Q&A for How to Make Rum

This is not advised, as the aluminium can release chemicals that may alter the taste of the rum and ultimately spoil the batch.

Airlocks only need a small amount of water to work, just enough to allow the carbon dioxide to pass through, but for no air to pass back. A good homemade airlock can be made from a condom or a balloon with a few small pinholes. As they swell, CO2 is released, and as the deflate, they self-seal, preventing air from passing back.

It's up to you, but I suggest you leave it in the same vessel. Moving it may compromise the alcohol content.

Almost any airlock that allows the release of carbon dioxide and prevents the return of air is suitable.

No, there's too much chance of getting off flavors. Siphon it instead.

It depends, but typically the first 20-30% of distillate is what's called the heads. Seasoned distillers can typically tell by taste, as methanol has a much sharper, harsher taste on the tongue.

You can try that method, known as freeze distillation, but it won't achieve the same alcohol content as traditional distillation. With freeze distillation, such as making Apple Jack, you may reach an alcohol content of 18% to 24%, but it may not work well with grain mash, and the resulting rum could be overly sweet.

No, you may ruin the rum. Using charred white oak pieces in quart jars of alcohol works well: two weeks in the jar equals one year in a keg.

Yes, you can. It's best to test small amounts, like in a shot glass, before altering the entire bottle.

Distilling is essential for making rum, as it separates alcohol from the main ingredients. If you make a rum wash, you won't get the same volume of rum; only the alcohol present in the wash will distill as rum.

No. That would mean there is too much pressure and could hurt someone. The pot should have some sort of clamps on it.

Use purified water.

Put 10 gallons of purified water in a pot still. Heat it to boiling. Turn off the heat, then add 20 pounds of sugar and stir until dissolved. Then add the molasses and stir until mixed. Transfer it to 6.5-gallon fermenting buckets with tight lids and drilled for airlocks. Let it cool to around 100 degrees F. Then add the yeast and yeast nutrient. Let it set in the buckets until it is done fermenting. Place it back in the still and distill the wash with 10 gallons. You'll get 7 or 8 quarts of the good stuff (over 40%). Then take a couple more quarts of lower quality to put in your thumper keg.

This recipe typically makes between two to three liters of a concentrated rum per batch that can be diluted with water.

The best way is to take the care necessary while distilling your product to remove the concern. Careful monitoring of temperature will help a lot. Methanol boils off at between 150 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas ethanol won't boil off until between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit. That's why you throw away the first four ounces out of a 5-gallon batch (that's the nasty stuff that boiled off first).

I normally add flavor after the rum has been distilled and then distill a second time to impart the flavor.

Due to the way aging alters the composition of the drink, skipping that process will means that your fresh batch may not taste like something you'd find in the store. However, if you want to skip the aging process and jump right in, go ahead. I once made a batch of wine at home and enjoyed it fresh after fermentation, so you might end up preferring the taste of your un-aged rum. Same goes for any other spirit. If you're planning to market and sell it, however, then you might be required to meet legal definitions of your country, some including minimum periods of aging.

You can use a wash or wine hydrometer and use a spirit hydrometer once you start distilling.

This is dark rum.

Alcohol can be distilled any number of times. As long as the heads are discarded at some point in the process, then there is no issue. This could be the first, second, or tenth distillation (not that you would ever need 10).

Sure you can. Just make the cuts to your needs. You may record the cuts temperature to use the data next time for your comfort.