Rum- toasted oak sticks or charred?

[alohashine]

Hello all, came across a lot of molasses lately so I've been making a lot of rum. My rum washes are primarily all molasses with a little cane sugar thrown in from time to time. I have a 6 gal copper pot still complete with thumper. I usually do a stripping run and then combine a few stripped runs for a single spirit run.

I got a used whiskey barrel planter from the hardware store, broke apart and sanded down the staves into small 4 x 3/4 x 3/4 inch sticks. I age my liquor in 1 quart mason jars.

I've used both toasted and charred sticks on my whiskey. I have to say I like the taste of the charred better for whiskey. More vanillins, smoother character. What do you recommend I use for the rum? So far I've been using toasted, because that seems to be the norm on this site. Rum is usually made with old whiskey barrels, so I'm curious what you do. Any rum makers out there try charred oak?


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[wtfdskin]

I use toasted and charred in my rum. You can smell the vanilla after a year on oak. 1x1x5 stick per quart.

[alohashine]

I use toasted and charred in my rum. You can smell the vanilla after a year on oak. 1x1x5 stick per quart.

Thanks wtfdskin but you're not being very clear. Do use toasted sticks or charred sticks, or a combination of both? Or are you saying that you toast your sticks and then char them as well?


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[der wo]

Most rum is aged in ex-Bourbon casks. Bourbon casks are charred. Some are toasted a bit before charring.
But the "rules" are not very strict. I would use any oak, toasted or charred, but not first fill.

[Windy City]

I also use toasted then charred for my rum. I have used this in sticks 3/4"x3/4"x5".
Also the barrels I received from Gibbs Barrels I was told were toasted then #3 char.

[wtfdskin]

Sorry aloha, yes i toast my oak at around 380 then char to an alligator surface maybe 1/8" deep with a propabe torch.

[alohashine]

Awesome thanks a bunch for the good advice. I will char up some oak sticks for my next batch.


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[850stealth]

Im about to run some rum too and have a bunch of white oak sticks, 7''x 3/4x 3/4, they are all toasted to a medium char, is it better to add some as is and char a couple and mix them up together? Ill probably be using some 1 liter mason jars as well as 1 gallon jugs. I just dont want to over oak, never done it this way before.

[wtfdskin]

Check out t-pees post on oaking and aging. I have yet to over oak using his method. I have had rum sit over a year with one 3/4 x 3/4 x 5" stick per quart toasted and charred. The vanilla aroma is amazing. I think its a sticky in the flavoring and aging section.

[850stealth]

Check out t-pees post on oaking and aging. I have yet to over oak using his method. I have had rum sit over a year with one 3/4 x 3/4 x 5" stick per quart toasted and charred. The vanilla aroma is amazing. I think its a sticky in the flavoring and aging section.

I remeber reading that in the past, its mostly tailored toward a whiskey but ill try it in my rum, i might try 3 of my sticks and ill char them a bit, just dont want it to become a bourbon flavored drink like alot of rum guys have said they got by using a heavy char on their sticks.