Arroyo used a specific strain of yeast and bacteria for his process, this is why he specified temperatures to use for different stages; those are the temperatures at which those yeast/bacteria produced the best results. You need to match your ferment temperature to your yeast, finding the temperature at which your particular strain of yeast produces the esters you want.
Many people here use bread yeast, I think because it is inexpensive, widely available, and produces reliable results that people have liked.
For a rum, I think it is important to get a yeast that produces a lot of the type of esters that will be beneficial to rum. For example, there are some yeasts that produce esters that create banana and clove flavors. These combined with a good rum wash and (providing you don't use the bacteria specified in
Arroyo) dunder will create an outstanding rum.
As for esters, there are ways to make yeast produce more of them. Here's a great article that discusses esters:
http://beersmith.com/blog/2012/03/07/es ... r-brewing/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
If anyone can find the schizosaccharomyces and the clostridium saccharobutyricum that
Arroyo recommends I think we'll all be able to exponentially improve our rum game. I've found a schozosaccharomyces pombe that is used in the wine industry for consuming malic acid, though I'm not sure if that will function as
Arroyo recommends in his patent application. I've found that there are VERY few people that even know what a schizo is, and the only places I can find these two ingredients want about $300 for each of them, so until I get a 50 gal boiler and a couple more barrels that's out of my price range
Looks like the sun has topped the yard arm. Let's get to it!
Bloodly noobies!! 
