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Friday, September 12, 2014
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.
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| 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.
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| Photo by Angie Kay Dilmore |
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| 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.
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| 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.
Naturally, at the end of the tour, there is tasting. Bob and I love the Spiced Rum.
.JPG) |
| Photo by Angie Kay Dilmore |
.JPG) |
| 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.
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| 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.
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