Methanol poisoning from distilling is superstition. Any sugar-based mash (whether it be a fruit wine, a grain beer, or a good ol' sugar mash) will produce compl

Methanol poisoning from distilling is superstition. Any sugar-based mash (whether it be a fruit wine, a grain beer, or a good ol' sugar mash) will produce completely negligible quantities of methanol, even if you are drinking the foreshots directly. Methanol only occurs in home distilling if you are trying to recreate certain heavy-cellulose mashes (I've heard there's some Italian one that uses a particular wood, for example) or, more commonly, if someone is trying to de-denature alcohol, which was common during the Prohibition, which lead to the belief that moonshine was apt to blind you.