My First Run and some followup questions

[EHolmes]

I fired up my new air still for the first time last night. Here are the details, with some questions afterwards.

The wash was 4 pounds of raw sugar and 4 pounds of dark brown cane sugar, and a couple squirts of lemon juice. I heated it to dissolve the sugar and topped off to 4 gallons with tap water (no chlorine - I have fairly soft well water). I added 1 pack of Turbo Yeast classic once it cooled to about 80F and let 'er rip. Fermentation was just about finished in less than 48 hours, but yesterday was day 9 when I ran the first gallon through my still. I noticed that the wash was still fairly murky, and I could smell a distinct yeasty note as the still was running.

From the 4 liters of wash, I collected about 850 mL total in twelve half-pint mason jars. I haven't tested the proof of each jar yet, but they have been sitting sealed and I'll check them tonight. My biggest concern is that each jar has a noticible, unpleasant smell of yeast. After I collected the first couple of jars I was hoping it would fade away, but it never really did.

I think I definitely made a few mistakes. I've seen a few people hate on Turbo yeast on the forums, and I'm guessing that this might be why. This is a giant pitch of yeast with a crap-ton of nutrient (at least compared to beer and wine), and some of that seems to be coming through. I was also under the mistaken assumption that yeast in the wash wouldn't be a big deal because it would separate out when I ran it. I probably should have made sure the wash was a lot clearer.

I also probably shouldn't have trusted the instructions so closely from the air still. The recipe basically calls for one run where you collect everything (700 mL - heads, hearts and tails all together), filter with carbon, then add one of their flavorings. I'm more interested in crafting my own beverages instead of making white lightning to cut and add artificial flavoring to.

So on to my questions:

1) Is this run salvageable at all? If I use this in a spirit run, will that yeast flavor separate out, or am I stuck with it? I don't mind throwing this out and starting over if I'm stuck with that nasty flavor.
2) I have 3 gallons left, is the rest of the wash salvageable? Is turbo yeast always going to leave this nasty flavor? Or if I wait for it to clear and siphon from the top so I don't pick up the yeast will I be OK?
3) Can I use finings to help this clear? I've used gelatin or KC to clear my beer, cider, mead, etc., but I'm not sure what (if anything) will work for a rum wash.

Thankfully, I have some cider that is clearing right now that I used my usual Cote de Blancs yeast in. Even if this batch of rum is a lost cause, I have some apple brandy waiting to run. Thanks in advance for the help!

[still_stirrin]

… my questions:

1) Is this run salvageable at all? If I use this in a spirit run, will that yeast flavor separate out, or am I stuck with it? I don't mind throwing this out and starting over if I'm stuck with that nasty flavor.<— It is “salvageable”, yes. Rerunning the low wines will definitely help clean up the flavors. Possibly some of what you’re tasting is some of the molasses coming through. Sometimes, the flavor is different than how you’d think it should taste.

2) I have 3 gallons left, is the rest of the wash salvageable? Is turbo yeast always going to leave this nasty flavor? Or if I wait for it to clear and siphon from the top so I don't pick up the yeast will I be OK?<— Sure, rerun it! But, yes, Turbo can be harsh in cetain ferments and how you fement it.

3) Can I use finings to help this clear? I've used gelatin or KC to clear my beer, cider, mead, etc., but I'm not sure what (if anything) will work for a rum wash.<— I have never used finings in any of my ferments. Usually, I just wait for the yeast to finish, flocculate, and settle. Chances are, you just distilled too soon.

Thankfully, I have some cider that is clearing right now that I used my usual Cote de Blancs yeast in. Even if this batch of rum is a lost cause, I have some apple brandy waiting to run. Thanks in advance for the help!

[EHolmes]

… my questions:

1) Is this run salvageable at all? If I use this in a spirit run, will that yeast flavor separate out, or am I stuck with it? I don't mind throwing this out and starting over if I'm stuck with that nasty flavor.<— It is “salvageable”, yes. Rerunning the low wines will definitely help clean up the flavors. Possibly some of what you’re tasting is some of the molasses coming through. Sometimes, the flavor is different than how you’d think it should taste.

2) I have 3 gallons left, is the rest of the wash salvageable? Is turbo yeast always going to leave this nasty flavor? Or if I wait for it to clear and siphon from the top so I don't pick up the yeast will I be OK?<— Sure, rerun it! But, yes, Turbo can be harsh in cetain ferments and how you fement it.

3) Can I use finings to help this clear? I've used gelatin or KC to clear my beer, cider, mead, etc., but I'm not sure what (if anything) will work for a rum wash.<— I have never used finings in any of my ferments. Usually, I just wait for the yeast to finish, flocculate, and settle. Chances are, you just distilled too soon.

Thankfully, I have some cider that is clearing right now that I used my usual Cote de Blancs yeast in. Even if this batch of rum is a lost cause, I have some apple brandy waiting to run. Thanks in advance for the help!

Thanks for the response and reassurance! I went and tested all my jars with an alcohol refractometer last night. The off smell was still there in all the jars, but it wasn't quite as harsh smelling as it was fresh off the still. In the last jar I collected that smell was there, but whatever else was in that jar combined to make it pleasant-smelling as a whole. I'm wondering if I might have caught some of the "rum oils" I've read about in a few threads here. I'll probably go a bit deeper into the tails the next stripping run off this batch of wash to see if I can catch a bit more of this.