^ My thoughts exactly!
Hell, maybe even splash a little bit of real rum in there after fermentation to add a more authentic flavor.
Well, after some research, a lot of companies are still making their rums combining them with rum that is decades old to add a more mature taste - a simple process of combining them to make one 10-year old tasting rum, rather than having rums that are a few years old and 30 years old. Not a bad idea if I can find a decent vintage! Woods could work too...plus it'll bring up the ABV
I have used Gervin High Alcohol Yeast before which wasn't bad, and can result around 18%
http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk...ervin_High_Alcohol_Yeast.html#a102045#a102045
One to try. My LHBS is closed mondays and I'm out all day tuesday, so wednesday is the earliest i could check this out...unless I started with a Montrachet, of course, and then restarted with a higher tolerance yeast.
I'm thinking of trying something basic with molasses, light brown sugar, honey and high alcohol yeast, and using bourbon-soaked oak chips to age. I figure this way there'll be a complex flavour which is what I want to achieve, quite worried that it will be boring to be honest. I should be able to get an idea for the taste after a few weeks, and can start another variant to see how it goes, or even rack that off into two secondaries and check out my other options. We're having some serious storms here at the moment too, and apparently rainwater is better for rum than our chemical-filled hard tap water. I reakon I could easily fill a gallon.
There's the option to flavour afterwards too. Caramel, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon all sound like they could be amazing added ingredients!
Lord I'm excited now. Time to write up some ideas...