Still spirits T 500

[Bertel]

I am using a T 500 I have done about 20 batches and use mainly Edwards dark spicy rum essence, although a few different essences and my preference is a dark spicy rum.
I would like to hear from others who use the T 500 and any thoughts on the different essences used.
Looking forward to any feedback.
Bert

[Saltbush Bill]

Most people here make Rum from scratch, using molasses or panella I'm not sure that many here use essences.
To me it's always seemed kind of a funny way to make a flavoured drink.
Go to all of the trouble of making a neutral with as little flavour as possible then pay for a flavour to add back to it.
Easier to just make something that tastes like Rum to begin with imo.
I'm sure the fella who sells you the flavouring won't agree with that though.

[Wildcats]

I don't hear much about essences used by members here at HD.
Plenty of great Rum recipes and Rum guys here. I just can't think of anyone using essences for Rum, that I read about in this forum. Check out the Tried and True.

[buchrob]

You will attract more useful replieson essences if you join the Facebook T500 group.

[Poitín Sue]

I tried one of their gin flavours. I thought it was fine- but im definitely no gin connoisseur. Most of what you drink is tonic water anyway.
I guess the gin flavours use the same botanics as you get in real gin?
(Apologies to gin experts. What do I know about it anyway)

[JustinNZ]

There is a big thread on essences on here somewhere. The still spirits cheapo London dry gin (plain blue label - makes 5L!) produced a quite passable Gordon’s if you just like g&t. I tried the SS Golden Rum three years ago and it didn’t resemble rum, much.

[Chucker]

I found rum to be very easy to make, using the SBB recipe. That said, it also wasn’t a cheap batch as suitable molly isn’t low cost in our area. But, frankly, low cost isn’t my primary motivation in doing this if it makes a good drop.
So, I can understand where flavoring a sugar wash neutral might be the option for some. I can also see why the heavily spiced version might be better than a lighter essence, as the spices would outweigh some of the lack of rum’s more subtle flavors.
If you’re pleased with what you make then that’s all that matters.

[NormandieStill]

I tried one of their gin flavours. I thought it was fine- but im definitely no gin connoisseur. Most of what you drink is tonic water anyway.
I guess the gin flavours use the same botanics as you get in real gin?
(Apologies to gin experts. What do I know about it anyway)

The thing with gin is that beyond the juniper you can use whatever you want. Fine tuning a recipe to match the flavours you want (either to compliment a mixer or to make an interesting solo drink) is a large part of the fun of making gin. If you start down that particular rabbit hole you can make your own essences that are times to what you like to drink.

[Poitín Sue]

I tried one of their gin flavours. I thought it was fine- but im definitely no gin connoisseur. Most of what you drink is tonic water anyway.
I guess the gin flavours use the same botanics as you get in real gin?
(Apologies to gin experts. What do I know about it anyway)

The thing with gin is that beyond the juniper you can use whatever you want. Fine tuning a recipe to match the flavours you want (either to compliment a mixer or to make an interesting solo drink) is a large part of the fun of making gin. If you start down that particular rabbit hole you can make your own essences that are times to what you like to drink.

Yeah, I'll be the first to admit that I'm a bit ignorant and unappreciative when gin is involved. That said...sometimes the things that I've hated in life have ended up being a bit of an obsession

[Renhoekk]

Jesse from the StillIt channel on YouTube did a review of 10 rum essences

[OlympicMtDoo]

I have been having some fun with a few essences and quite accidentally came up with what I think is a pretty good spiced rum imitation. I have been trying to immitate a supposed moonshine liquer that I was given by a friend many years ago. The stuff was really good on the rocks and quite fun to sip on. I never knew who made it so I never found out what it really was. I remembered that I thought I could taste a slight root beer taste so I bought some root beer extract cut a good clean neutral to 40% and added a little root beet extract, sipped then added a little more. Never got the taste I was after but the stuff did taste familiar so I pasted it around a the next family BBQ and everyone agreed that it was spiced rum. I know don't make any sense but it was pretty good stuff and cheep and easy. OMD

[Poitín Sue]

Just wondering- how would the t500 work with less or even no packing?

[Yummyrum]

When I first got into distilling , I tried every Rum essence from all the various brands .I wasn’t happy with any of them and most were down right disgusting and I wondered how they could be passed off as a shadow of what Rum tastes like .
Also the lack of smell didn’t help . I tried soaking on Oak chips and every other trickery the Home Brew Shop could sell me . The Oak helped but it still didn’t give me the Rummyness I wanted .
Making the real stuff with Molasses and aging in a Barrel is the way to go if you want Rum to taste and smell like Rum .

Having said that , I agree with other comments that Gin essence does make a good Gin and in-fact I use the Still Spirits Dry London Gin all the time .

[G-man0506]

I am new to this and looking to buy my first still,
Is the T 500 worth the money or am I better buying something a little less pricy to start off with?

I have seen a few different options on Amazon(uk) and its becoming a bit of a minefield. I don't want to make one until I have at least seen one working to help me understand what's happening inside.

[Archee72]

You could buy the 500 and then use it as your gin still down the track after you make your own still?
Or sell it and get most of your $ back?

[Saltbush Bill]

No good doing that ,the original t500 is a reflux still.
You can use the boiler of the still but need to build or buy a pot still head for it to make gin.
T500 refluxs are fiddly to run as they are CM stills, "cooling management,"
A similar but easier still to run is the Aloengine, similar price but LM " liquid management "
Any other of the smaller commercially available stills a pretty much rubbish and you will out grow them quickly.
You can build a much better still for the same money.....there are plenty of plans ,photos and build threads here to look at.
Learn to solder and away you go.

[Archee72]

You can buy a T500 with an alembic head that can be used as a pot to make gin instead of the riser. Or he could do as you suggest SBB.