Local Distillery Makes Bayou Rum

By Angie Kay Dilmore

I don't know why, but sometimes there are things that I really want to do, but it takes me way too long to get around to doing them. One example is the relatively new rum distillery down the road (I-10) from Lake Charles. Louisiana Spirits opened over a year ago. Touring the facility has been on my to-do list since then. My husband Bob and I finally made the trip to Lacassine recently.

This increasingly popular rum has been flying off the shelves at liquor stores and local establishments for several months.

Photo by Angie Kay Dilmore

Rum is made from sugarcane, which is one of Louisiana's primary crops. So it’s surprising to me that Louisiana Spirits is the only rum distillery in the state. They call their product "America's Rum" because they only use ingredients made in the United States. Most of the ingredients are locally grown and produced. They use unrefined granulated cane sugar and molasses from the Louisiana sugar mill, Patout and Sons, founded in 1829, making it the oldest family-owned sugar refinery in the United States.

The distillery offers tours, where you can learn all about the history of rum making in Louisiana (It started with the Jesuits in the 1700s) and the modern day process and methods of the present facility. They don't allow photo taking on the tour, but we could take pictures through this glass wall.

Photo by Angie Kay Dilmore

Photo by Angie Kay Dilmore

I learned things like rum is required to be at least 80 proof. And their production line can fill 22 bottles in a minute.

They do allow photo-taking in the gift shop. Prior to August, Louisiana Spirits sold only two varieties of rum -- Silver (plain) and Spiced. Their newest product is a Satsuma rum. Wow, is it yummy! We brought a bottle of that home with us. It is 60 proof, which makes it technically a liqueur. For non-Louisiana readers, a satsuma is similar to a mandarin orange and is native to the state.

Photo by Angie Kay Dilmore

They have a fourth rum in the works -- it's an aged rum. It ages in oak bourbon barrels from Kentucky for one year, so it won't be ready until December.

Naturally, at the end of the tour, there is tasting. Bob and I love the Spiced Rum.

Photo by Angie Kay Dilmore

Photo by Angie Kay Dilmore

One of the highlights of our tour was meeting Oscar, a one-month old raccoon who was rescued by the gentleman in the photo, Randy Harrah. Randy works at the distillery and calls himself the chief executive janitor. Oscar is as tame as a baby cat or dog. For now, anyway.

Photo by Angie Kay Dilmore

If you haven't yet been to Louisiana Spirits, it's worth the trip. Learn more on their website here.

To read more of Angie's adventures, check out her blog, angiekaydilmore.blogspot.com.