# Distillate

> Distillate is a highly refined cannabis oil in which cannabinoids, usually THC or CBD, have been separated from most other compounds by distillation, leaving a clear, almost odourless oil.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/distillate.html
- Also written: THC distillate, cannabis distillate, distilled oil, distillate oil
- Glossary category: Processing · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

Distillate is the product of refining a crude cannabis extract by distillation under vacuum, a step that separates compounds by boiling point. The process [decarboxylates](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/decarboxylation.md) the acids along the way, so finished distillate is mostly neutral [THC](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/thc.md) (or [CBD](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cbd.md)), commonly reported above 80-90% of a single [cannabinoid](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cannabinoid.md). [Terpenes](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene.md), waxes, lipids and [chlorophyll](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/chlorophyll.md) are largely removed, leaving a viscous, pale gold to clear oil.

## In practice

Distillate is the base of many vape cartridges, edibles and infused products because it is consistent and has little flavour. Terpenes are often added back for taste, from cannabis or other plant sources, so a cartridge's aroma may say little about its starting material. Some products marketed as cannabis distillate contain semi-synthetic cannabinoids; only a full lab panel tells you. Distillation is an industrial process; GenetixBay gives no methods.

## Don't confuse with

- **Isolate**: a crystalline, single-compound product, purer than distillate.
- **Full-spectrum extract**: retains more of the plant's compound range.
- **Crude oil (extract)**: the unrefined starting point.

## Related terms

[Isolate](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/isolate.md), [Solvent-based extract](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/solvent-based-extract.md), [Decarboxylation](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/decarboxylation.md), [Concentrate](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/concentrate.md), [Entourage effect](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/entourage-effect.md)