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Thanks, good stuff. Yes, I am a big afficiando of rum, own maybe 100 of em. After all that I came to the conclusion that many of them are really secretly doctored, and to be honest I take exception to that. I guess it's because I'm a purist - if I buy I single malt whiskey for example I want the pur...

Thanks Punkin... I agree most of these flavors/aromas can be achieved without additives - for example Doorly's or Mount Gay rums from Barbados. But the Pyrat is WAY over the top and I have no doubt it has been flavored. I'm curious as to how you think these flavors are naturally produced without add...

Here's a couple exerpts of some rum reviews for Pyrat XO: XO is definitely my favorite - lighter, smoother, more sophisticated. Its wonderful aroma is like an orange-apricot nectar. Touch of banana. Like a jam or marmalade with a deeper, thicker aroma than fresh. Or like jam cooking in the pot. I al...

Thanks for your post. Actually, Pyrat XO is one of the rums I had in mind. Most of the tasters I know - including me - like this unique rum, but tend to agree that it is noticeably flavored. For example the heavy, sweet orange tones. It is surely an example of a rum that has been altered, but that w...

Let me give an example. I often find that certain commercial rums have a hot peppery finish (something I like). I have always wondered whether "pepperiness" comes from the distilling or aging or whether it is "added" in the form of spices, or actual pepper later.

As an avid rum drinker I have tried many rums from around the world. I do know that many commercial distiller's products are altered or flavored with all manner of natural and artificial flavors. For example, I think that sugar, vanilla flavoring, and peppery spices sometimes seem added. I would be ...

I had exactly the same question. The envelope please....

black = you read it
red = new posts
moving text = active threads (about 30 posts or more)
star = you have posted there

Simple, and pretty much what you might have guessed...

Just curious (and btw, good work, looks great) - you stated your first try ended with kinks/flat spots - were you using refrigerator tubing (annealed/soft), or something else?

Have you ever run this with an unpacked reflux tube (this was how bokakob ran his slant plate unit to operate as a pot still).

What I'm getting at is the idea that the short pot version you designed may not have been necessary. What's your experience?

Looks terrific! But I think it'll work a lot better if you made it in copper, lol...

A great learning resource about rum is Capn Jimbo's Rum Project , and also his Rum Forum . He covers what he calls the five basic styles of rum and names reference standards for each. For those of you who actually drink your rum, there's a bunch about rum tasting, glasses, etc. Personally, I'm a rum...

Very nice.

Full circle time. It is well to remember the original, simple question: I was interested to know if you would get the same amount of vapor off a smaller surface area as you would for a larger liquid surface area, with the same heat input... As tends to happen on the net, answers went far afield, wit...

Interesting point both of you. The distiller also said: While i wont discuss what actually happens in the analyzer, i can say that we are not using any scrubbing material in it, and that the reflux does not wash back through the vapor that we end up with. oooo mysterious eh? heh. Based on this quote...

Good stuff Dndr. Found it, the distiller then says this... ...the unit on top of the condenser is a preheater... we use this to heat the water we add to our mixtures to shorten heat up times. and the part in the middle is the analyzer Look again at the pics for the device in the middle. The pic with...

I did write one of the distillers and asked these questions: Noting your website pic of the still, it appears the rum begins its journey in what appears to be a simple, jacketed pot still, then passes through three structures, which seem to include some type of reflux process. Can you describe the p...

As a rum drinker I recently became aware of a very limited production custom alambic copper still made in France by a gentleman named Jean-Louis Stupfler. His stills are promoted as the "Cadillac" of small commercial stills. Two boutique commercial distillers in California use it, one for ...

OK, I'm no dummy, but I AM getting older and darn if I can't figure out the color codings for the various post. They are driving me nuts! So far I seem to find six types: 1. red 2. red with "moving text" 3. black 4. black with a red "star" 5. black with "moving text" 6....

Someone asked about Pussers - a good friend of mine. You can absolutely detect its pot still heritage. For notes and some really good independent reviews and info on rum, I'd check out Capn Jimbo's Rum Project Forum. The Pussers is in the Overproof, Black and Navy rum section. Link to The Rum Projec...

If this post is late, my apologies. I have a file of Alex (designer of the bokakob) posts and he addressed the reason for his placement (about 1/3 of the way down). He said: I placed the thermometer at 1/3 column height’s mark because if the temperature would start changing there, I have 3 plates to...

I run a couple of phpbb boards and there is a very simple "mod" available that absolutely eliminates ALL the spam bots. Since I used it I have not had one bot make it through in many months (though I can see they keep trying). This mod is simple enough that even dummies like me are able to...

Mack, we alreay have a law - I wasn't kidding and it was Avogadro's Law (see earlier post). In a (relatively) closed space (and assuming perfect insulation) it's the VOLUME that counts, NOT the area. So I'm with Mackeral on this one. It will not release more ethanol faster. Let me state this again: ...

Avogadro's Law: (p1 * V1)/(T1 * n1) = (p2 * V2)/(T2 * n2) = constant p = pressure V = Volume T = temp n = no. of molecules Easy to see that if you increase the volume, the number of molecules must also increase (assuming that pressure and temp remain the same). Practical experience seems to bear thi...

The Radio Shack guys used to be pretty sharp - but that was many years ago. No longer true. Please make it clear to them you want to save the data from your old hard drive. It is no big deal to install it as a second drive on your new machine - very simple. Then once you boot up with the new machine...

I simply propose that in this situation you are the Craftsman and I the apprentice. Since I can not be there in person to provide labor that gives you more time to spend on advancing your craft, then I could, if kindly allowed, provide a nominal compensation that would stand in the stead of the mis...

Thanks Trid, very interesting. What brand/quality of hole saw did you use? Ordinary? Bi-metal? Or better yet?

Good info, again thanks. It's nice to know that cut-off discs work well with thin SS. I was thinking more of hole saws and larger drills, and other techniques that require slow rpm's and relatively heavy pressure. No problem on a keg, but one resource I noted above states the thin SS must be support...

Believe me, in no way do I have the experience of the very qualified posters above, but as a newbie I have gone through the same considerations as you. In my case I came to the conclusion that building a Bokakob Mini (1-1/2 or 2 inch), just as shown was within my rudimentary skills and would produce...

Guys, thanks for your posts, but keep in mind this thread is aimed at working with the thin and relatively flexible, spun stainless of stockpots, not with the thick and more rigid SS of kegs. Now I'm sure there are lots of you who've done battle with stockpots, and we'll all appreciate your methods ...

Hi all... As a few of you know, I'm new here and about to embark on my first Bok Mini based on a mid priced SS stockpot. Like many of you I've spent many hours reading the main site and the forums, which led to my decision. There's nice summarized info on things like soldering, assembly, coiling, cl...