What substance is typically collected and stored for future use at the distillation process's end?

During the distillation process, the components produced can be divided into three main fractions: heads, hearts, and tails. The heads contain volatile compounds, primarily some undesirable alcohols, while the hearts are made up of the primary spirit desired for consumption. The tails, on the other hand, contain heavier compounds that are often less desirable.

The correct answer pertains to the fact that both heads and tails are typically collected and can be stored for future use. While heads are generally discarded or minimally used due to their lower quality, tails can sometimes be re-distilled or blended back into future distillations to recover more alcohol and flavor compounds. Storing heads and tails allows distillers to utilize these fractions in subsequent distillations, enhancing the efficiency and quality of production.

In this context, grains and water do not fit because grains are the raw material inputted at the beginning of the distillation process, and while water can be important in various stages, it is not a product of the distillation process itself that is collected for future use in the same sense as the not-so-unwanted heads and tails. Barrel waste does not pertain to fractional distillation; instead, it relates more to by-products post-maturation, not collected at the end