Rume Recipe Question

[cps1]

I plan on doing my first spirit run over the weekend with 25 litres of low wines after following McStill's recipe for 5 generations (THANK YOU VERY MUCH)

The elements in my still sit about 3" above the base and will need about 8 litres of fluid remaining in the still at the end of the run to ensure that they remain covered

So, I had planned on adding sufficient water to cover the elements before I added the 40% abv low wines

Pugirum's recipe calles for adding a fair bit of dunder to the spirit run

I am keen on a fairly full flavoured rum.

I would be interested to hear whether the experts reckon I should add water or dunder to the spirit run???

Thanks

[Sam.]

I have not made rum before but I believe there a few ways to skin a rum :D

Some add wash to their low wines, and yes I believe you can also use dunder, but from what I have heard using some of the last gen's wash (or the next gen) gives it more flavour.

Again, I have not made it but i'm sure one of the Rum heads can give you a more definitive answer :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[crow]

Yeah well I'm not to sure I would add dunder pal. Some blokes add mid to late tails , if you look at your tails you will notice some fractions will have a layer of rum oils and if you can be fagged adding ten cam be beneficial depending on the flavor your chasing (think karuba) . You have a pot still so IMHO getting a full flavor is not going to be a big issue. I reckon just run it as is and if its not full on enough you can do one of those other methods and blend it

[Kimbo]

I , personally am not a big fan of dunder in my rum.
I prefer a straight molasses wash.
Its worth experimenting tho, there is nothing really wrong with whst your suggesting its a personal taste thing ;-)

[Linny]

I dont know if its me , but if you add generations to rum... the taste turns more like bundy ,,, sort of like burnt charcol ??? rather than a single Run which has a sweet molasses note it.... tell me if im wrong ??? i havent dealt much with it and also would be interested

[cps1]

Thanks for the replies

I ended up covering the elements with dunder and adding the 25l of low wines.

That brought it about 3" from the top of the boiler and I ended up with foaming and carry over with my 1380w element

I drew 5l out and it still foamed despite a teaspoon of olive oil

Then I pulled another 5l and everything was OK except I had to add the 10 litres back after I had run 10 litres of spirit

Beginner's error so I thought I'd pass it on. I was worried about uncovering the element as I pulled off the spirit but in the end their was still about 15 litres in the boiler

I am assuming that it was the dunder that cause the foaming due to the lack of headroom in the boiler

That mucked up my cutting sequence so I ended up with 10 one litre jars labelled 1 - 10 and another 6 marked 1b - 6b

My beginner's nose made me discard the first two, and number 10 which had an oil slick. 1b was discarded. 2b and 3b were OK, 4b was clear but was pongy as were 5b and 6b which were cloudy and had an oil slick I put the discards except 5b and 6b into a neutral demijohn for next time and I'll keep 5b and 6b as my "Rum Oils" for the next spirit run according to pugirum's recipe

So I ended up with 8 litres. If I'd used 500ml jars I reckon I might have squeezed another litre out of the run. Cut to 65% I ended up with 9 litres to age

The spirit is now aging in two demijohns. one with 4 of Baldoss's French Oak Dominoes (trimmed a bit to fit in the demijohn) and 4 Oak Burl Dominoes

The oil slick and domino setup are shown in the photo

[SBB]

I am assuming that it was the dunder that cause the foaming due to the lack of headroom in the boiler

I reckon your pretty right there, not something Id ever considered as Ive never tried using dunder.

If I'd used 500ml jars I reckon I might have squeezed another litre out of the run. Cut to 65% I ended up with 9 litres to age

Smaller is always better until you really get your nose tuned in and get the hang of it. :handgestures-thumbupleft: