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I decided I wanted to make some nice full bodied rum, So I've made about 10 gallons of molasses and brown sugar wash, 5 kg of molasses and 3kg of brown sugar. works out to about 8% potential (difficult to measure in molasses wash)

I've got a very nice 6 liter pot still, so it'll take a couple runs to do it all. but wondering what the general consensus was, is it better to do several stripping runs, running hot and fast, and a single spirit run, or run two thumpers like is done for most Caribbean rums, and do multiple runs to get it all done.

I'm looking for a nice medium bodied Jamaican style rum.

just found this picture
I'm going to have to build a setup like this one day.

no one?
I've got a while to figure it out as my wash is still bubbling.
My thought was, to remove the thumper from my setup and run a full tilt stripping run, then once I've reduced the volume to a manageable level, run it nice and slow making the needed cuts. ge it on a little charred oak (maybe throw in some toasted apple wood as well) and see how it ages.

that's what I would. But then again, I don't have a thumper.

I do not know your still but if you want full body rum run the least
amount of times as possible to keep flavors possibly just threw pot
and thumper? I would not run it off at more than 70%
if that is what your still does . Times change but they used to
run once for dark 2 times for medium and 3 times for light

Dnderhead wrote:I would not run it off at more than 70%
if that is what your still does . Times change but they used to
run once for dark 2 times for medium and 3 times for light

thats gotta be the most helpfull piece of information I've come across yet (in relation to distilling rum)
Thanks.

I run a "hybrid" pot, it has an 18" vertical column above the pot into a 40 deg. leiberg condenser. I've found that in my pot, a second distillation of 'low wines' produces significantly less flavor in the product....like what you were saying; 1 run for heavy, 2 for medium, and 3 for light. *I do not use a thumper or doubler.
In my limited experience, I would think a single run with a thumper would be the way to get a more heavy bodied rum than using 2 runs.

I hope somebody else will chime in on this thread cause I sure would like to hear from the more experienced guys around here!

FWIW, @ 15%abv through my 'modified' pot, I usually see an abv starting around 55-65% wnd then I take all the way down to 20% with the meat of the run being between 60-40% abv.

Rummer

Here's an idea of what I run. 5 gal potstill on a 750W plate, FYI



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violentblue wrote:I decided I wanted to make some nice full bodied rum, So I've made about 10 gallons of molasses and brown sugar wash, 5 kg of molasses and 3kg of brown sugar. works out to about 8% potential (difficult to measure in molasses wash)

I've got a very nice 6 liter pot still, so it'll take a couple runs to do it all. but wondering what the general consensus was, is it better to do several stripping runs, running hot and fast, and a single spirit run, or run two thumpers like is done for most Caribbean rums, and do multiple runs to get it all done.

I'm looking for a nice medium bodied Jamaican style rum.

I do see the date on this is very old so you probably figured a few things out by now.
I use to run with a thumper however I didn't seem to get enough flavor and body through with the wash so I stopped using the thumper.
Someone else here has it about right. I do a single run through my pot still, 5 gallons wash nets me about 1000 ml. - 1200 ml. of middle cut at about 55 - 60 %. I keep everything else other than the 100ml foreshot and run a Feints run when I have 5 gallons at 35- 40 %.

For getting more aromatics, one would typically charge the retort (s) with a ratio of high and low wines.

Picture if you can using chicken stock ( or the like) for a more full bodied soup. Or a rue for a richer gravy.....if you see my meaning?

You recycle the aromatics.

I'm working up to a double thumper to run my rums like this..