Light Rum Technique

[S-Cackalacky]

Just throwing this it out there to see if you folks think it will float.

To preface - about a year ago I made a mistake over oaking some SF. It was bad nasty. After trying a few things to save it, I eventually diluted it and ran it through my pot still again. It came out white (no surprise), it also still had a good bit of the charred oak flavor (big surprise). I put it away for a month or so and it turned into a pretty fair drop.

Now, more to the point - I was reading that Bacardi makes its light rum by barrel aging for a couple of years and then charcoal filtering it. I'm assuming that the filtering is what strips the color. I would like to make a similar rum, but using the technique I used to recover the fouled SF run of a year ago. I also want to add a coconut infusion with the thumper.

I have a rum ferment going now that I would like to experiment with. I'll do 3 stripping runs and pull a quart from the middle of each run. I'll heavily nuke each of the quarts with JD chips or possibly sticks. I'll add those quarts back into the low wines and combine it all for a spirit run with the thumper attached and charged with a small amount of low wines. Near the end of heads, I'll shoot the thumper with hot coconut water, or coconut milk. Keep it white and let it sit in glass for a couple of months.

What say ye? Am I barking up the wrong tree with this?

[scuba stiller]

Sounds very interesting. I say "yea", give it a run.

[Tokoroa_Shiner]

I like the sound of that. Sounds like it should work. Will that be enough oak to carry over all the low wines as well? What would happen if you threw some oak in the low wines too?

[S-Cackalacky]

I like the sound of that. Sounds like it should work. Will that be enough oak to carry over all the low wines as well? What would happen if you threw some oak in the low wines too?

Well, I thought about that, but don't want to take the time to do it. I figure I can get close to the same result by just nuking the hell out of the three quarts and mixing it back in before the spirit run. I also don't like the thought of nuking 3 gallons of low wines. I'm not looking for a lot of oak flavor anyway. I want the coconut flavor to come through.

It could also be an interesting thing to try with a grain based spirit - oaked white dog. Thinking back on that botched SF - it might have been something exceptional with a little more age. I was really surprised at how much the charred oak flavor came through after the second run through the still. Maybe, maybe not, but worth an experiment.

[firewater69]

Go for it SC, I thought about infusing a rum strip with coconut, & run it thru the pot to see what I get. I'll be watching this thread!

[Tokoroa_Shiner]

Yea that makes sense. I'll be watching to see how it goes. I like light rum and coconut rum. Maybe this will inspire me to build a pot still head.

[S-Cackalacky]

Thanks folks. Like I said, it's still fermenting. It'll be a while before I run it and finish it. I'll post the progress and document the steps here - good or bad.

[S-Cackalacky]

I did the stripping runs for this yesterday. I documented the whole run (ferment to strips) in the "Hook Rum" recipe thread in the Tried and True section, found here - http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 2#p7303462" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow .

I pulled 4/5 quart from each of the three stripping runs and I'll probably do a first cycle of the nuke aging tomorrow. It may take a little while to get to the spirit run - my pond pump ate it and I'll need to order another one online and wait for delivery before I can do the run.

Anyway, more to come, but it may be a while.

[HDNB]

Bacardi makes its light rum by barrel aging for a couple of years and then charcoal filtering it. I'm assuming that the filtering is what strips the color.

ole buddy of mine did the appleton tour in the '80's the procss they showed him was that amber rum came out of the barrel. white rum was the same product charcoal filtered until it was white again. dark rum was the same product with a custom blend of dunder, molasses and sugar added to it.

i missed the tour on my last trip to Jamaica... has anyone else done this tour?

[S-Cackalacky]

Bacardi makes its light rum by barrel aging for a couple of years and then charcoal filtering it. I'm assuming that the filtering is what strips the color.

ole buddy of mine did the appleton tour in the '80's the procss they showed him was that amber rum came out of the barrel. white rum was the same product charcoal filtered until it was white again. dark rum was the same product with a custom blend of dunder, molasses and sugar added to it.

i missed the tour on my last trip to Jamaica... has anyone else done this tour?

Did they indicate that they further age it after the charcoal filtering? I hope to accomplish something similar, but my approach will be significantly different, as described in this thread.

I did the first nuke cycle yesterday. I used 1oz of JD chips in each of the three quart jars. In hindsight, a few more chips might have been better because it will be further diluted when added back into the low wines. I did my nuking a little different than usual. I nuked the jars on 20% power for 15 minutes. The distillate was hot, but not boiling. I put the lids on and left it to vacuum seal and reach room temp. I then put it in the freezer overnight and took it out this morning. I'll probably let it sit until this evening to get back to room temp, release the vacuum, let it sit without vacuum overnight, and start the next cycle tomorrow. The goal is to do 3 of these cycles before adding it back into the low wines.

This will be a slow and arduous process. After adding the nuked quarts back into the low wines, I want to let them sit for a couple of weeks before doing the spirit run. The plan is to age it for at least a couple of months after blending the cuts. Just hoping it all pays off.

[FullySilenced]

Don't think there is a need to let it sit without vacuum for that long of a period... but i do hope you find a process that fits your needs...

FS

[S-Cackalacky]

Don't think there is a need to let it sit without vacuum for that long of a period... but i do hope you find a process that fits your needs...

FS

Letting it sit overnight is just a practicality issue. After taking it out of the freezer, I find that it takes the better part of the day to come back up to room temp. I can either release the vacuum tonight, or I can wait until morning when I plan to do the next microwave cycle. Would there be some benefit to leaving it under vacuum until I'm ready for the next cycle?

I used the freezing method for the last few runs of sweet feed I did and found that I liked the results a little better. Just figuring that the colder it goes, the more the vacuum will increase. I'm using similar logic related to the reduction in power and longer time in the microwave. I'm thinking that there is some benefit to the vibrations from the micro waves and the longer the distillate is exposed to the micro waves, the better. I may be way off base with this, but what the hell - the whole thing is an experiment anyway, so why not push it as far as possible.

[S-Cackalacky]

OK, it's been about 2.5 weeks since I added the nuked quarts back into the low wines. I added another ounce of chips for the 2nd and 3rd nuke cycles. I now wish I had added even more. When I added the 3 quarts back into the low wines, it was about the color of a light tea.

I started the spirit run this morning around 10:00 and finished earlier this evening around 5:00. The smell of the low wines was amazing. I put about a quart in the thumper and the remaining 2.5 gallons in the still boiler. I added about a half gallon of water to the thumper and about 1.5 gallons to the boiler. I ran the the fores (4oz) and the heads very slow. When I saw the first drops from the liebig, I put about a quart of coconut milk on the hotplate to slowly heat up. When I got to the point that I felt like I was reaching the end of heads, I shot the thumper with the coconut milk and turned the controller up to where I was getting a fast drip to broken stream.

I hope I'm not wrong about this, but it just seemed like I was in hearts forever. There was a lot of good rum flavor, but at this point I can't say whether or not the oak and coconut came through. I collected in 4 and 8 ounce increments, but haven't started airing yet. After airing and doing the cuts and blending, it'll go in glass jars (1 gallon) for at least a couple months of aging. Hoping to find the coconut after aging, but it just wasn't there coming off the still.

I'll post back up after I do some tasting. For now - on to other things.

[S-Cackalacky]

I did the cuts this morning. There was only about a pint of heads as near as I could tell. The first hearts jar had some little hint of heads, but I included it in the blend because it tasted so good. The tails began right where I detected them during the run. There were a lot of hearts. The total blend was about 4/5 of a gallon. It's in a 1 gallon pickle jar with a cork stopper. Still not tasting any coconut. I guess only time will tell.

[firewater69]

I hope the coconut comes out for ya Cack, are you using any Dunder?, aged is better IMHO, I've been doing rum out of sorghum for about a year (I know rum is sugarcane based only) , I love it. My dunder pit is over 1-1/2 years old and I wouldn't think of doing a batch without it. I love the flavor that it brings to the table.

[S-Cackalacky]

Unfortunately I didn't have any dunder. This is the first rum I've ever done. I'm not a big rum drinker, but I did freeze 3 gallons of the dunder from my strip runs. If I decide to continue on with rum, I'll use some of it in the next runs and maybe start a pit.

If the coconut doesn't come through, I may look for some coconut extract and add it as I draw each bottle from the aging jar. I'm not sure the coconut milk I used was the best choice. There wasn't much coconut aroma to it when I opened the cans. I could taste it, but the aroma wasn't very prevalent. I'm also not sure about the oak I added early on before the spirit run. My taste buds aren't the best, so it may actually be there in a subtle way that I just can't detect. After a couple of months, if it comes out tasting anything near what I was going for, I'll call it a success.

I don't think I mentioned it in my previous post, but the ABV of the final blend is 78%. When I bottle it, I'll probably dilute to about 50%, so I should end up with about 5 quarts or so.

[S-Cackalacky]

OK, it's been a while since I posted in this thread. This is just a progress report. It's been about 2 months since I put the rum in the gallon jar to age. I've given it a shake and aired it a few times. The ABV has dropped from 78% to 76%. I took a sample of about 1 tablespoon and added maybe a little less than a tablespoon of water. It still tastes a little new, but it was very good. Had a distinct sweet rum flavor with some hint of caramel oak flavor (very subtle). I can't say that any of the coconut flavor came through. It may have contributed something to the flavor, but not a detectable distinct flavor. I've had Capt. Morgan's coconut flavored rum and the aroma and flavor of coconut was very prevalent. I think what I might try is to just add some coconut extract flavoring to each bottle when I draw it from the aging jar.

Anyway, it's good. I think I'll do the oaking thing again, but maybe a bit different. I think I'll go heavier with the oak and put the oaked low wines in the thumper instead of mixing it all together in the boiler and the un-oaked low wines in the boiler. Figuring that the oak might carry over a little better if it's closer to the output point.

I drew off and diluted enough for a 750ml bottle at 45% ABV. Gonna mix up a rum & Coke for the ole woman tonight after dinner. Did I mention that the only reason I made rum was to try to win her approval of my hobby? I'll probably have to sign an affidavit swearing that it won't make her go blind.

[firewater69]

Thanks for the update S.C. hopefully you can make momma happy. I love rum & coke!

[S-Cackalacky]

Maybe my final report on the light rum experiment -

It's been just over 3 months of aging at full strength (78%). I've aired it several times. The bottle I drew off a while back got progressively better. The coconut milk didn't give it the flavor I was looking for, but mellowed out with time. I don't normally drink rum neat, but I've had maybe 3 glasses over the past month or so. As I said before, it got better with each new glass from the bottle. Has the sweet subtle rum taste plus some flavor from the coconut milk, but not really a coconut flavor. There is also some subtle presence of the aging chips that were used in the low wines. The flavors linger on the tongue for awhile and give a nice warmth in the back of the throat and into the nose. It has become a very enjoyable drop.

I might give this a try again sometime - much the same way, but with a few minor tweaks. Next time I'll use more oak and age the oaked jars from the low wines a little longer and then run them all in the thumper for the spirit run. I might also leave out the coconut milk and simply flavor each bottle with coconut extract if that's what I want - gives the option of flavoring it, or not. I'll also incorporate the dunder from this run into the next.

All in all I would say it was successful and would (will) do it again. The SOH didn't like her rum and coke using the fairly new stuff, but she seemed to enjoy a pina colada made with the longer aged stuff.

[NZChris]

I'm thinking about something similar in the near future and this is how I would tweak it.
Calculate how much oak I normally use for the whole run and fast age with that amount plus an extra block for good measure.
Fast age the highest ABV low wines, the closer it is to my usual 62.5% the happier I'll be.
Fast age in a 3/4 full container at 150F for 6 days.
Distill and blend.
Fast age in a 3/4 full container at 150F for 6 days.

The coconut essence we get in NZ is so good that I wouldn't bother trying putting coconut into a boiler.

[S-Cackalacky]

NZChris, do you keep it at 150 dF for the entire 6 days? Are the jars sealed and under vacuum? I did something similar with my SF AG. I nuked it up to 150 dF, sealed it, and put it in a Styrofoam cooler packed with towels for 24 hours. It was very strong and dark with oak after one nuke cycle.

I can see how a very heavy oaking would benefit this light rum technique because much of the oak is stripped out during the spirit run. Might also try chucking a couple of sticks into the low wines while waiting for the quarts to do their thing. It's a bit of a trip drinking oaked white dog. with aging, those oak flavor notes are in the background, but still there.

Please let us know how yours turns out. Good luck with it.

[NZChris]

I got the idea here http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 44&t=55301

The jar is corked, not so tight that it will pressurize the jar. The cork is checked when it gets up to temperature.

The only test I've done that made no noticeable difference was a rum that had already been off the oak for two years.

[midlife-u-turn]

Unfortunately I didn't have any dunder. This is the first rum I've ever done. I'm not a big rum drinker, but I did freeze 3 gallons of the dunder from my strip runs. If I decide to continue on with rum, I'll use some of it in the next runs and maybe start a pit.

If the coconut doesn't come through, I may look for some coconut extract and add it as I draw each bottle from the aging jar. I'm not sure the coconut milk I used was the best choice. There wasn't much coconut aroma to it when I opened the cans. I could taste it, but the aroma wasn't very prevalent. I'm also not sure about the oak I added early on before the spirit run. My taste buds aren't the best, so it may actually be there in a subtle way that I just can't detect. After a couple of months, if it comes out tasting anything near what I was going for, I'll call it a success.

I don't think I mentioned it in my previous post, but the ABV of the final blend is 78%. When I bottle it, I'll probably dilute to about 50%, so I should end up with about 5 quarts or so.

I apologize in advance for not reading all of the posts but I just made some coconut rum that turned out very good. I was making some Strawberry panty dropper at the same time so I just did something similar with the coconut. I put some shredded coconut in a jar with some sugar and a little over proof rum to cover it all. Shake it for a few days and strain the contents to taste into the light rum. Every bit as good as any coconut rum I've ever had.

[S-Cackalacky]

I got the idea here http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 44&t=55301

The jar is corked, not so tight that it will pressurize the jar. The cork is checked when it gets up to temperature.

The only test I've done that made no noticeable difference was a rum that had already been off the oak for two years.

I remember that thread, but I thought it involved more than just heat. What were the results? After 6 days at 150 dF, is new liquor transformed into something that has all the flavor qualities and character of a long term aged liquor?

I recently passed on buying a big electric roaster at the flea market and could now kick myself for not buying it. I thought about it as I was putting that nuked AG SF in the Styrofoam cooler. BTW - that experiment with the cooler was also loosely based on what I read in that thread.

[S-Cackalacky]

Unfortunately I didn't have any dunder. This is the first rum I've ever done. I'm not a big rum drinker, but I did freeze 3 gallons of the dunder from my strip runs. If I decide to continue on with rum, I'll use some of it in the next runs and maybe start a pit.

If the coconut doesn't come through, I may look for some coconut extract and add it as I draw each bottle from the aging jar. I'm not sure the coconut milk I used was the best choice. There wasn't much coconut aroma to it when I opened the cans. I could taste it, but the aroma wasn't very prevalent. I'm also not sure about the oak I added early on before the spirit run. My taste buds aren't the best, so it may actually be there in a subtle way that I just can't detect. After a couple of months, if it comes out tasting anything near what I was going for, I'll call it a success.

I don't think I mentioned it in my previous post, but the ABV of the final blend is 78%. When I bottle it, I'll probably dilute to about 50%, so I should end up with about 5 quarts or so.

I apologize in advance for not reading all of the posts but I just made some coconut rum that turned out very good. I was making some Strawberry panty dropper at the same time so I just did something similar with the coconut. I put some shredded coconut in a jar with some sugar and a little over proof rum to cover it all. Shake it for a few days and strain the contents to taste into the light rum. Every bit as good as any coconut rum I've ever had.

That sounds interesting and I might give it a try sometime, but I was trying to stay away from making a liqueur. Since I don't detect any real coconut flavor in the light rum I've made, I was thinking of trying a few drops of coconut extract from the grocery store. Thanks for the suggestion - I'm sure there are others who might also want to give it a try.