The magic louche oils are way the hell down in the tails -- well more accurately the stuff with a high BP. A general place to start is to start with X volume of neutral spirits, macerate. Add X/2 volume of water. Distill collecting X volume of distillate. In a new receiver collect as much of the X/2 volume as "tails". You'll end up with a damp mass of botanicals. Dont scorch it or you'll screw up the entire batch. To say it's unpleasant to clean is an understatement. Add those "tails" + enough water to get to X/2 in the next distillation. Rinse, repeat. Absinthe is the most difficult but most enjoyable spirit to master.