Rum

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

That container holds 8 litres in total, probably 8.5 pushing it a bit (I think, according to the marks, I'll have to measure actually). I don't know what the plastic does, but I've read up about the chemical reactivity of plastics (specifically HDPE2) on Ethanol at the temperatures we expose them to (under 65°C). All reports state that they are suitable to contain Ethanol (and some other alcohols).

I know, yes I know, that you only want SS, glass, wood and PTFE (teflon) in contact with your Ethanol and that's what everyone recommends across a broad spectrum...but I don't care. I trust chemists and other material experts above the opinions of people on the internet, and if they say it's fine, it's probably fine. It's not ideal according to everyone, but I don't have a big enough glass container to hold all that liquid and I don't have the money to go buy either a glass or SS vessel right now, so this will have to do, for now.

I have considered just wrapping the whole plastic end in PTFE tape, but I didn't get around to it. Next time I'll try.

[RudiC Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close RudiC]

My idea was to just use the washers that came with the container and close the hole. Probably SS bolt, nut and tow SS washers would do the trick. Not being able to use the tap is a minor issue for me at this stage

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

Mine didn't come with the hole close thing. I got it second-hand. I like the tap, allows me to bottle from there easier.

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

Added spices to this rum in a hop bag this weekend. In addition to fresh treacle #3 molasses, cloves, cinnamon, allspice berries and aniseed, I also added a few slivers of orange peel for that citrus note.

Mistake.

Orange peel seems to break down in rum, and turned the batch completely cloudy. It's only starting to settle out now, like 3 days later, and I'm SUPER glad I decided to spice on the oak, and not wait until I pulled the oak. If I had waited, I would have had to serve a completely cloudy rum at the competition, but not it has time to settle. I'm going to run it through filter paper and, wash the container and then pour it back onto oak this week.

Also, I got my hands on some ex-sherry mini barrels. Hopefully getting them on Friday. Will be sticking single malt in there, and I can't WAIT.

[Jitters Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jitters]

Did you only add the zest or did you include some of the pith?

if only the zest then maybe some of the oils interacted with the alcohol?

It's exciting about the mini barrels!! I really want to oak a beer or something soon.

[PaBz0r Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PaBz0r]

yeah I also want to get my hands on a couple of barrels to age some whiskey.. when I get there..

[StevenD (Slainthe) Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close StevenD (Slainthe)]

Yeah, me too, but right now I'm in the middle of packing up our house for a move to Sedgefield which is happening this coming weekend. What a ball-ache...

yeah I also want to get my hands on a couple of barrels to age some whiskey.. when I get there..

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

Did you only add the zest or did you include some of the pith?

if only the zest then maybe some of the oils interacted with the alcohol?

It's exciting about the mini barrels!! I really want to oak a beer or something soon.

I cut the skin with a sharp knife as shallow as possible, but there is some pith in there. I didn't use a lot, but it made A LOT of sediment in the glass. I has to be something that reacted with something in there, and I don't know what, but I just really hope it drops clear. I'll filter the stuff (like I said) during this week somewhere through some paper towel and then a coffee filter, because I can't serve rum like this and I need it as clear as possible as soon as possible.

[StevenD (Slainthe) Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close StevenD (Slainthe)]

This happened in my clone of the Brewdog Elvis Juice. It is probably the peel itself as I made sure there was no pith in my beer, yet it also turned a bit cloudy.

I has to be something that reacted with something in there, and I don't know what, but I just really hope it drops clear.

[Jitters Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jitters]

Yeah, me too, but right now I'm in the middle of packing up our house for a move to Sedgefield which is happening this coming weekend. What a ball-ache...

just went through this earlier this month.. it's a pain in the arse!! good luck!!

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

I hate moving so much, when the landlord said he wants to sell the house, I bought it from him.

[StevenD (Slainthe) Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close StevenD (Slainthe)]

The bonus with our new house is that I am going to have three garages and an enclosed carport. The third garage has already been earmarked for brewing and distilling...

Ok, end of thread hijack...back to rum...

I hate moving so much, when the landlord said he wants to sell the house, I bought it from him.

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

Heh I converted the double garage into a brewery, distillery, office and reloading centre even before I bought it. It's my "man cave", so to speak, and opens up into the house. It's epic. Most recent addition are a bunch of kitchen cupboards that were thrown out by someone. I fixed them up and they're doing epic service in there. Just need to find a countertop and the bottom ones are done.

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

OK so I pulled the spices and orange peel from the rum about 5 days after adding it in. I added spices on the low end, same as the glycerine and then also added a small amount of molasses. One tablespoon of Treacle #3 molasses went into a cup of hot rum, poured into the container. Just one tablespoon. The difference it made is mindblowing. The rum suddenly exploded with flavour, and after letting it sit for another 10 days I had a taste last night. This stuff is REALLY good. Like, REALLY good. Can't wait to give just white rum distillate fresh off the still a shot with 50/50 molasses and dunder. I think that'll just be gold.

I still need to filter the rum, will probably get around to that today or Wednesday. Planning a paper towel first and then into a coffee filter. We'll see how it goes.

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

Ended up getting exactly 12 bottles watered down to 45% ABV:



Just look at that colour:


Notes are slightly spicy, sweet, caramel and oak. With my limited smell that's what I could pick out right now. Taste I'll do over the weekend, and I'm looking forward to it. There's a citrus note that I could pick up so long, but over the weekend I'll give it another shot.

Overall I'm happy. It's not what I aimed for, to be honest, I was hoping for a much darker rum, but it's good. I need to find a Captain Morgan clone recipe so I can spice that...