3" 4 bubble plate or 3" 1meter copper column

[SAN92]

I have about 400 liters of rum mash and now have a 1 meter 3" copper column for my 100 liter3" Stainless steel 4 plate reflux still

So my question is running with 2 or 3 plates once.(option 1)

Running the copper column strip run and then like 1 or 2 plates spirit (option 2}

Or strip and spirit with copper column and some copper scrubs with spirit ru(option 3)?

Als thinking about leaving some copper in the boiler to help with sulphats

[Saltbush Bill]

You might like to brush up on your distilling terminolgies, your going to confuse hell out of people otherwise.
https://homedistiller.org/wiki/index.ph ... t_and_Marc

Stainless steel 4 plate reflux still

Most would know that as a plated column.
Reflux still usually describes a Boka, VM, or some other type of "packed column".
If you have 400L of wash why not try different things.......see what you like.
My choice would be single run through 3 or 4 plates.

[Bolverk]

Rum wash not mash... mash has grains.

Plates vs packing? that depends on what you want but this should help you decide what's best for you. https://homedistiller.org/wiki/index.php/HETP

It's 100% dependant on what you like... if you like funk do less, lots of funk hell do stripping/sprint runs, you can even do a 1.5 run, run a few plates for one and done, or a lot for a more neutral.

Like Bill said 3 or 4 plates (or equivalent packing HETP) would be a good start for a "one and done", but ultimately without knowing what you're wanting to make its hard for us to give advice.

[Siva283]

For a rum I would not use reflux I would do a stip and spirit like a pot still. For a one and done run I would keep the plates cause I am lazy and dont like taking it apart(I have a similiar 4 inch column) I would just run enough through the dephleg to barely keep the plates loaded. But thats me I like to keep as much flavor as possible in rum.

If you use a packed column your going to strip most of the flavor out of it.

[SAN92]

Buccaneers bob rum is my aim

I know if i run 4 plates slow i will end up with n neutral vodka

Looking for the best process to get the flavor of the mash and even later when i do a corn wash later to save the flavors

[Bolverk]

Looking for the best process to get the flavor of the mash and even later when i do a corn wash later to save the flavors

"Looking for the best process to get the flavor of the WASH and even later when i do a corn MASH later to save the flavors"


You've got enough wash, try it a few different ways...

Personally I'd strip it all and then do a spirit run with those low wines. If you're looking to use the plates, maybe try two and see how you like it.

[Twisted Brick]

Buccaneers bob rum is my aim

Looking for the best process to get the flavor of the mash and even later when i do a corn wash later to save the flavors

And... just what mash is it you are referring to? As has been said, there are no grains involved in making a rum wash.

If you want to get the return on investment on your plater, fiddle around with the one-and-done gyrations of 2 versus 3 versus 4 plates and eventually you may get to a spirit you (and others) like. Opinions from other members on what is 'best' are just that.

pot versus plates

For many home distillers of whiskies, brandies and rums, the simple process of double-distilling is preferable for creating and retaining flavor in the final spirit.

[Saltbush Bill]

I know if i run 4 plates slow i will end up with n neutral vodka

I don't know where you have been getting your information from up until this point but you seem to have been reading or watching some things that are quite untrue.
4 plates will not and never will make neutral from any wash.
And especially from a molasses wash.

[Yummyrum]

What is that 1 Metre copper section ?Is it packed or empty . Regardless ,it is called a Riser .

Only when you stick your deflagmator on it and pack it should you call it a Column ….. otherwise it causes confusion .

You do have a lot of options at your disposal.

If you were to follow Bucc Bobs to the recipe , then you should be Pot stilling it . However , if cuts are not your specialty , then you might prefer to run it through the Plated still . With 4 plates , you should have no problems making acceptable cuts .


If you do run it through tje pot still , your hearts cut will not be as large as what you’ll get off the plated still but it will be more flavoresome .
The heads and tails from the Pot still spirit run can then be run though the packed column with deflag and you will get a nice Baccardi style white rum which you can drink while the Bucc Bob is aging .

And I agree with Saltbush , either running through a Plated still or even a packed reflux still , you will never make a nuetral out of a Molasses wash .

[SAN92]

Alcohol reading was 95%

And no was not head was like 10 to 15 liters in my run of 11 persent corn mash with 4 plates

[SAN92]

Thanks yummy

[Saltbush Bill]

Alcohol reading was 95%

SAN92, 4 plates dont get 95% especially that far into a run, you might manage pull to 94% in fores running super slow with lots and lots of reflux.
An average hearts abv is 92% running down to 90% once your heading into tails.
You need to learn about temperature correction for Alcometers, most are calibrated to be read when they contain spirit at 20C

I would just run enough through the dephleg to barely keep the plates loaded.

I'll also suggest that you think twice before using the following suggested method , "barely loaded plates" are not working to optimum, You will more than likely end up with a very " Taily ": smeared product.
If you want more flavour use less plates, rather than try and run with to little reflux and barely loaded plates.

[Yummyrum]

Alcohol reading was 95%

And no was not head was like 10 to 15 liters in my run of 11 persent corn mash with 4 plates

I’d also question that .@. 93% is more typical on 4 plates . May also be time to check your Alcometer for accuracy . My trusty one that has always been spot on gave me a reading of 99% the otherday . I got out my Ella 70-100% meter and yup it was way out .

Even when temp corrected one of my meters was way out .

IMG_7941.jpeg (12.61 KiB) Viewed 1533 times

[BrewinBrian44]

I know if i run 4 plates slow i will end up with n neutral vodka

I don't know where you have been getting your information from up until this point but you seem to have been reading or watching some things that are quite untrue.
4 plates will not and never will make neutral from any wash.
And especially from a molasses wash.

I second your statement about 4 plates. My go to method for whiskey is single runs on the plater. I typically use 2 or 4 plate configurations depending on how much flavor I want and how long I plan to age the spirit.

With 4 plates, the only thing “neutral” is maybe a couple middle jars. I find the early tails flavor we’re looking for comes out HIGHLY concentrated in my final keeper jars. Liquid gold. With 4 plates, you can really milk out every last bit of goodness by slowing the takeoff at the end. This is the stuff pot still folks want to be smeared into their hearts. Once my keeper blend is mixed I have a big punch of flavor with no dirty tails.

I started my plated column journey with 4, then went searching for more flavor with 2. The jury is still out, because a real judgment requires ample aging time, but I’m coming to an early conclusion: 4 plates is better. I can honestly say, I’m not lacking any flavor at all, if anything, I’ve been able to keep the dirty tails in the boiler and improved my hearts yield by concentrating the heads. The 2 plate stuff is still good, but it’s not as refined. To me, they taste more similar than different, the only difference being the 2 plate product is dirtier. Hopefully more time will iron this out.

Perhaps I’d have a different opinion if I ran a boiler full of low wines on 2 plates, but that kind of defeats the purpose of why I got the plated column in the first place. One and done works very well for me.

Sorry I’m talking whiskey in a rum thread, but I think the feedback is still relevant to the topic.

[BrewinBrian44]

For a rum I would not use reflux I would do a stip and spirit like a pot still. For a one and done run I would keep the plates cause I am lazy and dont like taking it apart(I have a similiar 4 inch column) I would just run enough through the dephleg to barely keep the plates loaded. But thats me I like to keep as much flavor as possible in rum.

If you use a packed column your going to strip most of the flavor out of it.

Running without your plates loaded is not a proper way to run a plated column. You’re just pumping dirty tails into your whole run. Like Bill said, lowering plate count is the only method one should consider if they’re searching for more flavor.

[Siva283]

For a rum I would not use reflux I would do a stip and spirit like a pot still. For a one and done run I would keep the plates cause I am lazy and dont like taking it apart(I have a similiar 4 inch column) I would just run enough through the dephleg to barely keep the plates loaded. But thats me I like to keep as much flavor as possible in rum.

If you use a packed column your going to strip most of the flavor out of it.

Running without your plates loaded is not a proper way to run a plated column. You’re just pumping dirty tails into your whole run. Like Bill said, lowering plate count is the only method one should consider if they’re searching for more flavor.

RUnning without the plates loaded is just a pot still with some extra vapor in the path. Its adding no more tails then a pot still does. Though I wish it would since I like tails.

[Siva283]

Alcohol reading was 95%

And no was not head was like 10 to 15 liters in my run of 11 persent corn mash with 4 plates

I’d also question that .@. 93% is more typical on 4 plates . May also be time to check your Alcometer for accuracy . My trusty one that has always been spot on gave me a reading of 99% the otherday . I got out my Ella 70-100% meter and yup it was way out .

Even when temp corrected one of my meters was way out .
IMG_7940.jpegIMG_7941.jpeg

I have 3 hydrometers and use then to check. Again its ok you dont have to believe it. I am fine with that but to tell people its not possible is just wrong because you cant prove its not possible just like I cant prove it is unless I had someone standing there with me.
Regaurdless its an opinion not a fact.

[BrewinBrian44]

For a rum I would not use reflux I would do a stip and spirit like a pot still. For a one and done run I would keep the plates cause I am lazy and dont like taking it apart(I have a similiar 4 inch column) I would just run enough through the dephleg to barely keep the plates loaded. But thats me I like to keep as much flavor as possible in rum.

If you use a packed column your going to strip most of the flavor out of it.

Running without your plates loaded is not a proper way to run a plated column. You’re just pumping dirty tails into your whole run. Like Bill said, lowering plate count is the only method one should consider if they’re searching for more flavor.

RUnning without the plates loaded is just a pot still with some extra vapor in the path. Its adding no more tails then a pot still does. Though I wish it would since I like tails.

This is not correct. Assuming you’re running a CM with defleg, you have to push the boiler harder to get vapor past the reflux condenser. If you don’t have decent pools of liquid and vapor interacting, you’ll push the dirty tails up the column. Essentially, you’re not using the tool as intended. If you decide mid run to shut down your reflux entirely, then it’s more like a pot still.

Also, if you like tails and want to run your plates not loaded, a plated column seems like a wasted investment. Might as well just pot still your stuff.

Sounds like you might be more of a two plate or one plate guy. You should consider some future runs where you use less plates but keep them properly loaded. I’d bet you’ll like the flavor more.

[Siva283]

For a rum I would not use reflux I would do a stip and spirit like a pot still. For a one and done run I would keep the plates cause I am lazy and dont like taking it apart(I have a similiar 4 inch column) I would just run enough through the dephleg to barely keep the plates loaded. But thats me I like to keep as much flavor as possible in rum.

If you use a packed column your going to strip most of the flavor out of it.

Running without your plates loaded is not a proper way to run a plated column. You’re just pumping dirty tails into your whole run. Like Bill said, lowering plate count is the only method one should consider if they’re searching for more flavor.

RUnning without the plates loaded is just a pot still with some extra vapor in the path. Its adding no more tails then a pot still does. Though I wish it would since I like tails.

This is not correct. Assuming you’re running a CM with defleg, you have to push the boiler harder to get vapor past the reflux condenser. If you don’t have decent pools of liquid and vapor interacting, you’ll push the dirty tails up the column. Essentially, you’re not using the tool as intended. If you decide mid run to shut down your reflux entirely, then it’s more like a pot still.

Also, if you like tails and want to run your plates not loaded, a plated column seems like a wasted investment. Might as well just pot still your stuff.

Sounds like you might be more of a two plate or one plate guy. You should consider some future runs where you use less plates but keep them properly loaded. I’d bet you’ll like the flavor more.

Ok I see the problem. You didnt read all my comments. You will see in the first post where I stated I run reflux to compress heads then turn off reflux. Reading all the context is important.
You will not push tails through or heads any more than a pot still. Not turning the boiler up to push past more refluz will push some tails up but reflux knocks them back down.
Tell me you have run this still or tried to do what you are describing without telling me. If you understand what reflux is doing you would understand you can knock the tails out. The heads on the other hand not so much.
Now since you havent read the whole thread I will fill in the gaps for you. You can run no reflux and literally treat it as a pot still and it will perform as one. Now you can use reflux in the beginning to compress the heads then shut it off and run as a pot still but getting more hearts since you compressed that heads. You can even slowly t urn reflux on at the end to extend your hearts.
Now for volume you can run the boiler hard but you also have to run reflux hard. It will knock the tails out but it wont knock the heads down since they are a lower boiling point then ethanol.
SO just stop trying to state things as fact. Your doing a disservice. Your welcome to not believe it but that doesnt make it fact.
The fact is I have done all of these with the results I reported.
Let me ask you this. How many of these scenario's have you tried? I have tried them also since most is used as fuel I can afford to play around more than some. But you obviously havent tried to do what I am talking about.

[BrewinBrian44]

Hey buddy, I’ve got plenty of experience and the products to prove it, but I don’t need to debate with you about it. I’ve tried all sorts methods and those have led me to my assertions. Including what you described. When I was new to plated columns, I managed to make shit liquor by not having deep enough pools and learned from it.

When you said “barely loading the plates,” you’re implying reflux. That is not the same as running in pot still mode.

My posts are not a disservice. I’m taking my experiences and trying to help point people in the right direction, you included.