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I tried to search info on learning curves involved with a sugar wash vs doing rum washes. 5 pages into a 8300 thread search I gave up.
Everyone one tells you to do sugar washes to learn how your fermentation and still work. I planned on doing Shady's sugar wash on my sacrificial runs and continue on until I felt convident to run other types. After reading a bit more I don't believe I would be enjoying the taste and time doing so.
I have an easy 8 weeks to go before my still is up and running. My thinking now is to get some molasses and panocha and ferment out about 50 gal let that clear and let the esters play. After I do my runs on that switch to cane juice, a friend has just about got me a new habit drinking that with passion fruit.

So if this just a crash and burn trial and error I would rather do so with rum washes. But if most of you feel I would gain more in my eduction then I will buy some sugar.
Again thanks for your time,
T

I’d start with whatever you’ll enjoy drinking the most. Shady’s sugar shine is probably cheaper to make mistakes with but if you don’t drink neutral or vodkas then I’s skip it for now. Neutral is good for other maceration or infusion spirits though so can still be very useful. For your sac run, a neutral will be cheaper since you either end up throwing it away or burning it…

Cheers!
-j

My three are
Shadys for the sac run and neutrals
UJ for a white dog and aged everyday drinker
SBB for Rum

Three very good recipes that if you follow to the letter will give you a good range of experience.

Then onto a HBB for an aged spirit.

The beauty of the tried and true recipes are generally all the info you need is on page 1 and if you do run into problems there are hundreds of people who have fermented them exactly the same as you, as long as you stick to the recipe

Make anything that can be enjoyed young and white before you make product that needs aging.

I'm doing Shady's at the moment because I need neutral for gin. If you made it, what would you use it for? If you haven't got a good use, you might as well spend the time making something else.

Narrow cut white rum is fine. It was my first flavored product, nice stockfood molasses, double distilled, not being greedy with the cuts, enjoyed by everyone who tasted it.

I thank you all for your advice. It will be a while before I can get my Carter head. My go to is Raicilla but I love bourbons and rye to pay for a nice bottle. The cost to delivery hi quality grains makes it the one I fear trying the most. I live within an hours drive from cane country so I can get some nice piloncillo blanco, molasses, and cane juice fresh and cheap. So I'm lucky rum has really caught my interest. Again thanks.
T

Cane products are great to learn on. No need for practice, but lots of need for planning what you want to make from what is available during the seasons.

The Carter Heads that I've seen for sale on the net haven't been designed by distillers who know how they work, so don't be in a hurry to buy one.