Distillation Cut Yield Calculator

Work out distillation cut yield instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Distillation Cut Yield Calculator

Total pure alcohol in the wash is volume times ABV. The hearts cut captures 55-75% of that, with foreshots, heads and tails discarded or recycled. Dividing the hearts alcohol by the collection strength gives the volume actually collected, and dividing by 0.28 litres of alcohol gives 700 mL bottles at 40%.

Formulas

Pure alcohol

Litres of pure alcohol = wash volume x ABV

Hearts

Hearts volume = pure alcohol x hearts fraction / collection ABV

Worked example

With the default values below, Distillation Cut Yield Calculator returns Hearts Volume Collected of 74.286. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Wash Volumeminimum 0 L: 1,000 L
Wash Alcoholaccepts 0–30 %: 8 %
Hearts Fraction Of Alcohol Collectedaccepts 0–100 %: 65 %
Hearts Collection Strengthaccepts 0–100 %: 70 %

Results

Hearts Volume Collected: 74.286
Pure Alcohol In Hearts: 52.000
Total Pure Alcohol In Wash: 80.000
700 mL Bottles At 40% ABV: 185.7

Step by step

1Values used
2Pure alcohol
3Hearts
4Hearts Volume Collected= 74.286
5Pure Alcohol In Hearts= 52.000
6Total Pure Alcohol In Wash= 80.000
7700 mL Bottles At 40% ABV= 185.7

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
Distillation of spirits requires a licence in nearly all jurisdictions and improperly made spirit can contain toxic levels of methanol. Alcohol vapour is also highly flammable.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Distillation of spirits requires a licence in nearly all jurisdictions and improperly made spirit can contain toxic levels of methanol. Alcohol vapour is also highly flammable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why discard the foreshots?

They concentrate methanol, acetaldehyde and ethyl acetate, which are toxic and unpleasant. Foreshots must always be discarded, not recycled into a drinkable product.

How are cuts decided?

By nosing and tasting the distillate at intervals, supported by temperature and strength readings. Cut points are style decisions as much as safety ones, and are usually fixed by trial and kept constant.