Another from FNQ

[rotten]

Hello all,
New to this forum but I have been playing the game for a couple of years now. Actually have three separate styles of wash blurping away beside me right now.
Rotten by name and sometimes by nature!

[Heffers]

G'day Rotten,

Welcome aboard mate. What have got fermenting there?

Cheers, Heffers

[maheel]

lol welcome Rotten

give us some more info about your rotten ideas

whats your poison an method ?

[rotten]

Sorry for the delay in replying been away for a bit. I usually use a basic TP sugar wash, with the addition of a non urea based fertiliser similar to DAP. I have tried just using the fert with no TP but the wash after exploding (not literally but will foam out of fermenter) into action takes longer to ferment completely. I have also tried a simple sugar was with neither TP or fert but it takes forever to ferment out.
I then distill to completely neutral with a small reflux still (will be upgrading once I move) and usually make my own brand of spiced rum with vanilla bean, ginger, cinnamon sticks,cloves, all spice, whole nutmeg, dried dates and left on oak for about 12 months at 93%. The result gets drunk with Pepsi Max so my waistline stays relatively normal.
I tend to stay away from the Home brew shop stuff (turbo yeasts etc.)
I am by no means an expert and really only started distilling as a hobby, now I drink nothing else. Haven't had a hangover yet from it (touch wood)

[MacStill]

Sounds like you got a pretty good handle on things rotten, have you ever tried just aging your rum on oak without all the other stuff in it?

What wash do you use for a rum?

Cheers, Mr Mac

[rotten]

I am not keen on the flavour of a true rum(and the missus likes the spiced one as well), I don't actually distill with a pot still or to achieve any of the true "rum" flavours. Hence I try to obtain as neutral a product as possible, add natural flavours to it and allow it to age on oak for as long as it takes for the previous incantation to disappear.
Most of my family has sampled the product and all agree that it is nice drop. I will soon be purchasing/building a better still and utilising a 50litre keg as the boiler (feel free to PM me if you are in NQ and produce them).
I am always happy to learn and increase my knowledge on the subject!

Cheers

[MacStill]

Not in NQ but central, see my signature or contact 5Star if you want a still built, freighting it is easy and not that expensive ;)

On the rum thing!

Try a hook rum wash and run that through your reflux column as you would a neutral wash, nothing like a commercial rum and even good without oak after some time to age, mmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :mrgreen:

[rotten]

Ok!

I am biting the bullet colloquially speaking of course.

Currently bubbling merrily away are the second generation of both the "Hook Rum" and the "Whiskey/Bourbon knock off" recipe, as well as a couple of fermenters of TP wash. House smells like molasses, and I seem to spend a good deal of my "spare" time running the results through my shitty store brought contraption of a still. Really have to pull my finger out and make/commission a bigger/better version based on the venerable 50 litre keg. Unfortunately 2 mortgages tend to put a dampener on my desire to do this!
I grew up on a hobby farm, so fed molasses to the animals quite regularly, never realised how messy/thick/viscous/heavy etc. etc. the stuff was until now. As a kid I quite liked the taste of it as well, now I think hmmmmmm........