Industrial alcohol (ethanol) is produced by steam hydration of ethylene, which is produced in turn by steam cracking of hydrocarbons from crude oil and/or ethane gas; industrial methanol is produced by steam hydration of methane. Quite a different process from fermentation and distillation.
I used to distill a bit and anyone who does (for the gas tank of course) knows the first ounce per gallon of product is methanol. While it’s okay for your gas tank; it’s not okay for human consumption (obviously) so it must be removed at the beginning of the distillation process just in case someone “accidentally” drinks the end product.