Traditional Caribbean Rum Maker

Smaug

For all of the fan fare about plated columns and the versatility (of which I am a huge fan of) that they bring to the game of distilling, it can still be very difficult to compete with the well established pedigree of a pot still when considering a well aged finished product.

I can not recall who said it first, but when I read it I could not get it out of my brain:

The goal of the pot stiller is to exploit the inefficiencies of the pot still.

No matter what tool the distiller chooses, distilling and blending is very much an art form.

There is a rum here in the States (made in the Caribbean) that is gaining traction. My understanding is that the master distiller uses a column still and a pot still then blends the best from either system for their final product. There are so many ways to express rum.

Here is a system illustrated by Harry that offers a traditional Caribbean method for distilling rum.

Smaug

This narrative from Harry discussing his interpretation:

This shows the same as your pic, but gives the vital clues you need for processing. First, the naming of the fractions (Jamaicans call them differently to us)...

• High Wines = Heads
• Low Wines = Tails
• Seconds = Hearts

The Setup:

The feed pipes from the still and each thumper are submerged in liquid in the thumpers. This means that all the copper parts are pressure vessels. There is pressure in the system (due to the thumper liquid contents) right up to the final thumper exit. At this point there is no pressure into the condenser.

Water is plumbed to the condenser, the green shell & tube designed tank after the last thumper. Water is also plumbed to the red (rum), yellow (heads) & green (tails) receivers) and added as required to make up the ratios or percentages as indicated in the sketch. The sight guages and drain cocks on the receivers allow for accurate measurements and determining strengths.

Product flow exiting the condenser can be diverted to any of the receiver tanks via valves atop the receivers joined to the condenser exit line. All cuts are determined by the temperature of the vapors exiting the last thumper (see the dial-type pyrometer (aka thermometer)).

Preparing to Run:

Before a run, the thumpers are charged via the hand-pumps you see on the high wines & low wines receivers, enough water having been previously added to make up the ratios I show above; 50:50 low wines:water in the 1st thumper, 75:25 high wines:water in the 2nd thumper. Then the valves between the feints tanks and the thumpers are closed off.

The Run:

Molasses beer of 8 to 10% is charged to the still. The still is fired (direct or steam. This one was probably direct fired in a brick kiln base). The beer charge is brought to boil and gives off steam. The steam is led through the two thumpers to the condenser where it is cooled and reverts to liquid. The first runnings of the condenser (high wines or heads) are diverted to the now empty high wines tank. When the hearts (the "seconds") begin to run (determined by the pyrometer), they are diverted to the Rum receiver. At the onset of tails (pyrometer again), the flow is diverted to the empty low wines tank. High and low wines are kept for the next run. Then once again they are mixed with water to charge the thumpers for the new run.

(NOTE: Rafael Arroyo used a method whereby the tails were split again into 2 fractions. First fraction (cardboard taste) was discarded. Second fraction (rum oils, below 40%) was sent to the low wines tank.)

After a run, the spent thumper contents are drained to waste (see the grey drain valves at the base of the thumpers in your pic). The Rum is adjusted with water to the correct strength (85% a/v) and the keg/s are filled.

It's complicated, but it works. It's the difference between good rums and the insipid light stuff most hobbyists complain they are getting. Recycling the aromatics and congeners is the key.

You can find further info on Rum styles etc. in my folder @ AD...

I hope you find this useful.

Smaug

Also, quite frequently you may read (perhaps from Harry?) about esterfication and the role this reaction plays in flavorful rum production.

Here is a good read most of which is over my pay grade, but I do find very insightful:

The Fragrance of Rum, Isobutyl Propionate (PDF)

captainshooch

Great write up @Smaug so many ways to skin the cat, prolly exactly what is fueling a lot of micro/small batch artisans in all venues.

FloridaCracker

Funny, no mention of dunder either added to ferment or boiler. I was under the impression that it was a major factor in Caribbean style rum flavor

Smaug

@FloridaCracker the dunder IMO falls under the same category as the use of esterfication techniques. Remember that it is the heating process that can create the desirable acids. And your dunder has already been round the block with the primary heat source.

Also, remember what Harry wrote:

(NOTE: Rafael Arroyo used a method whereby the tails were split again into 2 fractions. First fraction (cardboard taste) was discarded. Second fraction (rum oils, below 40%) was sent to the low wines tank.)

In this instance your dunder is nothing more than your "rum oils"

Unsensibel

At first I thought that just looks like a column but sideways...

Then, I'm beginning to think what the effect is/would be if plate liquid composition wouldn't be changing continuously throughout the run but stay (relatively) consistent?

I think that's the real difference between a thumper and plates.

Smaug

The thumper is a caveman's plate assembly.

Not nearly as efficient as a modern plate assembly. But as I eluded to earlier, the goal is to exploit the inefficiencies,,,,IMO.

FloridaCracker

@Smaug said: FloridaCracker the dunder IMO falls under the same category as the use of esterfication techniques. Remember that it is the heating process that can create the desirable acids. And your dunder has already been round the block with the primary heat source.

Also, remember what Harry wrote:

"(NOTE: Rafael Arroyo used a method whereby the tails were split again into 2 fractions. First fraction (cardboard taste) was discarded. Second fraction (rum oils, below 40%) was sent to the low wines tank.)"

In this instance your dunder is nothing more than your "rum oils"

Makes sense.

Smaug

@Unsensibel said: At first I thought that just looks like a column but sideways...

Then, I'm beginning to think what the effect is/would be if plate liquid composition wouldn't be changing continuously throughout the run but stay (relatively) consistent?

I think that's the real difference between a thumper and plates.

As you suggest the "plate" composition does not change with the thumpers compared to how we think about how a plated column cycles. But there is a change as the thumpers with their deeper liquid levels do promote esterfication during the run.

grim

Always wondered … Late Tails = Rum Oils = Whiskey Backin's? If so, not necessarily a process unique to rum. Where "back ins" means exactly that, to be put "back in" - to the next run.

FloridaCracker

Grim I'm sure that somebody has tried it by now but can't remember ever reading anything and I have seen the entire internet.

Smaug

@FloridaCracker said: Grim I'm sure that somebody has tried it by now but can't remember ever reading anything and I have seen the entire internet.

I remember plenty of folks asking but can not recall any conclusions.

FloridaCracker

Is there a nomination for Grim to try "back ins" and report back to the group?

grim

I'll put it on the list.

Trying to finish the 12" catalyzer today. The amount of small diameter copper pipe required was astronomical, I wanted to start with 3/8th, but that would have been 300 feet of tubing. So thought about 1/2". But, that would have been 170 feet of 1/2" - so I went with 3/4" instead - a much more reasonable 75 feet.

On a more positive note, I'm now a pro at Tig brazing copper.

FloridaCracker

@grim said: I'll put it on the list.

Trying to finish the 12" catalyzer today. The amount of small diameter copper pipe required was astronomical, I wanted to start with 3/8th, but that would have been 300 feet of tubing. So thought about 1/2". But, that would have been 170 feet of 1/2" - so I went with 3/4" instead - a much more reasonable 75 feet.

On a more positive note, I'm now a pro at Tig brazing copper.

Not sure where you live but that amount of copper where I am would put a man into bankruptcy.

Smaug

@grim said: Always wondered … Late Tails = Rum Oils = Whiskey Backin's? If so, not necessarily a process unique to rum. Where "back ins" means exactly that, to be put "back in" - to the next run.

So there is a modernized "traditional" system on the horizon that has been designed to give the end user a multitude of options as a way to express their "Caribbean" rum........Who wants to see it?

CothermanDistilling

@grim said: I'll put it on the list.

Trying to finish the 12" catalyzer today. The amount of small diameter copper pipe required was astronomical, I wanted to start with 3/8th, but that would have been 300 feet of tubing. So thought about 1/2". But, that would have been 170 feet of 1/2" - so I went with 3/4" instead - a much more reasonable 75 feet.

On a more positive note, I'm now a pro at Tig brazing copper.

interested in your progress and happy for your TIG skill improvement!

CothermanDistilling

@Smaug said: Here is a system illustrated by Harry that offers a traditional Caribbean method for distilling rum.

Thanks for the great article!

Would love to see a SD system like this... (and will take this moment to pimp the idea of the customer 8" triclover topped sankey kegs that I put forth a while back for use as the thumpers )

grim

yes please

Unsensibel

@Smaug said: So there is a modernized "traditional" system on the horizon that has been designed to give the end user a multitude of options as a way to express their "Caribbean" rum........Who wants to see it?

Memememe!

FloridaCracker

@Smaug said:

Uh, add me to the list.

captainshooch

hum got one lol

vooharmy

@Smaug said: So there is a modernized "traditional" system on the horizon that has been designed to give the end user a multitude of options as a way to express their "Caribbean" rum........Who wants to see it?

Yes sir!

Smaug

On it's way. Just a few more changes.

Anavrin

I've seen a few posts in the short time I've been on this forum where people have been comparing plates and thumpers, some see them as the same, others have different ideas.

Just thought I'd chip in as no ones really mentioned the obvious difference in that plates are a two way street, vapour going up and reflux return going down, thumpers are only a one way system, vapour in and vapour out, they do indeed act like a plate in the sense that they redistil the product but they offer much more that just doubling the ABV in terms of adding flavour, I believe it was common to fill thumpers with feints from the previous runs to add flavour, in the above example they've done the same but split the feints into heads and tails, it will add the same flavour as one thumper with both but by using two and splitting the feints they're increasing the ABV more.

Smaug

More ABV is the academic bit. More stable aggregate collection strength is the larger picture on this type of technology. Without forced reflux the system ultimately has no choice but to behave like a typical pot still in that ABV will always decrease through the course of the run as alcohol is rendered out of the system.

Please note the ratios as per Harry's explanation used in each thumper.

The ratios represent a more nuanced final product than a single thumper could hope to produce.

Every detail changes the outcome.

punkin

C'mon stop teasing and post it up. Doesn't have to be perfect first time.

FloridaCracker

Are you going to show us a partial picture with small bits over the next few days?

Smaug

Not that much teasing. I'm on plane at the moment flying to Kentucky.

Have a look and I'll go over the system along with the forthcoming changes.

FloridaCracker

Wow! Intense.