Two thumpers, first rum cook w/Jamaican 'funk' grassy

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distiller_dresden
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Two thumpers, first rum cook w/Jamaican 'funk' grassy

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So I mashed in a 10lbs inverted panela wash about a month ago, and it finished in 10 days (5.5 gal, 10lbs inverted on stove panela, 12g 493 EDV @ 86F), but I let it sit to age. I got a new thumper for Xmas, so I now have a 1 gal and a 2.5 gal, to go with my 5 gal pot. I charged the first thump with 96oz; 32oz fresh wash, 32oz fermented wash, 4oz blackstrap, 4 oz maple syrup, 10oz appleton, and 14oz cherry backset. Charged the second with 10oz heads/tails feints from cherry brandy, 10oz fermented wash, 2oz blackstrap, 2oz maple, 8oz appleton (32oz total). Then I cooked at a rate of 8oz every 12-13 mins, and the only real difference with the extra big thumper was first drips took 2 hours from start (slowed heat and cook).

My late hearts and on into tails began to concentrate the known, specific, familiar flavor ester of Jamaican funk - the wet, vegetal, overpowering grassy taste. Stayed after airing, and got a bit sweeter.

It was by far the tastiest rum I've ever cooked, I chalk up to the 2 thumps, and I've made cuts, getting 68oz at 60 proof to age. With the cuts the rum has a flavor of vanilla, molasses and maple, slightest bit of just 'stone fruit' (the cherry didn't carry over beyond this impression), and Jamaican funk. I can only chalk this up to the 2 thumps, the increased alcohol charge from 1 to 2 thump charges (smaller 2nd was def higher proof), and the long, slow heat up and cook, creating MASSIVE esters. It's funny I've been experimenting and cooking a lot with carboxylic acids and sulfuric, but in the end my first achieved 'FUNK' was due to the long rest of the finished wash (I believe) and those factors I just mentioned. I do believe the yeast had something to play as well.

So I've started a new wash:
.5gal cherry backset
32oz maple syrup
32oz blackstrap
32oz supreme molasses
32oz corn syrup
1gal dunder from above cook
3lbs coconut sugar
3lbs panela
Volume up to 5.75 with water
493 EDV under pitched at 4g, ferment at 88F, wash not oxygenated (all to enhance and increase ester production)
PH balanced to 4.5, then added 2g Benzoic acid (carboxylic fatty acid for vanilla and rum/balsamic notes) and 1 tblsp of pure lime

Took off like a rocket, within 9 hours it was dancing on top with sparkles, like a double carbonated coke freshly poured, and under the surface with swirls and eddies.

Wondering who else has, if anyone?, produced 'Jamaican funk'? Also, who uses 2 or even 3 thumpers? Would love to discuss the effectiveness and implementation of multiple thumps for production of rum...
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