What'd ya'll make today?

[Corn Cracker]

Good plan, how's it coming along? You should be running good by now

[PalCabral]

Good plan, how's it coming along? You should be running good by now

Not good at all, CC. The bitey, fiery, flavor, which is almost numbing on the tongue, is carrying over through-out the run, totally destroying the rum. I thought it was a heads flavor but I've had it far into what is hearts, it's relentless. I've collected 2 gallons now and I am shutting down. Nothing of this can be saved.

I'm not sure if the problem is the blackstrap molasses, related to too much acidity, or if this is somehow related to my equipment. I am totally at loss.

[Corn Cracker]

Sorry to hear that, I have no clues with rum runs but, your equipment shouldn't be the issue. Maybe a little scorch on the molasses?

[PalCabral]

Sorry to hear that, I have no clues with rum runs but, your equipment shouldn't be the issue. Maybe a little scorch on the molasses?

No scorching, CC. The rum, when diluted to 40%, smells fine, fruity, citrusy, and that flavor shows in the mouth too, but then the burn starts, numbing the tongue. It's like heads but the fact that it shows through the entire run, in every one of the 20 jars I collected just means I can't believe it's heads no more. A defect molasses? The fermentations never showed anything strange, no weird flavors or smells.

[Corn Cracker]

Strange, ferm temps stayed comfortable for the yeasts? I know you know how to run your still, so thats out

[Copperhead road]

Very strange, I have absolutely no idea why you’re getting the burn…. Obviously, it can’t be heads because it’s throughout the whole run.

[Yummyrum]

Once , I accidentally confused my jar of dilution water with a jar of heads .
But I knew I had done it on the first taste .

[PalCabral]

Running my last stripping run before the summer break. Tomorrow will be spirit run day and then we close the distillery for the month of July.

[PalCabral]

Since the last 10 minutes I am producing foreshots from my Green Diamond v5, in which will be my last run before summer. The distillery really needs a good clean after this. There's always work to be done.

This is my 41st run since new year. My aim was to do a lot of different Bourbons and Whiskies and that I have done. An oated Bourbon, a Malt Whiskey, two Wheat Whiskies, a wheated Bourbon (soon two), two sugar heads, and a failed Rum. At the same time, I've paced my commitment in the distillery a bit better so it never reallt felt like a huge chore. Apple and plum brandy season coming up in September but I do think I have 2-4 Bourbons in me still before the years is done Happy Sunday distilling, guys!

[Deplorable]

I got handed a big bag of Bing cherries yesterday, so I split and pitted about 2 pounds and started a batch of Cherry panty dropper at my wife's request.
The rest of them are destined for homemade Cherry Garcia ice cream and a cherry pie.

[Flustered]

Running my first corn sugarhead right now.
Seems to be going well.
About 9 gallons of low wines went in at about 33%.
I’m collecting in quart jars….about 800ml at a time.
Jar 11 just went in and tasted pretty good.

[HeyBroChuckNorris]

Just finished up my "Peatzilla" and chucked it in an ex-Jim Beam Badmo. Had to do it in 2 batches. 1st batch: 10Kg Bairds heavily peated malt milled medium on my evil twin, 25L strike water (can't recall the exact temp, but was calculated to give me a 64c strike temp). I normally mash for 2 hours, but decided to let this one go overnight in my converted 50L cooler/esky. Strained in the morning and sparged with another 20L or so of warmer sparge water and strained. Cooled the liquid to pitch temp and put back in the cooler. Saved some of the spent grain and added to 2 30L buckets for a gumball/sugarhead/whatever for future gin. Pitched a small handful of Fermpro 921, put the lid on and let it go. SG was about 1.060. Fermented to 1.001 in about 4 days. Did 2 strips in my digiboil 35 with copper onion, no riser this time (used a 2" tall sight glass for puke monitoring), and 135 degree "lyne arm" to my shotgun condensor. Stripped down to 2% off the spout, approx 3 hours from first drips @ 1500W. The second strip I decided to get a bit crazy and added a gin basket inline with the line arm and half-filled the basket with heavily peated malt. The malt swelled more than I anticipated, but clogging isn't a danger with this setup. Took the drippings once every 30 mins from the bottom of the gin basket and added to the output. (going for peatzilla remember)

Batch 2 was 10kg bairds HP malt again, milled to fine on the ET mill and then filled the cooler to the brim with 72c water + a few liters of backset from batch 1 which gave me a strike of about 64c. Mashed until pitch temp (over 24 hours, this cooler is really well insulated), then pitched half a small handful of FP 921 and then covered the top with YLAY. Fermented on-grain for batch 2, and it finished at 1.002 in 4-5 days. I didn't record SG due to using YLAY. Strained the product, then did a sort of post-ferment sparge to get all the flavor and alcohol i could. Again ran 2 strips with a similar setup to batch 1, but no gin basket. Ran to 2% off the spout. Forgot to mention I used some copper offcuts and a roll of mesh in the boiler for all 4 strips.

For the spirit run I filled my digiboil just below the max line, then topped off with a little bit of leftover wash that didn't make it into the strips. Used the onion, no sight glass, and the 135 degree elbow+condensor. Ran low and slow (60-70Vac on my power controller with just the 1000W element on). Was aiming for a broken stream/very fast drip. Should have recorded offtake speed but didn't. Collected 24 x ~500mL jars with the transitional jars being smaller and the hearts jars being bigger.

Let the jars rest for 12 hours then did the most difficult cuts I've ever had to do. It was so peaty and stinky, my palette was blown after smelling 2 jars. Seemed like it went from heads to tails to worse tails to absolute poison. I kept the least terrible jars. I was determined not to go too deep into the tails this time, and filled the badmo nearly to the brim with 63.5%abv new make.

I really don't know what to think, it is honestly putrid as new make, just vile. The badmo is in a locked cabinet outside my PNW area apartment, and I plan to let it go for at least 2 years, but I will sample a few times a year. I was hoping it would be the next Octomore 15.3, and maybe it will be a crazy transformation but I don't have super high hopes at the moment. That Bairds heavily peated malt is no joke. Worst case Ontario I use it to blend with unpeated single malts to add a smoky kick.