StillSmart

Re: RUM

2013-09-15T13:23:19+00:00

The odd thing is that I know I tested the last jar by taking a sample and mixing with distilled water and did not see any resulting cloudiness. That said, there is what appears to be a fusel oil slick in the neck of the bottle; but, there is no brackish smell from an empty glass the next day.

So, the slick could be coming from the maple syrup or the Belgian candy syrup. Or would these additives mask the brackish smell?

If the visual fault is due to fusel oils, then turbo carbon for a couple of days might remedy it.

Statistics: Posted by Keystone — Sun Sep 15, 2013 1:23 pm

Re: RUM

2013-09-14T01:44:27+00:00

Cloudiness can come from several directions. If it is from the addition of caramel or sweeteners, the particles are usually way too small to catch in the usual filters you might have around. However, letting the whole lot settle for a few months and then siphon off the top. Should get then job done.

If the cloudiness shows up when you water down high ABV, that is from high levels of fusil alcohols and no amount of filtering will clear it.

Statistics: Posted by RumJohn — Sat Sep 14, 2013 1:44 am

Re: RUM

2013-09-13T02:49:51+00:00

The oak bite on my rum has been mellowing. Patience is rewarded. Though, it is ever so slightly cloudy.

Statistics: Posted by Keystone — Fri Sep 13, 2013 2:49 am

Re: RUM

2013-03-21T14:44:48+00:00

The heads I dump. Dont want them around. The tails I accumulate and make a neutral for vodka or gin.The rum is kept very clean.

Statistics: Posted by RumJohn — Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:44 pm

Re: RUM

2013-02-17T22:04:09+00:00

I recycle the heads, tails, and oils. I find that it does make a significant difference and that there are desirable flavours in all three.

Statistics: Posted by chill — Sun Feb 17, 2013 10:04 pm

Re: RUM

2013-02-17T20:50:12+00:00

I have just completed one 25 litre Rum spirit run and have kept the heads and tails seperatly, I have not disposed of the dunder yet so I still have the oppurtunity of isolating the Rhum Oils if needed.

I have more Rum striped for another spirit run, possibly next weekend, the question is, what to do with the feints and maybe oils as well?

I have read many different reports, with some people advocating only using the heads, others heads and tails and some saying to use neither of those but definatly reuse the Rhum Oils.

I am still undecided as to which course to follow, does anyone have any stong feelings one way or the other?

Statistics: Posted by YHB — Sun Feb 17, 2013 8:50 pm

Re: RUM

2013-02-14T01:10:05+00:00

On the oaking subject, I am getting about 5 kg of cut up used Bourbon barrel staves for future oaking.

Continuing the post mortem on my recent rum experience, I determined that I oaked at about 27 g per liter at 40% yielding a pronounced but not overbearing oak presence after filtering twice using coffee filters. The HD parent site suggests 1 t per liter or, after weighing it, 20 g per liter. This is based on using toasted oak chips like those sold by Brewhaus. For a medium bodied rum, I would suggest starting at 12 to 14 g per liter for a subtle oak profile before adding any more.

Statistics: Posted by Keystone — Thu Feb 14, 2013 1:10 am

Re: RUM

2013-02-11T12:23:58+00:00

I am going to switch from chips to cubes for future oaking and do a quick soak in distilled water to rinse off dust.

Statistics: Posted by Keystone — Mon Feb 11, 2013 12:23 pm

Re: RUM

2013-02-11T03:24:09+00:00

I actually put in 1 t of medium toasted oak per 750 ml bottle which explains things. Cleaning out the carboy allowed me to quantify; though, I wish I had remembered to have made a note of it here right after oaking.

I have done a second pass for each bottle through three coffee filters which softened the oak presence a bit. I read elsewhere that some triple filter oaked spirit to remove unwanted insolubles such as oak particles.

As for experimenting, I added another 1/2 t of 180 lovibond Belgian candi syrup to make it 1 1/2 t in a trial bottle and it is tasty. Further, it now resides in a decanter. The extra 1/2 t results in a deeper brown color with a lingering reddish hue.

I am using LHBS Belgian candi syrup for repeatable results.

Statistics: Posted by Keystone — Mon Feb 11, 2013 3:24 am

Re: RUM

2013-02-10T05:00:16+00:00

Ah! 3 tsp! Yes, that seems more like it. It was sounding like a breakfast food at first.

Chuck

Statistics: Posted by chill — Sun Feb 10, 2013 5:00 am

Re: RUM

2013-02-10T02:15:22+00:00

double post

Statistics: Posted by Keystone — Sun Feb 10, 2013 2:15 am

Re: RUM

2013-02-10T02:50:24+00:00

Chuck,

HookLine at HD suggested 2 to 3 t of maple syrup. That's what I did - settling on 3. I will fix the typo above. Thanks for the spotting that!

I oaked at a rate of 1 t of medium toasted oak per liter of 40%. And, it was oaked for 28 days based on my read of GBM's rum thread at HD. In retrospect, I should have dialed that back. Perhaps, the slight oak bite I am tasting now may mellow. If not, then I should have oaked at half that rate and for a week. The ultimate fix would be blending with another batch.

Statistics: Posted by Keystone — Sun Feb 10, 2013 2:09 am

Re: RUM

2013-02-09T22:33:17+00:00

Three tablespoons seems like a lot of Maple syrup for one bottle. But I am not all that keen on Maple syrup. Doesn't that yield a distinctly sweet rum?

I have like the effects of adding a couple of teaspoons of dry sherry to a bottle.

Chuck

Statistics: Posted by chill — Sat Feb 09, 2013 10:33 pm

Re: RUM

2013-02-09T21:11:25+00:00

I am beginning to see that I will like the aging process for a Rum

Can't wait to give this one a try

Statistics: Posted by KerryW — Sat Feb 09, 2013 9:11 pm

Re: RUM

2013-02-10T02:47:34+00:00

Update:

I aged the 55% on 12 teaspoons of medium toasted white oak for 28 days. When let down in a 750 ml bottle, it has a golden hue. The process yielded 16 750 ml bottles.

Over the course of the aging, the rum smelled like bourbon after one week. Fast forward to today, it smells less like bourbon and more like rum. A tasting reveals a slightly more than moderate presence of oak which I hope ail be mellowed in glass over the next few weeks or months.

To each bottle, 3 t of maple syrup and 1/8 t of natural vanilla extract was added. This smoothed the oak presence while not masking it. After another sampling, I was generally pleased. I assume some chemical reactions will continue in the bottle over the next few weeks or months that will affect the flavor profile.

To three of the bottles, I added 1 t of 180 lovibond premium extra dark Belgian candi syrup which yielded a familiar reddish-brown hue.

Statistics: Posted by Keystone — Sat Feb 09, 2013 5:18 pm