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For those of you who make white rum, how long do you air it out before bottling or flavoring it?

JT

12-24 hours

I don’t, I aerate like hell once everything is blended in a pot

I don't air. I want my esters in my drink, not wafting out of my shed door. Airing is a trick better used for making neutral.

I store it, undiluted, in 2/3s full demijohns to allow for some O2 in the headspace, only proofing and bottling some as I need it.

Honestly I think “airing” is a misattribution - something that is a fixture in moonshine lore but not in mainstream distillery practices. It’s the resting that is important, because it allows the water, ethanol and other components time to settle in together. I don’t air anything, but some resting time leads to noticeable improvements compared to something fresh off the still.

I don’t air my rums much either. I cap it in small jars off the still and only airing it gets is while I’m blending it and then the micro air once it’s in the barrel.

I also cap my jars pretty quickly off the still. It helps concentrate the smell before blending and, in my opinion, makes it a little easier to sense heads and tails.