Home Distiller

My rum is finally finished.

Somehow I lost quite a bit in the process, but ended up making around 3 1/2 gallons of 100 proof.

I started with about 4 gallons of 70 proof unaged spirit. I let it age for 6 months in a charred white american oak barrel from gibbs. Unfortunatly, the oak was way to overpowering, so I filled a 12x2 inch pvc pipe with activated carbon, and at a fast drip, I filtered it through three times. The rum kept most of its color, and didnt loose too much flavor, and stripped the oak flavor out to a good drinkable level. I used spring water to dilute it down to about %50, and added about 1 tablespoon to each 750ml.

While it has a completely different profile than most store bought rums, I let some of my friends try it and all of them were extremely impressed. IMO this is some of the best spirit I have ever tried.

Just giving everyone an update. I am pleased!

Cheers Glock, its always nice to hear another success story. MK

Congrats. New oak is powerful stuff, as you have discovered. The next batch in the barrel will work much better. I find that the second run for my oak sticks seems to work the best.

Also, I'd definitely be ditching that PVC pipe filter. Ethanol and PVC don't get on well.

That is what I was thinking as well, but everything I read on the net seemed to use PVC. And to be honest I couldnt really think of any substitute (its hard to find stainless or copper pipe 2 inches in diameter).

But I just wanted to reiterate that you can still carbon filter a finished product without loosing too much flavor and color.

And yes, I can wait to fill it again.

Well done glock, although regardless of what you read on the net, Hook is right about the PVC. Yeah, I know that this is the net, but ...

blanik

I know I comletely agree. As an ametuer, I used plastic and rubber hosed on my still. Never again, I learned my lesson.

Any ideas on what to use?

Any ideas on what to use?

Copper or stainless, pal. And it's not hard to find, either.

Around here stainless pipe is almost non existant. Copper pipe cant be had in diameters larger than 1 inch/

Glock19Fan wrote:Around here stainless pipe is almost non existant. Copper pipe cant be had in diameters larger than 1 inch/

Really?

Not a single home improvement store, hardware store, weildin' shop, or muffler shop anywhere?

I live in the sticks (45 min of 2-lane mountain drivin' to the closest walmart) and my town is less than 500 people, and I can buy stainless or copper pipe and line at two places here.

I'm guessin' yer givin' up WAY too easily, or that ya live in Anartica.

Anything bigger than a single family dwelling has larger copper pipe than that comin in for the main.

This means that a plumber in your area will use larger than that (happily for all of us they generally use 2" pipe).

My suggestion to you is...go down to your local plumbing shop and ask to buy some or for them to at least "hook you up"with a supplier for the materials. Dont worry about telling the store what its for, cause you dont have to. Its a store.

You arent gonna find 2" stuff at your local home depot or other such type stores so dont bother going there. plumbers dont go there so they arent going to stock it.

theholymackerel wrote:

Glock19Fan wrote:Around here stainless pipe is almost non existant. Copper pipe cant be had in diameters larger than 1 inch/

Really?

Not a single home improvement store, hardware store, weildin' shop, or muffler shop anywhere?

I live in the sticks (45 min of 2-lane mountain drivin' to the closest walmart) and my town is less than 500 people, and I can buy stainless or copper pipe and line at two places here.

I'm guessin' yer givin' up WAY too easily, or that ya live in Anartica.

Everything here is 1 in or less. Everything else in the larger diameters is galvanized or iron not suitable for potable water.

But I will check a plumber store.

Thanks!