Carbon filtering rum

[NO1DLR]

Do you guys carbon filter your rum? And if you do, do you carbon filter it before or after aging it in oak?

[Dnderhead]

aaa,,, whould not that sort of remove the flavor? or part of it.

[NO1DLR]

aaa,,, whould not that sort of remove the flavor? or part of it.

That's the part I wasn't too sure about.

[kiwistiller]

yeah not the best idea. I remember reading about someone doing a quick pass of aged stuff to turn it white again for some picky friends, but it would generally be inadvisable.

[NO1DLR]

One more thing, if I want to make golden rum do I then water it down to 65%ABV and age it in bourbon barrel oak for a few months? And if I make a 500mL heads cut, do I add 1/4 of the heads into the hearts, even with white rum? Do I also add tails into the hearts until the temperature goes above 90C?

[WalkingWolf]

One more thing, if I want to make golden rum do I then water it down to 65%ABV and age it in bourbon barrel oak for a few months? And if I make a 500mL heads cut, do I add 1/4 of the heads into the hearts, even with white rum? Do I also add tails into the hearts until the temperature goes above 90C?

Not quite sure what flavor profile you're after. Not sure if you've read the threads on rum in the tried and true section. There are a couple of lengthy threads in there that contain a lot of information on producing a wide variety of rum profiles. As you will discover, if you haven't already, rum making can be a quirky endeavor. I got two gallons @65% on oak and I just kind of walk by and stare at them. Every now and then I'll take a shot glass full and throw it back just to feel the shiver that will inevitably run down my spine. Still reading and trying to figure out where I'm going with 'em. Wish I'd'uve waited till I'd got my feet under me a little better before I set out on my rum adventure. Having fun all the same.

good luck

[kiwistiller]

One more thing, if I want to make golden rum do I then water it down to 65%ABV and age it in bourbon barrel oak for a few months? And if I make a 500mL heads cut, do I add 1/4 of the heads into the hearts, even with white rum? Do I also add tails into the hearts until the temperature goes above 90C?

That really sounds like an awful way to be making cuts

[NO1DLR]

One more thing, if I want to make golden rum do I then water it down to 65%ABV and age it in bourbon barrel oak for a few months? And if I make a 500mL heads cut, do I add 1/4 of the heads into the hearts, even with white rum? Do I also add tails into the hearts until the temperature goes above 90C?

That really sounds like an awful way to be making cuts

That's why I asked...

[kiwistiller]

No I don't mean the adding a quarter of whatever, I mean the measuring 500ml or whatever. you really need to learn to make cuts by taste and smell.

[NO1DLR]

No I don't mean the adding a quarter of whatever, I mean the measuring 500ml or whatever. you really need to learn to make cuts by taste and smell.

I really should get a whole lot of jars and label them, then make my cuts that way. I really do need to learn about making cuts indeed.

[Dnderhead]

Making cuts , by temp. or proof is only done IF you are doing repetitive wash,that is the same wash over and over and at the same ABV. then it is not totally foolproof.but it does give you a wake up call.it gives you a place to start looking,smelling/tasting/feeling.
this is to say, if doing x wash that you did before, you know at say 65% you need to cut to tales, then the next one you can start "looking" at 70%.
this saves sampling threw out the whole run, this extends the time between samples and you don't "burn out" your taste buds.

[partonken]

We were in the dominican republic last year and took a tour of BRUGEL rum factory. They age there white rum in white oak barrels which have been used many times and are just about done if you know what i mean( i think they were bourbon barrels). After 3 years they filter the rum through carbon which takes out all the colour but leaves alot of flavour. ITs a nice rum, lots of flavour and nice touch of aged oak! The carbon they use lets alot of flavour through, but takes most of the colour out.

I have pot distilled 15 litres of white rum, tails, heads, hearts, and ive added 3 cups of the carbon that doesnt take all the flavour out. Ive noticed , that the rum smell is still strong but the off flavours from the heads and tails is gone! This is great!! Im going to let it sit for at least a month, it has been there for 2 weeks, and then ill try oaking it with used oak which i have used for whiskey. Then filter it with a type of carbon mentioned above. Ill keep you posted. cheers!

[blind drunk]

I have pot distilled 15 litres of white rum, tails, heads, hearts, and ive added 3 cups of the carbon that doesnt take all the flavour out.

Just curious, what kinda carbon doesn't take all the flavor out? bd.

[partonken]

Go to Brewhouse America, they should have what you are looking for

[Dnderhead]

""Just curious, what kinda carbon doesn't take all the flavor out? bd.""
how about trying charcoal?
but from what I see activated carbon does just that,,,remove flavors, these mite be from tales as furfural alcohols etc.
but flavors nonetheless. not the lower alcohols. as in fore shots/heads..

[Bagasso]

Just curious, what kinda carbon doesn't take all the flavor out? bd.

The answer coud be "not enough". Like if you need a tablespoon to clean up a liter but you only use half. Then you would still have some left. Also depending on what the carbon is taking out it may take out more nasties than goodies.

I use ground charcoal that I regenerate in an oven. The first couple of times it will actually add a little color and maybe flavor as well but since it's cleaning up it's hard to tell if something good is added or just what was there to begin with is just coming through.

[partonken]

does it take out any or all colour? I only want enough carbon to take out the colour and leave all the flavour. I would like to know how the distillery's make white rum.

[Shine0n]

I'm not sure that's possible, I drink most of my rum white and is very tastey the way it comes out right off the spout.
if you want a light rum just use less molasses with some brown sugar or just some raw sugar alone.

How big of a ferment do you normally do?
what kind of still you running?

Potstill is the one recommend for rum and some with flutes make a fine rum as well. Alot of things to concider when making rum, type of molasses, type of yeast, still, cuts, aging, blending, filtering (not recommended) Sugar if using, single run, triple run.

There are lots of rums on this forum and I'm sure if you read a few you'll find what you're looking for and will be great without filtering and stripping the flavors out.

Shine0n

[Saltbush Bill]

I only want enough carbon to take out the colour and leave all the flavour.

I'm not sure that's possible,

Im not really sure if its possible either, but I do remember some years ago Punkin from SD asking for volunteers on another forum to trial some fancy new charcoal product that removed color only, or that was my understanding of it at the time.

[Bagasso]

There are lots of rums on this forum and I'm sure if you read a few you'll find what you're looking for and will be great without filtering and stripping the flavors out.

I think you missed the point. They took a tour of a distillery and were told that they use carbon to take out color without taking out flavor and that is what they want to do.

Personally, I don't see much point but that was what they were asking about.

[bluefish_dist]

I thought I had read that Bacardi makes white rum the same way. Age for a short time, then filter. Personally I adjusted my recipe and distillation so that my white is good right off the still.

[thecroweater]

never made or tasted a rum that was good off the still and I've tasted some really good rums.

[Shine0n]

I think I understood just fine and I said I don't think it's possible to carbon filter and retain much flavor hince why I mentioned recipes here that the rum is good white.

I personally not had a commercial white rum that's that flavorful, I haven't tried that many but the ones I have did not at all taste like an aged rum, in fact they were not that good at all.

I'm sure you can and someone has, just not in my experience come up with a way to carbon filter anything without taking away most flavors.

Now if I'm wrong I'll be the first to admit that, as of yet I'm not sold on filtering for a white rum, just MHO

[Bagasso]

Now if I'm wrong I'll be the first to admit that, as of yet I'm not sold on filtering for a white rum, just MHO

I understand that but they took a tour and apparently they like that commercial rum and would like to replicate what that distillery does to it by filtering so while your advice that there are recipes with more/better flavor may be spot on, they are asking about something in the opposite direction.

This company seems to have products for that purpose Cabot Corp - alcoholic beverages so it is a thing. The home stiller would probably have to experiment with what is available to them and try different times and maybe temps to see if they can get what they are after.

[Shine0n]

if they want Bacardi silver than that's just fine
I'm not saying you'll loose all the flavors but you strip the color out... guess what happen to the flavor... it also leaves, that's why bacardi silver almost has no flavor.

I've read more than most on rum and it's my opinion that's all from facts I've read. I've not tasted many white rums that were carbon filtered so I don't know of the one they spoke of I can only speak of the ones I've tried.

In south Florida I had a white rum that was done that way and to me it tasted like bacardi, very little flavor, no body, terrible cuts and still they won metals for it.

I still think a good rum can be white without oaking, then stripping that away. I also had no flavors of the aging so to me it's a waste of time and money. just my opinion that's all, go for it and try and let us know how it turns out.
You may love it and some may not, that's why I make my own so I can have it my way.

[Bagasso]

go for it and try and let us know how it turns out.

Well, I'm not going for it because I wasn't the one asking the question. I don't even really understand the need to strip the color.

Seems like someone over at Artisan Distiller already has an answer, carbon filtering for premium silver rum.

[thecroweater]

There are a bunch of ways to make a nice white rum, this maybe one of them. Having not tried it I'm not qualified to comment much, molasses is very hard to remove even with a reflux still so I can't think why carbon would fully strip out the flavour of an aged robust flavoured rum. That said I'm sure there are easier ways to get such a product, use less molasses, use cane syrup (treacle etc) raw or brown sugar ferments or if chasing a strong but white rum you can age in unglazed or only partly glazed earthenware.

[Shine0n]

Very interesting read, first I've heard or read of such things although I belong to the forum I may have and I know I've skipped over many threads on carbon filtering.

Good luck to the op on finding out, I don't believe I'll be doing this to my prized rums.

[Kareltje]

I don't know if this product is available everywhere, but my supplier has two kinds of carbon: Granucol GE for desodorizing and Granucol FA for discolorizing.
Did not compare them, but might be of interest in this thread.

[NZChris]

I don't know if this product is available everywhere, but my supplier has two kinds of carbon: Granucol GE for desodorizing and Granucol FA for discolorizing.
Did not compare them, but might be of interest in this thread.

A Bacardi drinking friend of mine wants me to make some, but I have no desire to put my tasty aged rum through Granucol FA to turn it into that rubbish. It is available at the same store I can get molasses and maize from and would probably do the job, but I haven't priced it.