Stripping Run
A stripping run is the first distillation in a batch (pot still) process, where alcohol is stripped out of the fermented wash to produce low wines. A second distillation, the spirit run, then concentrates and refines those low wines into the final spirit.
In double distillation the stripping run is fast and deliberately rough: its only job is to pull as much alcohol as possible out of the wash into a lower-proof collection of low wines, without worrying about cuts. The spirit run that follows is where the distiller makes the careful heads, hearts, and tails cuts. Capturing the volume and proof of both runs is how a distillery accounts for yield across the still.
What is the difference between a stripping run and a spirit run?
The stripping run is the first pass: it strips alcohol from the wash into low wines quickly and collects almost everything, since nothing here is bottled. The spirit run is the second pass, where the low wines (often combined with retained heads and feints) are redistilled and the distiller draws the fine heads, hearts, and tails cut that defines the final spirit.
Why distill twice?
A single pass off a pot still cannot both reach a clean proof and give the distiller room to make precise cuts. Splitting the work lets the stripping run maximize alcohol recovery and the spirit run focus on quality and proof, which is the traditional approach for single malt and many craft spirits.
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