StillSmart

Found this page quite interesting
http://www.winesandvines.com/template.c ... 0in%20Wine

That's a good article - good find, thank you.
It is interesting to note that it is different in wine because we are not concentrating them. Some of the fusel oils found in wine are naturally neutralised by other compounds and so do not necessarily give us a bad head.

The whole balance goes out the window when we strip them out with distillation.

Is it usual to get fusels showing in early tails and late tails, with no show in between?

I don't know about Fusel oil,but it is certainly not unusual IME,to think that you are into smelly tails,and then find a central portion which is acceptable,before it nose dives.
This used to happen to me when I ran spirit runs very slowly.
These days I tend to be a little harsher/quicker,and it doesn't seem to happen anymore for me.
I am constantly trying to achieve the best balance between time/effort and end product,both volume and quantity.
Warm distillate seems to be aiding quality.

Robert

Thanks for that Robert.

Stripped my rum washes and found both strips clearly had this attribute even tho they were hard, quick strips.
Did the spirit run yesterday, slow steady and same again.
Early tails just a shading visible, but tasty. Mid tails clear as but waning. Late, well....late.

Intrigued by your warm distillate comment, I forgot to say.

This is reason that although I record each distillate cut I take, I have to go back next day and repeat the exercise to get the true story.
Also a reason I don't bother with a parrot and it beats me how those who do, well.....you know?

Your first post just above does not surprise me,it is not unusual to add a chunk of early tails from a flavoured,i.e Rum wash to the final product.

I admit that when I posted before you,I was considering neutrals.

Your second post above reads close to my mindset.
I have not yet felt the need to build a parrot,TBH,the sound that my still makes is a fairly good indication of what is happening inside it now.That is down to familiarity.
I do take some readings of distillate to confirm,but now I even guesstimate for a rough temperature compensation.
I used to measure the ABV of every collection vessel,- these days I number and leave them to air until I need to use the vessels again,the longest time being almost four weeks,by which time obvious Heads and Tails distillate has been removed from the airing shelf.
I will then sniff and maybe taste all samples before combining the results of that run,and then taking an accurate reading of volume and ABV of that particular wash for posterity.
All of that may not be considered best practice by some.
It works for my version of pot-still and myself.

I would probably adopt a different practice if I were running a Reflux still,with many litres of product coming off at the same ABV.
Horses for courses.

Rambled a bit there.

Robert.

Yes, horses for courses sums it all up pretty well really.