Rum

We bought a still from Corson as well. We also posted a bit about our experience on adiforums. It was removed at the request of Corson. I am not going to do a full review today, but just wanted to add one picture to give you a taste of the experience. The attached picture is how we have to clamp down the manhole covers on the thumpers to avoid leaking vapors. The manhole covers have been just one of the areas on this still that needed work. I will share with you some detail on the issues we had in this one area. The gaskets that they arrived with were not a solid vulcanized piece. They were cut and left with at least a 1/4" gap where you would expect the ends to meet. The ends were cut quite rough. They leaked vapors into the air at rapid pace. We replaced them with the proper gaskets but that didn't fix the leaking vapor problem completely. We still need to grind down the stainless manhole top edges to fix bumps caused by the welds that do not allow a seal to easily happen. We will probably also need to remove the bottom parts of the still's clamping apparatus and weld them into the proper place because they are not aligned. We added hardened washers to stop the grind of metal on metal when tightening down the manholes. We will be replacing the screws with more appropriate threads for this type of application. We will also be adding better handles that make it easier to clamp the manholes down. We had to drill new holes in the arms that hold the covers as the covers would not close properly as attached because the original holes were not drilled in the correct spot. They had told me that they would do a test run of the still before shipping. Clearly that did not happen. We did not ask Corson to fix these parts under warranty so I cannot say what their response would have been. We did send them a partial list of problems that we ran into but did not get a reply. We were quite frustrated with all of the things that needed to be fixed on a brand new still. We chose the quick way to get the still up and running by utilizing a local fabrication shop to fix the multitude of problems. The still had arrived so far beyond it's deadline that we didn't want to wait for warranty repairs. They were good about sending out needed parts that we requested, but I had no confidence in their desire or capability to fix the other problems that we ran into. If they knew how to do it right you would expect it to come out of the shop that way. Our still was already overdue by a few months in April of 2016 when the project manager wrote in email that he expected it to be done in 2 - 3 weeks. In June we were told via email that it was 5 to 10 days until completion. In July we were told it would ship before the end of the month. We didn't receive it until the end of December, 2016. We were jokingly thinking of naming the still "7 to 10" because we were told on several occasions that is how many days until it would be done. I could go on in more detail about other issues with the still, customer service, and delivering the still anywhere near the contractual date but I will leave that for another time. It is all very well documented.

We use Whiskey Systems and couldn't be happier with the product and the service.

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. The Jamaican rum distilleries will tell you that dunder is stillage. When left to biological activity it is referred to as a muck pit. There is a lot of disagreement and confusion on the meaning of the different terms so there may not be a consensus. I am going to go with the definitions of the Jamaicans since they are the ones using the muck pits that many mistakenly (in my belief) call dunder.

Trident built us a carbon filter housing. Works great. We built a bracket to hold it that is attached to a rod going through a 6 x 6. That way we can turn it upside down to empty it. If you build it yourself make sure that the rum enters from the bottom and exits from the top. We have the ability to run r/o water through to rinse the carbon as well. Use granulated carbon. Powdered is a PIA.

We put the dunder into the mash tank with the molasses while it is hot from the still. No bacteria is living in it at that point. When distilleries use a muck pit they want the bacteria to be alive as it goes into the fermentors.

I'm not going to address if the cost makes sense for small startups. In the beginning most of us need to save dollars wherever we can. For those that are beyond that point and are actively considering packaged solutions I want to put in a good word for Whiskey Systems. The software itself has saved us a ton of time vs all of the spreadsheets we had used previously. Not only is it easier for multiple users to enter info, but we have far better records if we ever run into a TTB audit. The service has been nothing short of incredible. The developers have been extremely available and helpful. They went way beyond the normal help in setting up a software system and practically became TTB reporting consultants. The pricing and contract are both very reasonable. One of their competitors gave us a contract that calculated volumes in ways that seemed designed to extract every penny possible in the way they calculated sales volumes (and therefore your monthly charge). The competitor also had a disparagement clause in the contract. That means that if you are not happy with their software you are not allowed to tell anyone or they can sue you. That clause alone was a huge red flag and a deal killer for me. The whiskey systems guys strike me as wanting to provide a great product at a reasonable price. They are a software driven company, not a sales driven company. The particular competitor that we looked at seemed designed to extract every penny that they could and struck me as a sales organization that just happened to be providing a software product for distilleries.

We use Reed Wax for a special run of about 1100 bottles once a year. We put it on thick and double dip the bottles. We also put it most of the way down the neck. All that means we use a lot of wax per bottle. I roughly estimate that we use a pound of wax for every 12 to 18 bottles. Picture of our bottles attached to give you an idea how much wax we use.

In my understanding the term dunder refers to rum stillage. I think that it generally means what is left after a stripping run not a spirits run. The pits used to create high ester Jamaican style rums are generally referred to as muck pits. They contain dunder as well as many other things. A great article on the subject is http://cocktailwonk.com/2016/03/days-of-dunder-setting-the-record-straight-on-jamaican-rums-mystery-ingredient.html

Is this the stuff you are referring to: http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=452 Or is there a special high temp version?

We don't have an automated line but we use an oil free air compressor for our bottle cleaning equipment. It is from California Air Tools. I believe that it cost about $1100. We also use an air driven pump and corking machine. You can use a regular air compressor for other machines in the line that don't require oil free. The regular big compressors are a lot less expensive than the oil free ones.

Ah, I see that Norit Corp was purchased by Cabot Corp a few years ago. Yes, that is the company that I was referring to. They have a broad line of activated carbons for almost any purpose. I personally prefer working with granulated carbon as opposed to powdered. The powdered is extremely messy.

Talk to Norit. They have carbon designed to remove color and not affect flavor.

Would you be interested in relocating to Sarasota, Florida?

Forgot to mention - the speed that we run the two bottle air rinser at perfectly matches how fast we fill bottles on the six bottle Mori. One person operates each. We can put through about one 12 pack case per minute. We have a stainless filter housing from TCW inline. It can hold a 20 inch filter but we generally use a 10 inch. We also went with the compressed air driven pump so it can be used safely with high proof spirits.

We use a six head Mori filler. We are very happy with it overall other than trying to make fine adjustments on the fill level. We air rinse our bottles with an ionized air washer. Our bottles come without any oily coating or major debris in them. We find that during shipping cardboard bits from the boxes will get into some of the bottles. The ionized air cleaner defeats static electricity and blows out the pieces. The one we use is from CCR Engineering. It works great other than the plastic pieces in the nozzles blowing out on occasion. http://designccr.com/systems/ionized-bottle-cleaner/

Are you looking to relocate or only considering positions in MN?

Might want to ask your activated carbon supplier that question also. Most work better at a lower abv threshold. 60% or lower is probably a good place to begin testing.

No, that is not correct. Bottle size can be changed without a new COLA. I will have to look up the specific reg, but we have been through that already. No need to get a new COLA for a new standard bottle size.

It is easy to do, but time consuming. We use wax on our flagship rum. We only made 1100 bottles this year though so it wasn't too bad. I would be careful using it for a product that you expect to do large volumes of unless you don't mind hiring some extra help to do the dipping. It will take a lot longer than other methods of sealing the top as well. We use Reed wax. I can get you contact info if needed.

Siesta Key rum is expanding again and we need to add an Assistant Distiller to our team. Our distillery was named the best rum distillery in America by the Caribbean Journal in 2015. Our spiced rums took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the blind taste test competition at the Rum Renaissance festival in 2015. Our Distiller's Reserve Spiced rum was awarded a 94 point rating by the spirits editor at Wine Enthusiast magazine. And more.... Our current need is for someone experienced in brewing or distilling in a professional environment. We are a small but rapidly growing company. That means that you will be called upon to do all kinds of things. This will include distilling, proofing, bottling, using a forklift, filtering, cleaning, maintaining and fixing equipment, and whatever else is needed. We will provide on the job training. You must have enthusiasm for making great rums! A positive and outgoing personality will go a long way. The ability to help out in the tasting room if needed and give occasional tours is a plus. This is not a punch in - punch out, 9 to 5 opportunity. The hours will vary and will include many evenings and weekends. The great part about that is you can go to the beach when it’s not crowded! To be considered you must have experience distilling or brewing in a professional capacity. You can learn more about us on our facebook page at www.facebook.com/siestakeyrum or our website. www.siestakeyrum.com. Please send your resume/cover letter and salary requirement range to troy@siestakeyrum.com

This position has been filled.

We have an agreement for shipping alcohol with FedEx. Ours does not allow for shipping to consumers. Not sure if all of their agreements are like that. If you do start to ship you need to find info on the state laws. We have a retailer who ships to most states but will not ship to 6 or 7 of them due to the state laws. Shipping into some states will get you trouble.

Be happy to see you Pete! Let me know when you are coming to be sure I am there.

***This position has been filled*** Siesta Key rum is expanding and we need to add to our team. We produce quality, award winning rums in beautiful Sarasota, Florida. Our current need is for an experienced distiller. We need someone with experience in professional craft distilling who can hit the ground running. You will be working daily with the founder/head distiller and (currently) one assistant distiller. We are a small but rapidly growing company. That means that you will be called upon to do all kinds of things. This will include fermenting, distilling, proofing, record keeping, bottling, using a forklift, filtering, barreling, cleaning, maintaining and fixing equipment, and whatever else is needed. Experience managing people is a plus. Mechanical aptitude with the ability to fix broken things is a big plus. You must have enthusiasm for making great rums! A positive and outgoing personality will go a long way. This is not a punch in - punch out, 9 to 5 opportunity. The hours will vary and most likely will include some evenings and weekends. The great part about that is you can go to the beach when it’s not crowded! To be considered you must have significant experience distilling in a professional capacity. You can learn more about us on our facebook page at www.facebook.com/siestakeyrum or our website. www.siestakeyrum.com. Please send your resume and salary requirement range to troy@siestakeyrum.com

We use the bottlematic also. Great machine and outstanding support.