if you run something intensely aromatic (peated malt is a practical example here), you need to rinse and clean properly so that aroma does not carry into the next product.

Reassemble safely (hot column warning)

After a run, parts can stay dangerously hot. This practical approach is to use a towel to handle the column, lift it carefully, and then tighten the knobs again.

Set up for fractions and heat-up

Always have extra glasses

Fractioning moves fast once product starts coming over. The practical rule is simple: you will always have one glass short. Prepare more glasses than you think you need.

Start gently to avoid overshoot

Heat-up is done carefully to avoid overshooting. The approach described is starting at about 50% power rather than jumping to 100%, because once you overshoot early fractions, you cannot undo it.

Starter cut guides (example)

As an initial guideline here, heads are set to about 85°C and hearts to about 95°C. Treat this as a starting point you refine by tasting and data collection.

Key Takeaways