"Hey Letcher,

I'm by no means a Rum master but I've had a few successful runs. I use a pretty simple process.
If possible, use only molasses. Brown sugar is actually unprocessed sugar containing molasses in its raw form. the more brown sugar you use the less potent I find the flavor is. I guess its due to the ""raw"" sugar content.

I dilute the molasses/sugar in warm water and let it cool to the specifications of your yeast packet.
I try for about 1.15 - 1.2 initial gravity. Makes for a mot more potential alcohol and (depending on the yeast) usually leaves some sugar residue on the wash, giving the rum a little bit of a sweeter profile.

the flavor profile is defined in your collection method and the cuts you make. there are plenty of complicated formulas for the cuts and cut mixing you need to for rum, But if its your first time I'd go for the simple method:
if you want a lighter Rum, reflux your wash and collect to when your thermometer shows 82c. for a darker Rum, collect to the 90c.

I would highly recommend stacking your column with copper mesh. Rum fermentation produces quite a bit of solfites that can ruin the flavor. Copper will help soak those out of your gasses as they run through.

the esters in Rum take quite a while to break down. I find the Rum gets to a ""drinkable"" stage after 3-6 months.

Also, aging in charged oak will help it mature a little faster and give it more of that dark Rum color and flavor if you're into that sort of thing.

I tend to separate my final collection into smaller jars and experiment with flavorings. honey, cinnamon and cloves work very well with rum.

hope this helps.

Cheers!"