I prefer malt whiskey and have a very good store of grain to use. That's the cheapest way to go and will produce a nice drink quickly but,..lots of work.
I considered a Blackstrap rum which would be cheap and quick but by all accounts would likely be pretty harsh in flavor without considerable aging.
I looked into Pure Cane syrup, Panela, etc which should give a smoother young distillate but it gets quite expensive.
I wondered whether a combination of blackstrap for flavor and cooked/inverted/caramelized sugar would meet all three criteria.
The cost would be about the same as the cost of all-grain by the time I buy a gallon or two of unsulfured blackstrap. The labor of cooking a little color into the sugar isn't nothing but definitely quicker and easier than mashing grain. If the balance is right, I should be able to count on some robust flavor from the molasses but a smoother, less harsh effect from the sugar. In my (so far somewhat limited) experience, the cooked sugar adds subtle notes of honey, marshmallow and caramel right off the still. Straight brown sugar has been suggested as an alternative for a quick sipper, but might it be a little "plain" compared to the blackstrap/caramel sugar?
I know that this is a subject that comes up in various iterations but any specific experiences? I'm especially interested in the cooked sugar aspect.
Thanks!!
