StillSmart

With winter not-so-slowly approaching, I decided to experiment with a rum, hoping to split the batch up into light (unoaked), dark, and spiced rum for enjoying throughout the cold, dark evenings here.

I'm running an AirStill, and while the capacity means things take a long time, the lack of reflux promised to give me lots of flavor in the output! Of course, the other challenge is scaling down existing recipes to a 5 gallon batch.

After reading through several different recipes from homedistiller (see Hook's, Pugirum, etc.), and several comparisons of Fancy vs. Blackstrap, I decided on a recipe mixing some of both, and boosting the OG with light brown sugar.

Sugars:
3 x 0.907kg Blackstrap
2 x 1.350 kg Fancy
3 x 1 kg yellow sugar (light brown sugar)
2 tbsp yeast nutrient
Boiled in 4L water, added to 5 gallon carboy
Water added to 22L mark, temp ~30 deg C

Yeast Starter:
1L of Wort, aerated in 1.5L jar for 5 min, ~30 degC
2x EC-1118 (5g packets)
Left for 30 min, plenty of foaming / activity

Pitched yeast into Carboy, added airlock, brew belt and towel. Thermometer reads ~25 degC

OG was 1.120
FG after 2 weeks was 1.012. Some unfermentables left, a taste test shows plenty of alcohol. Time to distill!

Following the double-distill guidelines for the AirStill, did initial stripping in 4L batches with Distillers Conditioner (boilovers likely with so many sugars left), collecting ~1.35L each time. Added water to get 12L

On the distilling run, I tossed the first 50ml, collect 250ml Heads, 1L hearts, and collect Tails in 250ml until the alcohol content drops too low (<20%), by taste. After letting it all air out for 24 hrs, I taste test the heads and tails, and blended one batch with 100ml heads + 500ml tails, and the other with no heads, and 500ml tails. The resulting blends are ~75%.

The result? A very nice, smooth but flavorful white rum, *lots* of molasses flavor, with some subtle smokey and sweet tastes. The blackstrap definitely adds a lot; very different from any commercial white rums, it lacks the "hotness" of cheaper rum, and tastes excellent just with ice, or a splash of coke. Haven't sampled enough yet to determine the "hangover potential", will leave that for some weekend party.

Oaking is something I have experienced with wine, and with 65% neutral, but I wanted to test out a few different combinations (medium vs. heavy toast, varying quantity and duration, etc.)


2x 750ml @ 40%, no oak
1x 500ml @ 65%, with 3 heavy toast hungarian oak cubes (1x1x1cm)
1x 500ml @ 65%, with 3 medium toast oak cubes
1x 500ml @ 65%, with 5 heavy toast oak cubes
1x 500ml @ 75%, with 3 heavy toast oak cubes, and spiced rum mix
1x 500ml @ 75%, with 3 medium toast oak cubes
1x 250ml @ 75%, with 8 heavy toast oak cubes

Spiced rum mix consists of:
2" of cinnamon
3" of vanilla bean (split and scraped)
1/4 tsp of nutmeg (ground)
1/4 tsp of allspice (ground)
2 cloves

Over the next 2 weeks I'll be tasting each jar to see the oak progress, and watching closely to avoid over-oaking. After 2 days the 75% are already taking on a lot of colour, so a close eye is necessary! I'll update this thread again with some tasting notes as things progress, and some pictures.

-RoboStill

Sounds like you are having fun.

I find oaking at high ABV just makes the spirit taste like wood, I know some Jamaican distilleries do oak at high ABV so maybe I've just been unlucky.

BTW is all that spice going in a 500ml portion? sounds like a lot of spice.

Also I'd swap out the conditioner for butter, it means you can save the dunder from the still charge to use in the next ferment.


Let us know how you get on.

RoboStill wrote:
(SNIP)

After reading through several different recipes from homedistiller (see Hook's, Pugirum, etc.), and several comparisons of Fancy vs. Blackstrap, I decided on a recipe mixing some of both, and boosting the OG with light brown sugar.

(SNIP)

While waiting on about 40 liters of all bran wash to ferment dry, I have been poring over the same threads to put four gallons of fancy molasses to best use. It's really agonizing. Ha ha. I am leaning towards 55% molasses to 45% white sugar for a medium flavored rum, checking in at a 10% wash.

A couple of observations in no particular order:
- unless you can get Demerara sugar, white is cheaper and the result is just as good
- the molasses taste will fade with aging and change into delicious rum tastes
- EC-1118 is OK, but if you can get a real Rum yeast it is worth while
- 250ml is pretty big to be collecting heads and tails out of an AirStill, I'd aim for 100ml at most
- I'd rely more on taste than volume for cuts. I recommend collecting a few jars after the 250ml heads before the hearts, about 500-600ml of hearts, then start collecting in smaller jars again

Chuck

Regarding the spice, I did a test bottle a month or so ago with 750ml of 50% neutral from my last batch, and used 4" cinnamon, 6" vanilla, and the rest was the same. Turned out excellent! Definitely strongly flavored, but a huge hit with SWMBO, and really shines with a bit of coke. Affectionately dubbed "Christmas Vodka"

Glad to hear the "molasses" will mellow out, I like it, but it tends to be a bit strong for some people I've tested it on.

I've never heard of butter as a conditioner? I suppose the fat would have a similar effect, reducing surface tension... you don't notice any off flavors?

chill: regarding rum yeast, I haven't seen anything like that at my LHBS, but I will look online for sure! Any brand recommendations?

I try to keep my cuts pretty taste oriented, although I collect in 500ml mason jars for convenience. I tend to taste as it comes off the still. A few drops rubbed between the fingers for texture, smelled and tasted for flavor. Appreciate the advice though, I have a collection of 125ml jars that I may employ for my next batch.

My next rum batch will likely be all Fancy, with brown & white sugar (I have a lot in stock to use up) to make something a little more mild.

-RoboStill

Cool.

The spice is always a difficult one to judge. I use a lot of spice in cooking so rarely have anything that is of any age. My mum still has spices from the 70's that taste really bland. Was just checking as cloves can be a really over powering flavour.

As for the butter it works fantastic as a sufficant, and no off flavours. I then can happily use the dunder in future ferments. I have no idea if having silicone in it (conditioner) would be an issue, but I just don't like the sound of it.
I do use conditioner in my neutral strips to prevent foaming as I almost brim the boiler, so not against using it when running the left overs in the still to waste.

Excellent write up.

I am very interested in this.

The one main thing I have not done yet with my airstill is a good rum (all the essences have been naff).

I will be sorting a wash out asap.

Nice to see the double distill is not stripping too much flavour.

Thanks.

All of the rum essences that I have tried were dreadful or worse. I have yet to make a bad AirStill rum. Aging and some toasted and charred oak are key.


Chuck

Update after a few months of aging, sampling and tasting.

I monitored all the bottles for color, smell and flavor during aging. Dipping my finger into the jar for a small taste on the tongue, and smell seemed to work well.

Firstly, I discovered a few things across all the batches;

1. Heavy toast oak yields more vanilla notes, but also came with some bitterness
2. Higher ABV extracted too much "oak" flavor, especially in the medium toast
3. I enjoy oak flavor more than most of my "test subjects"
4. "Silver" (unoaked) didn't improve at all. As expected, but when compared with the oaked bottles, suddenly it doesn't taste nearly as good.

Since this batch, I had the opportunity during travel to visit several distilleries, one of which makes rum, and I was able to sample their whitedog fresh off the still. Tastes very similar to mine, if a little less molasses flavor (they use fancy-grade, no blackstrap). We also discussed aging extensively. They age at around 55%, as do many others, and it seems this avoids some of the more bitter flavors.

I'm now gearing up for another ferment, this time exclusively fancy molasses for a "lighter" rum, and I plan to do all my aging at 55%, half with medium toast, and half with a combination of medium and heavy. Although I didn't have any issues (or hangovers) with heads or tails in the last batch, I'll try a run or two of spirit cuts in 125ml jars as well.

-RoboStill

Very interesting thread,, as a newcomer to this interesting hobby, I am anxious to try this one out,, I have done 5 out of the box turbo air still runs and want to make some better drinks,,

a couple of questions,

as I am in Canada, I am always unsure of the translations between different ingredients,, so I am not sure on tthe Fancy sugar,, any other details?

>> I think I was reading it wrong ,, Blackstrap Molasses, the kind you can get at a feed store?, and Fancy Molasses,IE table molasses,, we have Crosby's here,

second,, I always add conditioner, to avoid "Puking" will the molasses stick on the bottom or will the wash be clear enough?

In Canada look for Crosby's Fancy Molasses in the baking section of the supermarket. Also look for Demerara Sugar. I use 2 x 657g of Crosby's Fancy Molasses and 5 Kg of Demerara for a medium rum. Or use more molasses and white sugar. There won't be any sticky molasses left to burn after the fermentation is done.

Chuck

Good to know We always have 4 l of Crosby's in the cupboard,, for baking even less now,, once I get started on this,,
Thanks,, This one is the next run I am doing,,

Oh and good to know on the clarity of the wash after fermentation,,
I amm fortunate that the brewshop owner lets me use an air still gratis until I can buy one,, She is always worried that someone will goop up her machines,,

if this turns out then the summer will be good,,

It won't be clear as in see-through, but it won't burn in the still.

Chuck

I usually use some kind of finings to clear my neutrals before my stripping runs, typically TurboKlar, but on this batch I just racked off the lees, and went straight to stripping. As noted, I used distillers conditioner, the significant amount of unfermentables likely would have yielded a boilover.

There was nothing burned onto the Airstill, but since there were still some sugars left in suspension, it did need a light scrub after a few runs. Almost like a light syrup coating the inside of the airstill.