Rum Distilling (knowledge sharing)

[Michell]

Hi,

Together with some friends of my I decided to spontaneously buy a distilling pot and make ourselves a rum.

The home-distilling site is definitely a good source to start with, though we would like to get in touch with somebody that can quickly set us off in the right direction. Preferably via a meeting on skype for example so we can show our equipment and discuss our fermentation process. We did not distill yet, but about to and want to get it right.

We highly appreciate it if somebody would talk us through the process. Let us know when interested in sharing your knowledge with us.

Thanks a lot.

Bests,

Michell

[Mikey-moo]

Welcome aboard! Rum's ace. Hope you find someone willing to skype you about it. If not, then check out the Tried and True recipes section - 3 or 4 rum recipes in there will steer you in the right direction

[OtisT]

?.....we would like to get in touch with somebody that can quickly set us off in the right direction.

IMHO, you will find support here if you do your homework first. You may have done this already, but here is my quick advice:

First check out Crankys spoon feeding thread. (Link in my signature). You and your buddies should read the entire thread, including following the links. That will answer many questions that many here won't want to answer because they have been asked a 1000 times.

A good rum is not a Quick process, as it involves byproducts from previous runs. Takes time to build up, or at last two passes. Read Buckoneer Bob's rum recipe for a great overview of one recipes process, and you will see this generational process.

After you read those, check out the Tried and True recipe section for the rum recipe you will make. Pick one of those first, and do not deviate from it until you know what you are doing. Those T&T recipes have been tested and proven to work, which you want while learning. Read the entire thread of the recipe, not just the "recipe". By the time you get there, you will have some good questions to research first, then ask.

Same goes for how to work your rig. Research it a bit and you'll answer many questions. You'll need to let us know what type of rig you have, a picture helps.

Last advice. Try the "HD Google Search" link at the top of the page for looking up specific topics. Very helpful to help answer specific questions.

Best of luck. Happy stillin.

[Still Life]

I'm not sure how many takers you'll get on a cold request.
As mentioned, this is a "help yourself first" site.
Do the reading homework and start there.

There is a very easy rum recipe in my signature line below that you can do to get your feet wet.
It'll build confidence first, then you can deal with questions you may have afterwards.
From there you can tackle a proper rum with dunder, etc.

Good luck on your journey, and Welcome!

[Saltbush Bill]

quickly set us off in the right direction.

"Quickly" isn't a word that I associate with making good rum, You might want to oak it for a couple of years after you learn how to make it if you want something really nice.
Sure you can do it quickly If you want to drink something that will just get you drunk and taste like high octane swamp water.
There are many recipes and many ways of doing it.
Do you know what sort of rum you want to make yet ? Lite Rum , Heavy Rum, Navy Rum, Dark Rum or White Rum?
What do you intend fermenting to make this Rum? 100% molasses , Brown Sugar, Raw sugar, Panella or maybe pure fresh cane juice , or a mixture of any of the above.
How can someone tell you how to make rum unless you have at least considered those things first?

[ga flatwoods]

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 27&t=56527

Patience!

GA Flatwoods

[Michell]

Welcome aboard! Rum's ace. Hope you find someone willing to skype you about it. If not, then check out the Tried and True recipes section - 3 or 4 rum recipes in there will steer you in the right direction

Haha ok thx mate will do

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[Michell]

quickly set us off in the right direction.

"Quickly" isn't a word that I associate with making good rum, You might want to oak it for a couple of years after you learn how to make it if you want something really nice.
Sure you can do it quickly If you want to drink something that will just get you drunk and taste like high octane swamp water.
There are many recipes and many ways of doing it.
Do you know what sort of rum you want to make yet ? Lite Rum , Heavy Rum, Navy Rum, Dark Rum or White Rum?
What do you intend fermenting to make this Rum? 100% molasses , Brown Sugar, Raw sugar, Panella or maybe pure fresh cane juice , or a mixture of any of the above.
How can someone tell you how to make rum unless you have at least considered those things first?

Hi saltbush bill, your right. Let me explain what stage we are at now. First of all we bought the still as attached. I know it will not give us the best rum but it's a good start. It can run in two modes "pot still"/ reflux still. For the first run we will place it in pot still modus. Regarding de fermentation we mix molasses with white sugar. 7.5l water, 830gr molasses, 1000gr sugar, 7gr bread yeast. Sugar content 1.623 kilo. Our first aim is to make a run to mix with cocktails. Hope you have any advice to this. Thanks a lot. Cheers[img]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201708 ... e1233d.jpg[/img]

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[Yummyrum]

"Quickly" isn't a word that I associate with making good rum, You might want to oak it for a couple of years after you learn how to make it if you want something really nice.
Sure you can do it quickly If you want to drink something that will just get you drunk and taste like high octane swamp water.
There are many recipes and many ways of doing it.
Do you know what sort of rum you want to make yet ? Lite Rum , Heavy Rum, Navy Rum, Dark Rum or White Rum?
What do you intend fermenting to make this Rum? 100% molasses , Brown Sugar, Raw sugar, Panella or maybe pure fresh cane juice , or a mixture of any of the above.
How can someone tell you how to make rum unless you have at least considered those things first?

Wise words Salty
Michell , seeing as you like visuals then you might like this thread by Salt Bush Bill Dissolving Molasses the easy way

I do a very similar way and it works very well . Look at the recipe . The ratio of water Dunder and molasses is important .
This is a strong flavoured Rum . If you are wanting a lighter Rum then look at some of the sugar / molasses Rums .
As you have a pot still you are going to end up either way with a pretty rough Rum so like Salt Bush Bill said , you will need to age it on Oak for a year or too to get it nice .... otherwise you will have some pretty nasty Rum .......patience grasshopper...... OK you probably didn't want to hear that . ... but that is reality

[Cu29er]

.

Dissolving Molasses: put that gallon container of molasses, with it's cap on, in a 5 gallon bucket of hot water for an hour. It will pour right out into your fermentation vessel already partly filled with cold water. Any residue in the container just put a little fresh hot water inside and shake with the cap on and pour that out. Stir your fermentation vessel and if you had the right quantity of cold water you should be at yeast pitching temperature.

.

[Michell]

"Quickly" isn't a word that I associate with making good rum, You might want to oak it for a couple of years after you learn how to make it if you want something really nice.
Sure you can do it quickly If you want to drink something that will just get you drunk and taste like high octane swamp water.
There are many recipes and many ways of doing it.
Do you know what sort of rum you want to make yet ? Lite Rum , Heavy Rum, Navy Rum, Dark Rum or White Rum?
What do you intend fermenting to make this Rum? 100% molasses , Brown Sugar, Raw sugar, Panella or maybe pure fresh cane juice , or a mixture of any of the above.
How can someone tell you how to make rum unless you have at least considered those things first?

Wise words Salty
Michell , seeing as you like visuals then you might like this thread by Salt Bush Bill Dissolving Molasses the easy way

I do a very similar way and it works very well . Look at the recipe . The ratio of water Dunder and molasses is important .
This is a strong flavoured Rum . If you are wanting a lighter Rum then look at some of the sugar / molasses Rums .
As you have a pot still you are going to end up either way with a pretty rough Rum so like Salt Bush Bill said , you will need to age it on Oak for a year or too to get it nice .... otherwise you will have some pretty nasty Rum .......patience grasshopper...... OK you probably didn't want to hear that . ... but that is reality

Ha not really indeed. For now we want to generate the product on short term basis. We don't want to make the best product out there. Just something that is at least a bit drinkable. Is it not possible to add flavours afterwards to hide the bad taste. Just wondering

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[Michell]

"Quickly" isn't a word that I associate with making good rum, You might want to oak it for a couple of years after you learn how to make it if you want something really nice.
Sure you can do it quickly If you want to drink something that will just get you drunk and taste like high octane swamp water.
There are many recipes and many ways of doing it.
Do you know what sort of rum you want to make yet ? Lite Rum , Heavy Rum, Navy Rum, Dark Rum or White Rum?
What do you intend fermenting to make this Rum? 100% molasses , Brown Sugar, Raw sugar, Panella or maybe pure fresh cane juice , or a mixture of any of the above.
How can someone tell you how to make rum unless you have at least considered those things first?

Wise words Salty
Michell , seeing as you like visuals then you might like this thread by Salt Bush Bill Dissolving Molasses the easy way

I do a very similar way and it works very well . Look at the recipe . The ratio of water Dunder and molasses is important .
This is a strong flavoured Rum . If you are wanting a lighter Rum then look at some of the sugar / molasses Rums .
As you have a pot still you are going to end up either way with a pretty rough Rum so like Salt Bush Bill said , you will need to age it on Oak for a year or too to get it nice .... otherwise you will have some pretty nasty Rum .......patience grasshopper...... OK you probably didn't want to hear that . ... but that is reality

Ha not really indeed. For now we want to generate the product on short term basis. We don't want to make the best product out there. Just something that is at least a bit drinkable. Is it not possible to add flavours afterwards to hide the bad taste. Just wondering

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Also if you want to add flavours such as banana peels, cinnamon, etc. Should you add these to the mash or in the column or does this all come afterwards? Thanks guys for your answers till this far. Really appreciate it

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[Yummyrum]

Well not really .
When I first started I had a refux still and made a sugar based vodka ( nuetral) and added "Rum" essence from the home brew shop .... it got me pissed but it was nothing like the Rum I was used to buying . I tried every single Rm essence that home brew shop could sell me and they all lacked the smell and flavour I was chasing . So I ventured into the mollases real Rum world . Imediately I stopped buying essences but I still are miles away from getting the smell and flavour that Rum that has been stored in an Oak barrel for a few years can give .
Dont give up ... enjoy the journey
3 months is better than fresh
6 months is better than 3
9 months is better than 6
Blah blah

[kiwi Bruce]

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =3&t=66527

The hunt for real NAVY rum flavor has taken a huge leap forward...check it out.

[HDNB]

Welcome in Michell. Hope you enjoy the forum the key to unlocking a great rum is here.

The welcome thread is just that, for intro and welcomes. Please move your discussions and questions to the appropriate threads... you are welcome to ask questions right in the rum threads too...or start your own journey in novice distillers section.

This helps keep things organized for the next guy that comes along with the same questions as you!

Thanks! stay safe and have some fun!

[Bushman]

Welcome, I second HDNB's comments. When a thread goes off topic from its intended topic it maybe locked to keep the forum organized.

[bluefish_dist]

If all you want is a nice white rum for mixing, try this. 30lbs of sugar, raw preferred, 1 qt blackstrap molasses, lallemand rm yeast, your favorite nutrient in a 15 gallon ferment. Ferment at 90 deg. make good cuts, then add carmalized sugar 1/2 oz or so. Let sit for a week or two then enjoy.
I found for white rums, less molasses is better. Molasses adds good flavor if you have the time to age, but they are not good white.

[NZChris]

Don't mess about with 10l ferments, you'll be drinking it faster than you can ferment it. Ferment enough for at least three still charges so that you can strip enough low wines to fill the still for a spirit run.

[Saltbush Bill]

If all you want is a nice white rum for mixing, try this. 30lbs of sugar, raw preferred, 1 qt blackstrap molasses, lallemand rm yeast, your favorite nutrient in a 15 gallon ferment. Ferment at 90 deg. make good cuts

I tend to agree with bluefish, if you want something quick and easy for cocktails, a refluxed white rum using a mix of sugar and molasses for the wash is probably a good starting point.

Is it not possible to add flavors afterwards to hide the bad taste. Just wondering

There are no short cuts in distilling if you want to make anything worth drinking.
Its easier to make a good product to begin with than try to hide off flavors after you have made it.
The best single thing you can do to make a good drop is to learn about cuts and how to make them well.
Without learning this you will never make good spirits.
The link below is about the best explained, learning tool that there is for making cuts.
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=11640

[zapata]

Waste of time money and energy to not aim high. You won't ever break even compared to bottom shelf liquor, its made by the tanker in highly efficient factories and priced to suit.

If distillation is a liquor store there are 4 targets bottom, middle and top shelves. There's a rare 4th level where the old man behind the counter whispers "Pssst" and produces a bottle not only amazing but perfectly suited to your personal tastes. You will miss your target by at least a shelf until you have some experience. Aim low and you may not drink it even if you're already drunk. Aim middle shelf, and you end up with a bottom shelf waste and some education unless you can really follow along with a decent tried and true. Aim high and you're quite likely to end up with something solidly decent. Personally I'd rather drop $10-20 a bottle and deal with it than wasting my time trying to make something mediocre. Hell, I just drink a lot less when faced with nothing but bottom shelf.

We're not middleschoolers and this ain't dodgeball. Aim high.

[MoonBreath]

WELCOME TO HD!
All the above and a bag of chips, And a tall glass of koolaid
Need to start a thread on creating a great rum in 24 hrs.
Good luck.

[WeegieDistiller]

Hi Michell

Fellow newb to the forum here but just to say I usually make my white rum with a molasses and I
use golden syrup instead the sugar sugar, ratio of 3:1 for molasses to syrup The syrup is actually partially inverted cane syrup so seems to be easier for the yeasties to consume and fairly cheap. Along with that I'd use a bunch of nutrients and bakers yeast, search for the ingredients for a yeast bomb and see what you think. The only thing apart from that is add some copper scrubbers to the pot and practice making your cuts!

I'll tell you it's definitely one of the more fun hobbies that you don't mind practicing so much!

Cheers