production
Cut points
No legal definition
The strengths at which the stillman switches the spirit-still run from foreshots to the middle cut, and from the middle cut to feints — thereby selecting which congeners enter the new-make spirit.
Not a legal term
No whisky regulation in Scotland, Ireland, the United States, the EU or Japan defines this. It is a trade or marketing term, so it is only actionable if its use is actively misleading.
Worth knowing
The most under-credited variable in distillery character. A late cut carries more phenols, fatty acids and oiliness; an early cut gives lighter, cleaner spirit. The Irish technical file explicitly identifies distillate cutting strengths as a determinant of pot still character.
Related terms
Last reviewed 2026-07-30 · All glossary terms