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JUST TWO WEEKS
TO THE 2007 DISTILLING CONFERENCE (March
28-31st.)
Book your flight to
Louisville, KY. Phone 800-544-7075 for a room
at the Holiday Inn in Clarksville, IN.
IN.
Registration
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Conference Schedule, Distiller's Glossary, Free Spirits? |
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Travel Information and Rum Conference
Schedule:
Arrive Holiday Inn, located in Clarksville,
IN. Wednesday, March 28th
Take the Louisville airport shuttle to the
Holiday Inn, located in Clarksville, IN.,
(Not the Louisville Holiday Inn). Clarksville
is just across the river from Louisville, KY.
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Conference registration all
afternoon in the hotel lobby. Then from 7:00 –
9:00 pm, there will be an "early bird" rum
tasting. This is a very informal
gathering, a chance to get to know everyone
and an opportunity to share spirits with each
other, so bring some.
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NOTE:
Transportation to all conference events
(listed below) will be provided by the
American Distilling Institute.
------------------------- Daily Events
Thursday. March 29th
Kentucky Distillery Tour
7:30, 7:45 & 8:00 Buses leaves Holiday Inn
for Vendome Copper.
8:00 – 9:00 Tour Vendome
9:15 Bus ride to Kelvin Cooperage (near
Louisville airport)
9:30 – 11:00 Tour Kelvin Cooperage
11:00 Bus to Woodford Reserve (Versailles,
KY) NOTE: the bus will take a short cut
(Route 62 and pass buy Stone Castle the Old
Taylor distillery that closed in the 1960s
12:00 – 2:00 Lunch and tour of Woodford
Reserve / Labrot & Graham
2:15 Buses leave for Buffalo Trace
(Frankfurt)
3:00 – 4:00 Tour Buffalo Trace
4:15 Buses leave for Bardstown to visit
Kentucky Bourbon Distillery
5:00 – 6:00 Tour Kentucky Bourbon
8:00 Tasting at the Holiday Inn
Friday, March 30th
Distilling Demonstrations at Huber Starlight
Distillery
7:30, 7:45 & 8:00 Buses to Huber Starlight
Distillery (Borden, IN)
9:00 Michale Delevante discussion of rum
distilling in the Caribbean
10:00 – 12:00 Rum distillation demonstration
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch at Huber Starlight
Distillery
1:00 Joan Carpenter of TTB discusses
licensing your distillery 2:00 Second rum
distilling demonstration
3:00 – 5:00 Vendor booths open
5:00 Rum Tasting and Banquet Dinner at Huber
Starlight Distillery
8:00 Buses leave for Holiday Inn
Saturday, March 30th
Conference at Huber Starlight Distillery
7:30, 7:74, & 8:00 pm Buses leave Holliday
Inn for Huber Starlight Distillery
8:15-9:15 Vendor booths open / Coffee
9:15 Pennfield Jensen, Vice President of the
American Distilling Institute welcomes you to
the 2007 Rum Distilling Conference
9:30 Phil Prichard, of Prichards’ Distillery,
pours and discusses distilling of light and
dark rums.
10:30Rum Panel: Kevin Settles of Bardenay
Distillery, Nahor Gustavo Lanza Luz de Faria
(Brazil) , Paul Case of Kolani Distillers,
(Hawaii)and Jay Harman of Triple Eight
Distillery (Nantucket) 11:15 Speaker
Wayne Curtis, author of And a
Bottle of Rum.
12:00 pm Lunch / Vendor Booths Open
1:30—2:30 pm Theo Lioutas discusses, What’s
Happening in the Barrel?10:30 Speaker Wayne
Curtis, author of And a
Bottle of Rum.
3:30—4:30 pm Wade Shanower Big Red Liquores
on “Marketing you spirits.”
4:00--4:30 pm Rum awards.
5:00 Rum tasting and banquet dinner10:30
Speaker Wayne Curtis, author of And a
Bottle of Rum.
8:00 Return to Holliday / Free
evening
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The Distiller’s Glossary
By Alan S. Dikty
International Beverage Technologies, LLC
Agitator: A device such as a stirrer that
provides complete mixing and uniform
dispersion of all components in a mixture.
Agitators are generally used continuously
during the cooking process and intermittently
during fermentation.
Alcohol: The family name of a group of
organic chemical compounds composed of
carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; includes
methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, and
others.
Applejack: In its original meaning fermented
hard apple cider that is partially frozen to
separate the water from the alcohol. In
modern terms it is the North American version
of apple brandy.
Atmospheric Pressure: Pressure of the air and
atmosphere surrounding us which changes from
day to day. It is equal to 14.7 PSI.
Auger: A rotating, screw-type device that
moves material through a cylinder. In alcohol
production, it is used to transfer grains
from storage to the grinding site to the
cooker.
Baker’s Yeast: Standard robust yeast used
openly by bakers, and quietly by many
distillers. The fermentation is quick and
violent, and the resulting beer is cloudy.
But that really doesn’t matter if you are
going to distill it.
Balling: On a hydrometer, the measurement of
the percent of sugar in a solution by weight.
See Brix.
Barrel: Varies depending on country. In U.S.
terms, a liquid measure equal to 42 American
gallons or about 306 pounds; one barrel
equals 5.6 cubic feet or .159 cubic meters.
Batch Distillation: A process in which the
liquid feed is placed in a single container
and the entire volume is heated, in contrast
to continuous distillation in which the
liquid is fed continuously through the still.
Batch Fermentation: Fermentation conducted
from start to finish in a single vessel.
Batch Process: Unit operation where one cycle
of feed stock preparation, cooking,
fermentation and distillation is completed
before the next cycle is started.
BATF: Formerly the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, and Firearms; under the U.S.
Department of Treasury. Responsible for the
issuance of permits, both experimental and
commercial, for the production of alcohol.
The guns have been removed and the agency has
been renamed the TTB, the Tobacco and
Taxation Bureau.
Beer: A general term for all fermented malt
beverages flavored with hops. A low level (6
to 12 percent) alcohol solution derived from
the fermentation of mash by microorganisms.
For distillers the initial fermented grain
solution that is distilled. See Wash.
Beer Still: The stripping section of a
distillation column for concentrating
ethanol.
Boiler: A unit based to heat water to produce
steam for cooking and distillation processes.
Bourbon: Whiskey produced within the United
States from a mash containing a minimum of
51% corn and then aged for a minimum of two
years in a new charred oak barrel. Bourbon
can be legally produced in any state.
Brandy: Generally speaking the result of
distilling any fermented fruit wine.
Specifically the result of distilling grape
wine. Fruit Brandies are made from fruits
other than grapes, while Fruit-Flavored
Brandies are usually grape brandy with added
fruit flavors. See Eau de Vie and Grappa.
Brewing: Generically, the entire beer-making
process, but technically only the part of the
process during which the beer wort is cooked
in a brew kettle and during which time the
hops are added. After brewing the beer is
fermented. In a grain distillery the
fermented wort or wash is frequently referred
to as beer.
Bubble-cap Trays: Cross flow trays usually
installed in rectifying columns handling
liquids free of suspended solids. The bubble
caps consist of circular cups inverted over
small vapor pipes. The vapor from the tray
below passes through the vapor pipes into the
caps and curves downward to escape below the
rim into the liquid. The rim of each cap is
slotted or serrated to break up the escaping
vapor into small bubbles, thereby increasing
the surface area of the vapor as it passes
through the liquid.
Cane Spirit: The broad term for spirits
distilled from fermented sugar cane juice.
See Cachaca and Rum.
Cachaca: Unaged, raw sugar cane spirit from
Brazil, usually mixed with neutral grain
spirit from other sources.
Cognac: By legal definition grape brandy from
the Cognac region of France.
Column: A vertical, cylindrical vessel used
to increase the degree of separation of
liquid mixtures by distillation or
extraction.
Compound: A chemical term denoting a
combination of two or more distinct elements.
Concentration: The ratio of mass or volume of
solute present in a solution to the amount of
solvent. The quantity of ethyl alcohol (or
sugar) present in a known quantity of water.
Condenser: A heat transfer device that
reduces a thermodynamic fluid from its vapor
phase to its liquid phase.
Continuous Fermentation: A steady state
fermentation system that operates without
interruption; each stage of fermentation
occurs in a separate section of the
fermenter, and flow rates are set to
correspond with required residence times.
Cooker: A tank or vessel designed to cook a
liquid or extract or digest solids in
suspension; the cooker usually contains a
source of heat; and is fitted with an
agitator.
Cooking: The process that breaks down the
starch granules in the grain making the
starch available for the liquefaction and
saccharification steps.
Coproducts: The resulting substances and
materials that accompany the production of
ethanol by fermentation process.
Corn Whiskey (Likker): Legally: Minimum 80%
corn mash whiskey, aged a minimum of two
years in used wooden barrels. Illegally: The
fresh-from-the-still original version of
Moonshine. See Moonshine.
Cross Flow Trays: Liquid flows across the
tray and over a weir to a downcomer that
carries it to the next lower tray. Vapors
rise from the bottom of the column to the top
passing through the tray openings and the
pools of cross-flowing liquid.
Denature: The process of adding a substance
to ethyl alcohol to make it unfit for human
consumption; the denaturing agent may be
gasoline or other substances specified by the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
Dewatering: To remove the free water from a
solid substance.
Distillate: That portion of a liquid which is
removed as a vapor and condensed during a
distillation process.
Distillation: The process of separating the
components of a mixture by differences in
boiling point; a vapor is formed from the
liquid by heating the liquid in a vessel and
successively collecting and condensing the
vapors into liquids.
Eau de Vie: Colorless fruit brandy such as
Kirshwasser from the Schwartzwald in Germany.
Ethanol: The alcohol product of fermentation
that is used in alcohol beverages and for
industrial purposes; chemical formula blended
with gasoline to make gasohol; also known as
ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol.
Ethyl Alcohol: A flammable organic compound
formed during sugar fermentation. It is also
called ethanol, grain alcohol, or simply
alcohol.
Evaporation: The conversion of a liquid to
the vapor state by the addition of latent
heat or vaporization.
Fermentation: A microorganically mediated
enzymatic transformation of organic
substances, especially carbohydrates,
generally accompanied by the evolution of a
gas. The process in which yeast turns the
sugars present on malted grains into alcohol
and carbon dioxide.
Gasohol (Gasahol): Registered trade names for
a blend of 90% unleaded gasoline with 10%
fermentation ethanol.
Gasoline: A volatile, flammable liquid
obtained from petroleum that has a boiling
range of approximately 29-216 degrees Celsius
and is used for fuel for spark ignition
internal combustion engines.
Gin: White spirit flavored with juniper berry
and other “botanicals.”
Head: The end (enclosure) of a cylindrical
shell. The most commonly used types of heads
are hemispherical, ellipsoidal, flanged and
dished (semispherical), conical and flat.
Heads: The initial run of distillate at the
start of the distillation process. Heads are
usually returned to the still for
redistillation.
Heat Exchanger: A unit that transfers heat
from one liquid (or vapor) to another without
mixing the fluids. A condenser is one type of
heat exchanger.
Hops: The dried blossom of the female hop
plant, which is a climbing herb (Humulus
lupulus). Aged hops are used by some whiskey
distillers in the mashing process.
Lautering: The process of straining wort in a
lauter tun before it is cooled in the brew
kettle.
Lauter Tun: The vessel used in brewing
between the mash tun and the brew kettle. It
separates the barley husks from the clear
liquid wort. The barley husks themselves help
provide a natural filter bed through which
the wort is strained. This filtration is
frequently skipped in grain distillation.
Mash: A mixture, consisting of crushed grains
and water, that can be fermented to produce
ethyl alcohol.
Mashing: The process by which barley malt is
mixed with water and cooked to turn soluble
starch into fermentable sugar. Other cereal
grains, such as corn and rice, may also be
added. After mashing in a mash tun, the mash
is filtered through a lauter tun, where upon
it becomes known as wort.
Methyl Alcohol: A poisonous type of alcohol,
also known as Wood Alcohol. Produced as a
byproduct of the fermentation of starch or
cellulose. Methyl alcohol is not produced by
fermenting sugar, and only minimally from
fruit wine.
Mezcal: Distilled spirit from the pulp of the
agave plant, produced in Mexico outside of
the designated Tequila production area. See
Tequila.
Moonshine: Originally minimally-aged corn
whiskey produced illegally in the Appalachian
Mountain region of the Southern United
States. Modern Moonshine is usually made from
fermented sugar water. See Corn Whiskey.
Pot: A hollow vessel more deep than broad.
Pressure Vessel: A metal container generally
cylindrical or spheroid, capable of
withstanding various loadings.
Prohibition: The process by which a
government prohibits its citizens from buying
or possessing alcoholic beverages.
Specifically, the Prohibition refers to the
period between the effective date of the 18th
Amendment to the US Constitution (16 January
1920) and its repeal by the 21st Amendment.
Repeal took effect on 5 December 1933,
although it passed Congress in February and
the sale of beer was permitted after 7 April
1933.
Proof: Alcohol containing 50% Alcohol by
Volume (ABV) is called 100 U.S. proof spirit.
U.S. proof is twice the percentage of spirit
by volume.
Rectification: With regard to distillation,
the selective increase of the concentration
of the lower volatile component in a mixture
by successive evaporation and condensation.
Rectifying Column: The portion of a
distillation column above the feed tray in
which rising vapor is enriched by interaction
with a countercurrent falling stream of
condensed vapor.
Rye Whiskey: Whiskey containing a minimum of
51% Rye grain, aged for at least two years in
a new charred oak barrel. Rye Whiskey, which
was the original whiskey in Colonial America,
has a dry, hard-edged palate, and is nowadays
primarily blended into other types of whiskey
to give them more character.
Shell: Structural element made to enclose
some space. Most of the shells are generated
by the revolution of a plane curve.
Shower Type Trays: These trays do not have
downcomers. The liquid level results from the
pressure drop caused by the counter-flowing
streams.
Sieve Trays: Sieve trays are usually cross
flow type perforated with small holes. Sieve
trays are sometimes used for feeds that tend
to deposit solids or polymerize in the
column.
Sight Gauge: A clear calibrated cylinder
through which liquid level can be observed
and measured.
Slobber Box: Pressure relief and particulate
matter filter chamber located between the
still and condenser coils on a pot still.
Still: An apparatus for distilling liquids,
particularly alcohols; it consists of a
vessel in which the liquid is vaporized by
heat, and a cooling device in which the vapor
is condensed.
Stripping Column: The section of the
distillation column in which the alcohol
concentration in the starting beer solution
is decreased. This section is below the beer
injection point.
Stripping Section: The section of a
distillation column below the feed in which
the condensate is progressively decreased in
the fraction of more volatile component by
stripping.
Tank: A vessel of large size to contain
liquids.
Tails: The final discharge of the
distillation process, tails contain
undesirable flavor elements (congeners) and
fusel oils, and are usually discarded.
Tequila: Distilled spirit from the fermented
pulp of the agave plant, produced by legal
definition only in certain designated areas
in and around the Mexican state of Jalisco.
See Mezcal.
Tunnel Cap Trays: Tunnel cap trays are
similar to bubble cap trays except that they
are rectangular.
Valve Trays: Valve trays are cross flow trays
with large perforations that are covered with
flat plates. The cover plates are free to
move vertically and thus permit the passage
of ascending vapors.
Vaporization: The process of converting a
compound from a liquid or solid state to the
gaseous state. Alcohol is vaporized during
the distillation.
Vessel: A container or structural envelope in
which material are processed, treated or
stored; for example, pressure vessels,
reactor vessels, agitator vessels, and
storage vessels (tanks).
Vodka: In U.S. terms, colorless, odorless,
tasteless neutral spirit. Foreign Vodkas can
retail flavor elements, particularly if
pot-distilled.
Wash: In distilling, the liquid produced by
the fermentation process, which is then
distilled to concentrate the alcohol. See
Beer.
Worm: Copper condenser coils suspended in a
vessel of continuously flowing cold water,
used as part of a pot still.
Wort: An oatmeal-like substance consisting of
water and mash barley in which soluble starch
has been turned into fermentable sugar during
the mashing process. The liquid remaining
from a brewing mash preparation following the
filtration of fermentable beer. In grain
distillation the wort or mash is frequently
fermented and then distilled without
filtration.
Yeast: The enzyme-producing one-celled fungi
of the genus Saccharomyces that is added to
wort before the fermenting process for the
purpose of turning fermentable sugar into
alcohol and carbon dioxide.
We thank Vendome Copper & Brass Works for
their input into the text of this
glossary. 30 ====================
-30-
Give Away Free Spirits
To all US Microdistilleries
I love what Riannon does but unlike the
Scotch guys we need to tell her we will not
PAY to GIVE AWAY FREE SPIRITS
and we should not PAY to SPEAK
which is her current practice at the Whisky
events
Thanks Brendan Moylan
ps. I would love to hear other peoples
opinions on this please forward to other
microdistillers (or) contact me at
moylans1@verizon.net
=====================

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Making Rum |
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MAKING RUM
Rum is an aromatic spirit that’s distilled in
a pot still, or a reflux still operated in a
low-separation mode. The distillation
process is the same as that for whiskey,
except rum is distilled from a cane-sugar
substrate, whereas whiskey is distilled from
grain mash. After distillation, the rum is
diluted and infused with burnt sugar (i.e.
caramel) to give it its characteristic
dark-rum flavour and colour. Some rums are
oak aged before they are infused with burnt
sugar.
The intensity of the rum flavour is a
function of the proportion of molasses in the
mix. Straight molasses and water would yield
a very rich, intense rum flavour. Whereas,
say ¼ molasses and ¾ white sugar would
produce a much milder-flavoured rum.
Individual distillers can adjust the
proportions of molasses and sugar to their
preference. Also, raw cane sugars such as
demara, turbinado, or simply “brown sugar”
are types of sugar that still have molasses
mixed in them in varying proportions, and are
widely used to make rum. However, most
distillers find that blending molasses and
white sugar affords better control over the
proportion of molasses.
To make rum on a small scale, a
home-distiller or micro-distiller can ferment
a mixture of molasses, sugar, and water and
distil it as an aromatic spirit, then add
some caramel made by boiling sugar and water
until it burns to a deep, dark brown colour.
A recipe for a medium-bodied dark rum
follows.
Ingredients
• 6 gal (23L) Warm water
• 6 Lbs (2.75K) Fancy molasses (i.e. good
quality table molasses)
• 4.5 Lbs (2K) White sugar
• 10-tsp (50g) Diammonium phosphate (DAP),
or Distiller’s Nutrient
• 6-tsp (30g) Whiskey yeast, or 1 pkg of
whiskey yeast for 25L
Method
Place all ingredients except the water and
the yeast in a 7.5 gal (30L) fermenter. Add
3 gal (12L) of warm water and mix thoroughly
to dissolve the ingredients. Fill up the
fermenter with water to 6 gal (23L). The SG
should be about 1.070. Ensure the
temperature is under 100 oF (38 oC) and mix
in the yeast. Keep the fermenter lightly
covered (i.e. such that the CO2 pressure can
escape) and in an ambient temperature of
between 80 and 90 oF (27 and 33 oC).
Fermentation should take 7 to 10 days. The
SG at the end of fermentation (i.e. after
bubbling stops) should be about 1.000 or
less.
Siphon the clear liquid off the sediment into
a pot still, or whatever still you will be
using. Do a crude beer-strippping run on it
and continue the distillation until the total
distillate received (i.e. low-wines) is down
to 25% abv.
Clean the still out thoroughly, and place the
low-wines back in the still. Bring the still
to boil at a heat level suitable for running
off an aromatic spirit.
When the distillate begins to run, receive
the first spirit (i.e. heads) into a receiver
labeled “Heads”. Begin smelling a tasting
the spirit right away, and when the ester and
acetone smell and taste subside, begin-cut to
the hearts phase. Switch to a separate
receiver for the hearts. This begin-cut will
take place at between 80 and 85% abv,
depending on the still.
Continue to smell and taste the spirit
periodically as it’s dripping out of the
still during the hearts phase, and monitor
the still-head temperature. As the
temperature tops over 90 oF (33 oC), watch
out for taste changes in the flavour of the
spirit. Towards the end of the hearts phase,
the spirit will start losing its sweetness
and begin taking on a grainy, unpleasant
flavour. This is the point where the run is
end-cut to the tails phase. Switch the
receiver to a tails collector. The end-cut
will typically take place when the evolving
distillate is at about 65%, and the head
temperature is around 92 oF (33.5 oC).
The hearts phase is the rum and it will be
between 70 and 77% abv. Dilute the rum to
bottling strength (i.e. 40 or 50% abv), and
begin preparing the caramel.
To make the caramel, mix about 3.5 ounces
(100g) of white sugar with enough warm water
to dissolve it, then bring it to boil.
Simmer the mixture gently until it begins to
turn yellow. Continue to simmer but watch
the colour change carefully. The colour will
become a deeper yellow, then brown, then dark
brown. For rum the caramel must be burnt
much darker than for candy apples, or other
applications of caramel. When it’s a light
brown colour, take it off the heat and
continue to watch the colour change. When
the caramel is a very dark brown, almost
black, cool it in cold water to halt the
burning. When cooled, this caramel will be a
very dark, hard, glassy sugar crystal.
Dissolve the caramel in the rum until the
colour of the rum is at the desired level.
For example, for an amber rum there should be
enough caramel to give the rum the
characteristic amber colour. For a navy rum
or black rum, add enough caramel to render
the rum very dark, almost opaque.
Ian Smiley =======================

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Back issues |
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http://distilling.com/backissues.html ====================
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TTB Permits |
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--To obtain a distilled spirits permit go to:
http://www.ttb.gov/spirits/index.shtml
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--To obtain TTB list of DSPs go to:
http://www.ttb.gov/foia/distillerpermits.xls
=====================
--To obtain TTB statistics on distilling go to:
www.ttb.gov then scroll down to "spirits" and
then the "year".
=====================
--To obtain Distilled Spirits Laws and
Regulations go to:
http://www.ttb.gov/spirits/spirits_regs.shtml
=====================
--To obtain label regulations go to:
http://www.ttb.gov/spirits/bam.shtml
distilled spirits manual circular.
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Join the American Distilling Institute |
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Membership dues are used to support
the American
Distilling Institute's efforts to educate and
inform
the public about craft distilling.
Benefits of
membership are: a discount to attend the
April 2007
conference, the DISTILLER newsletters, the
web site
password and the Annual Distiller's Resource
Directory.
American Distiller Membership, 2007 is
$250
Pay by check our use
PayPal to join the Institute. ==========
USD
Click the PayPal Logo to register for the "RUM" conference.
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