Looks like I'm on me own :(

[Pikey]

I used to drink Woods occasionally Mikey - at the same time Captain Morgan seemed good, Woods was quite scarce - strong - slightly blue label and little darker than whisly in colour and rather lacking in flavour. - That's another rebrand mate ! at £21 from Morrisons I suppose I shall have to, in the interests of research.

Another one matured and bottled in Scotland I see. If you're tasting treacle in there - I'd say they're adding molasses as well as the caramel.

[Pikey]

Pikey, I ment to say fried not deep fried but none the less...
take the veggie and slice them into 1/4" pieces, cut as many onions as there is veggies, put them into a hot skillet with butter, salt and black pepper with a bit of garlic powder, cook them pretty hot and fast to leave crisp but cooked fairly well.

now, I have no idea of what those taste like as I do this with zucchini but from what I've read this a member of that family. sooo???

Zucchini ? Courgettes over here and yes almost identical - I grew a 10lb courgette once and it was just like a marrow cept the skin wasn't as tough and the seeds hadn't separated out like in a marrow. But to all intents and purpose - yes - same beast. I'll give your way a try mate - same with "zucchini fritters"

Just out of interest, we get another thing over here "Egg Plant" - (Aubergines we call 'em) - quite expensive and whatever t==you do they just turn to tasteless mush - can you do anything with them ?

[cuginosgrizzo]

Just out of interest, we get another thing over here "Egg Plant" - (Aubergines we call 'em) - quite expensive and whatever t==you do they just turn to tasteless mush - can you do anything with them ?

Well eggplant (melanzana) is one of tha basis of the mediterranean diet. Try melanzane alla parmigiana:

slice eggplants lengthwise in 1/4 inch thick slices, place the slices on a plate with a little salt for a couple of hours with a dish as a weight on top, to lose their "water".

In the meantime take some onions, mince them and fry them in olive oil for a couple of minutes with a little salt. Add tomato sauce, salt and pepper and let it simmer for 45 minutes.

Dry eggplants with paper towels, coat them with some white flour and fry them with sunflower oil one by one.

Take a baking vessel, make a layer of eggplant, cover it with some tomato sauce and sliced mozzarella cheese. Make other such layers one on top of the others and continue until you finish the eggplants.

Sprinke Parmigiano Reggiano on top of it all and cook it in the oven at 200C for 40 minutes.

This is only one of the many recipes that come to mind: caponata di melanzane, melanzane sottaceto, etc etc

[g4ogami]

Been doing my head in for ages - Why can't I find any reference to "Proper" Navy Rum ? Recipe to make it - nope all I can fnd is "rum" Which however hard I try, I can't get the Full body I crave out of. Captain Morgan is one I remember with particular fondness - Then I find this :-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Morgan

"....Black - The original Captain Morgan rum, this is a full-bodied blend of pot and continuous still rums from Jamaica, Guyana & Barbados aged in oak, has a dark colour and distinctive rich taste. Available only in the United Kingdom, Germany, Scandinavia, South Africa, and some other countries. Packaged in a traditional Captain Morgan bottle with a black label highlighting the words "Jamaica Rum". 100 proof (USA - 80 proof)...."

It seems they don't think you all deserve it ! - no wonder I can't find any info on here !

I knocked up a wicked 80% Navy Spiced Rum using cardamom, cloves, casia bark, dried orange peel and small small small amount of star anise. After which it aged in a barrel for 4 weeks.

[Pikey]

Nicely - do let us know how it turn out

Lol - I was looking at that wash I made the other day and thinking "I must run that !" - I guess it's probably ready by now !

I think in honesty, I'm a bit scared of it !

The only feints I have are "Bacardi" (Very light rum) and Malt extract whiskey. And I do like to add feints to my run, to keep the abv of the distilate up around the 60% abv mark ( I only run once ).

I suppose that I'd better just Bite the bullet and get on with it. Now i have my ferment chamber, I can immediately do a duplicate and use the feints off this one to Boost that.

Ok then - I'll see if I can get it done before xmas.

[Edit - The "dippy finger test" confirms it is very ready ! - Nicely "bitter" and a pleasant but full flavour in the wash. I don't generally take too much notice of teh taste of teh wash, but this one seems to have a lot of teh "Character" I'm hoping to bring through. - We'll see. ]

[g4ogami]

Oh my 80% dark spiced rum was wonderful it lasted the duration of the stag weekend. Scared a few people due to its strength and put the rest firmly on their backsides.

Challenge now if making it again, to the same level or even better.

[Shine0n]

Oh my 80% dark spiced rum was wonderful it lasted the duration of the stag weekend. Scared a few people due to its strength and put the rest firmly on their backsides.

Challenge now if making it again, to the same level or even better.

I hope you mix it with something, that proof can damage your stomach, esophagus, taste buds.

Be careful

[Yummyrum]

Oh my 80% dark spiced rum was wonderful it lasted the duration of the stag weekend. Scared a few people due to its strength and put the rest firmly on their backsides.

Challenge now if making it again, to the same level or even better.

I hope you mix it with something, that proof can damage your stomach, esophagus, taste buds.

Be careful

Good point Shineon sure hope g4gami is talking proof not ABV .... that ABV is not good

[NZChris]

Oh my 80% dark spiced rum was wonderful it lasted the duration of the stag weekend. Scared a few people due to its strength and put the rest firmly on their backsides.

Challenge now if making it again, to the same level or even better.

Taking that proof likker to a party is asking for trouble. It's damaging to health and it's flammable and word gets around that you are the 'hero' that makes free, or cheap, shine.

[Antler24]

Have you looked at Bucaneer Bobs rum recipe with "rum essence"?
Lots of folks report rough heavy rum from blackstrap molasses.

Start a dunder pit, do a one-run rum with dunder in the thumper.
Find your funk.

This! I've made lots of Buccaneer Bob's Rum. It's a great dark rum with lots of rich molasses flavour. I think it has too much flavour for a good/amber or white rum, but if your into dark or navy style rums it's a must try!

[g4ogami]

Oh my 80% dark spiced rum was wonderful it lasted the duration of the stag weekend. Scared a few people due to its strength and put the rest firmly on their backsides.

Challenge now if making it again, to the same level or even better.

I hope you mix it with something, that proof can damage your stomach, esophagus, taste buds.

Be careful

we drank these with ginger or cola mixers thankfully... would not have risked shotting this thing.
definitely love crafting and having conversations with y'all

[VLAGAVULVIN]

Was looking for a thread like that so, I'm about to stay with you for some reasons. If you guys don't mind.

I use the beet molasses only (no sugar) and I take the heart of my hearts from the pot, the rest I cut into fractions using my LM reflux column. I got used to compose at least 4 different "rum characters" of it, some of them sound heavy and quite interesting, some of them just like coke but... I cannae get that light fruity note in it. Maybe it's all about the wine yeast usage...

If you want additional fruity flavors, you should try to use infected dunder.

Not sure if you have Havana Club in your premises... As for me, it's truely operated and not sweetened, not spiced etc. Well, that's just the one I would like to make. When I ask my nose to inform me about its contents my nose obstinately lies me that "it looks like they splashed some fermented apple cider just into the distillate before aging". I'm not the one who soaks some pineapple remains in his thumper (and I have no thumper at all) but sometimes I think my nose is not so false.

[Yummyrum]

Not sure if you have Havana Club in your premises... As for me, it's truely operated and not sweetened, not spiced etc.

Hi VLAGAVULVIN not sure what the expression "Truely operated " means ...can you elaborate .
I've seen Havana Club in the Bottle store and never tried it ....but from the sound of what you're saying , I think I'll get a bottle ...it sounds right up my ally

[thecroweater]

Yep its good and fairly well priced, Cuban rum is in my opinion under priced compared to other imports you will find in the bottle shops. Back in the day my go to cheap to mid priced foreign rums was either Havana club or Rhum Negrita and Godard's til it ceased.

[VLAGAVULVIN]

not sure what the expression "Truely operated " means

Aym sorey, masta! I meant it has no any commercial diageo's sh!t in its contents and/or process.

añejo (aged)

Yep its good and fairly well priced, Cuban rum is in my opinion under priced compared to other imports you will find in the bottle shops.

Exactly, Sir!

Rgds, VV

[der wo]

There is more than one product from Havana Club. Here it starts with 12€ and ends with over 1000€. In general Havana Club adds sugar, but moderate. In this case they add a lot. The Havana Club Especial contains 22g sugar per liter:
http://www.drecon.dk/index.php/17-list-of-rum-measured" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
So because you think it's "truely operated and not sweetened, not spiced etc", their marketing concept seems to work well. So I think your post fits perfectly in this thread . I don't know, if they add other substances like vanillin. At least they don't claim not to do it. And the more sugar they add to a product the more other things they add too normally. Only sweetness tastes boring. This says enough I think. Actually most Rums are with additives. The Rums without sell less and have to age better, so they are more expensive.
Havana Club is no high ester Rum. So I think the dunder pit route is not the missing link.
One problem I think is, that you use beet molasses instead of sugar cane molasses. I once cooked just for fun a sugar beet I found beside a road (driving through a sugar beet region). Didn't smell interesting. I don't think beet molasses have the typical aroma for Rum.
Then most Havana Club ages in used american white oak bourbon barrels, just like the Scotts. Probably more vanilla and less harshness compared to fresh European oak, if it's that what you use.
Perhaps you simply cut too much heads? Most homedistillers cut much more heads than commercial Rums producers.
Perhaps distilled at too low abv and collected too much? So the tails flavors overwhelme the heads flavors?
I don't know, what you have especially against Diageo and DuPont. I don't think other companies are somewhat more ethical or whatever you mean. Diageo owns many of the best Malt Whisky distilleries. Definetely they don't sell only shit.

[VLAGAVULVIN]

Hi DW and thanks for the schedule! And I suppose any rum has some sugars... gotten just from the oak, at least

As for my cutting. In my last big rum run I got all those candies at "necks", backery at "latter hearts" and this one in the middle. The column is not like all that pottery: I got'em all very clearly. And my nose might catch the same ethyl formate in my Havana Club, too. But I blended the 3 mentioned fractions in any possible ratio... and every time in vain.

P.S. Talking about the bakery stuff closer to tails... sometimes I think it's not so much ester but furfural. Nope?

[thecroweater]

Yes nearly all commercial rum is sweetened and coloured with caramel to varying degrees, its nothing new or sinister. I doubt Cuban rum is aged in "American" barrels, they have mutual trade embargoes going back many decades and both are deadly serious about enforcing it. I have seen warnings when buying Cuban coffee etc online not to use US third parties (paypal etc) in the transactions as the US will throw a shit fit so I have serious doubts a nationalized company like Havana club would be buying US bourbon barrels.

[VLAGAVULVIN]

I have seen warnings when buying Cuban coffee etc online not to use US third parties (paypal etc) in the transactions as the US will throw a shit fit so I have serious doubts a nationalized company like Havana club would be buying US bourbon barrels.

Oh, cummon!

Cuba, Iran, North Korea and some other putins really use China as third (re-exporting) party. Of course, the most of the US barrels never reach China

[VLAGAVULVIN]

P.P.S. Added 1 part of my fermented cider to 10 parts of my rum.
The flavor turned better / more delicate.
The taste changed to an acidic one

Can't get how some people add their dunder into the rum. It will become even more acidic after adding it! Maybe aging will turn some acids into esters... Dunno...

[thecroweater]

you drinking the wash or thinking the acid is carrying through the still?

[VLAGAVULVIN]

you drinking the wash or thinking the acid is carrying through the still?

base: 94.5% LM reflux / diluted to 65% and a couple of months staves aged / then diluted to 40% and staves aged again

blended "wash" (hell, yeah): this one, fridged, filtered...

[Yummyrum]

Got me a bottle of Havana Club
was expecting some nice strong Native Rum flavour but it was Meh
Agree there was bugger all Caramel or other addition . Was like a really weak version of Pussers . very similar to Dingo Rum they sell in Aussie.
Will finish the bottle but won't buy it again .

Might be right up the ally of those that like 90% sugar Rum with a 10% Molasses addition Haven't looked into how they make this but I'm guessing its more a Sugar cane juice Rum rather than a Molasses Rum Either that or they reflux the crap out of it .

[VLAGAVULVIN]

Sorry to hear ab this / tastes differ...

[Pikey]

you drinking the wash or thinking the acid is carrying through the still?

base: 94.5% LM reflux / diluted to 65% and a couple of months staves aged / then diluted to 40% and staves aged again

blended "wash" (hell, yeah): this one, fridged, filtered...

Why bother with ingredients at all ? - I suggest turnng the still down so you get 60% off the pipe ! - with some flavour !

[VLAGAVULVIN]

Not sure if if got you right... if my column to make 60%AbV that would mean no reflux at all and lot of tails. If I catch 70-60% from my pot I get ~1/4 of the "normal" qty. I would get from the column. After all, the rest 3/4 should be re-stilled at the LM-column. And blend them together.

[Pikey]

It seems others have gone a little down this path before.

A couple of venerable threads on HD worth taking a look at;

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=11442

And the closest I can find as yet to "Harry's recipe"

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=4468

Clearly "harry's recipe" shows that fruit and caramel were "de-rigeur" additions - in a time which pre-dates "Fakery" and people appreciated "Good stuff"

I'm thinking this is the type of taste I'm looking for

[thecroweater]

Yummy is a Bunderberg fan, was prolly living in hope he would be to much of a fan of one of these smoother styles. Last time I was given Bundy 150 overproof ( cheers SBB ) I actually thought a might die. Unaware of the proof I chugged the small glass but my throat closed and wouldn't let me swallow. Being that this expression is around $1400 a bottle I wasn't going to offend the bloke and spit it out (although I almost wretched it) but soon found the longer it was in my mouth the faster it was peeling the skin off my cheeks and roof of my mouth so swallowed the mouthful in half dozen mini sips then bolted inside drank a glass of water followed by a gallon jug. It was like the taste and burn of yellow label bundy but amplified 500 times. I find yellow label about as bad as any run could be and the overproof was so much more and was a burn you could track right through the digestive system and my tasted buds were completely shut down for about 48 hours although to be fair I only dry reached for the first 10 or 15 minutes.

[Yummyrum]

Croweater , Could be some truth in what you say
Don't know why Salty wasted that fine Bundy on you though ,... he shoulda known better

[thecroweater]

Fret not, he got his money's worth in entertainment. There's not some truth to it but perhaps have understated my initial reaction.