Medicine taste in stilled rum

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jonnys_spirit
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Re: Medicine taste in stilled rum

Post by jonnys_spirit »

Some of us pay extra for the band-aid ardbed laphroaig kinda thing lol!
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Re: Medicine taste in stilled rum

Post by NZChris »

Yummyrum wrote: Sun May 16, 2021 1:25 am If its the bandaid taste I’ve experienced a few times , seems no amount of ageing will fix it .
I've only done a series of ferments from one batch of Bundy molasses and wouldn't describe any of the jars from any of the spirit runs as Bandaid. Maybe I was lucky and my molasses came from a nice cane variety. That said, the nastiest molasses I ever had the misfortune to purchase, (stock feed from Paraguay), produced nice rum after three years of aging and is still getting better.
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Re: Medicine taste in stilled rum

Post by bluc »

My money is on phenols also. I get it fair bit in 100% malt brews have had it few times in rum also most recent was a rum I made with kveik hornidol. Not entirely sure but from memory comes from stressed yeast but never nailed it down to a specific thing.
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Re: Medicine taste in stilled rum

Post by RJB510 »

Medicinal taste from heavy peated whisky is familiar because of the phenols from the peat. I've had that happen before, it was actually more pronounced when adding liquid peat smoke opposed to heavy peated grain. But it mellowed after a short while.

In terms of this rum, I actually shut the run down early because of the taste.

The next day I reassessed the cuts and the taste was there, but not as pronounced as when they were straight off the still. I ended up pouring some of the later hearts and early tails back into the boiler and I re-distilled them with some added reflux and it cleared up the taste quite a lot.

I think it could be phenols but I don't think it was stressed yeast, I used M47 yeast to try and push some fruity flavours which is fairly low in phenols and I periodically fed the yeast and I inverted the sugar each time.

I ended up with 2.4L@60% after cuts that I have currently sitting on 15g of re-toasted ex- bourbon barrel chips. I'll see what is like in 6 months.
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: Medicine taste in stilled rum

Post by Saltbush Bill »

I don't know how you fellas make Rum that tastes like band aids. It must be a special talent.
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Re: Medicine taste in stilled rum

Post by still_stirrin »

It’s your brewery processes. Here, this is from a popular home beer brewing website:
....If your beer tastes of plastic, smoke, Chloraseptic, or Band-Aids, then look at this potential source:

Chlorine in Your Brewing Water
This is enemy number one. Chlorine reacts with yeast-derived phenols to create chlorophenols, which come across the palate as plastic-like or reminiscent of adhesive bandages. Switch to bottled water or simply allow your tap water to sit overnight: The chlorine will naturally diffuse into the air, and you’ll be ready to brew the next day.
Did you use water from the city? Did you sanitize your equipment and leave some of the water in it when you brewed? It really points to a problem with the way you brew, not the molasses.
Phenols represent a broad class of compounds that may be very welcome or completely undesirable in beer, depending on the brewer’s intention and the target style. Chemically speaking, a phenolic compound contains hydroxyl (OH) and a ring of hydrogen and carbon molecules (an aromatic hydrocarbon ring). Such compounds are prolific in nature and are responsible for many well-known flavors and aromas:
- Capsaicin gives chiles their fiery bite.
- Carvacrol is responsible for oregano’s pungency.
- Eugenol is found in cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Guaiacol is the smoky essence in whiskey and roasted coffee.
- Methyl salicylate smells and tastes just like wintergreen.
- Raspberry ketone smells like raspberries.
- Thymol is what gives thyme its distinctive aroma.

Phenolic compounds are also produced synthetically for industrial and pharmaceutical applications. But when it comes to beer, you may or may not want phenolic character. As usual, it really depends on what you’re after.
Also, your yeast may be part of the problem:
Yeast
Wild yeast contamination can harbor within plastic-based equipment, such as polyethylene [HDPE] fermenters and plastic hoses. These materials as soft and permeable, hence difficult to clean. Wild yeasts such as S. diatatius produce minor wort phenols that impart medicinal off-flavors. Migration to glass and stainless replacements are the best solution.
Good luck.
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Re: Medicine taste in stilled rum

Post by NZChris »

I put my town supply water out in the sun with a airstone in it for a few hours when putting a rum wash down. Maybe that's why I've never had Bandaid Rum.
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: Medicine taste in stilled rum

Post by Saltbush Bill »

I use rain water, no bandaids in mine either......got a feeling Yummys water is chlorine free as well, but he gets bandaids.
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Re: Medicine taste in stilled rum

Post by Yummyrum »

Saltbush Bill wrote: Mon May 17, 2021 5:53 pm I use rain water, no bandaids in mine either......got a feeling Yummys water is chlorine free as well, but he gets bandaids.
Indeed its rainwater . First time it happened was years ago and when I first started making Rum . Was fermenting in basically an open top fermenter ( few sheets of Cling wrap over the top to keep the critters out )

Never had it for nearly 10 years . Then next time , identical wash split into to identical fermenters bought the same time and used many times before no worries . Same tin if yeast split between them .
One was fine , the other one was bandaid .

Can only assume some funky infection got into one .

Since then , sterilised both fermenters , no problems since.
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Re: Medicine taste in stilled rum

Post by bluc »

Yea im still with still stirrin i reakon phenols from infection..
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