Taste the Award Winning Spirits at Bayou Rum #VisitLakeCharles

Hello, Great Beer Now readers! This is the third in a multi- part series highlighting the Great Beer Now Boozy Bayou Beer Tour 2018, a beer and booze excursion that took me on a journey through the Lake Charles, Louisiana region and southeast Texas. It’s an area rich in local culture and customs and also home to some great breweries and distilleries. Cheers, and have fun following me on this Cajun- style adventure!

 

Louisiana means many things to many people. To outsiders, when we think about Louisiana we usually conjure up images of Mardi Gras and all- night revelry in the New Orleans French Quarter. Others who are more familiar with Louisiana might think about Zydeco music and Boudin sausage served straight from the grill. But Louisiana is also known for its agriculture and one of its chief crops is sugar cane. The abundance of sugar and importance of this crop to the local community led to the birth of Bayou Rum, a distillery located at 20909 S. Frontage Road in Lacassine, Louisiana, near Lake Charles.

Born on the Bayou

Bayou Rum, officially known as Louisiana Spirits LLC, came about as an ideal borne both in practicality and tradition when a trio of friends from Louisiana decided it was high time that their home state produce its own rum. After all, sugar cane had been an important agricultural crop for hundreds of years and since sugar cane is the primary ingredient in rum, it made sense that the area would have a full- fledged distillery to call its own. Pulling together resources and talents, the dream became reality with Bayou Run opened its doors in 2011.

Bayou Rum is housed in a large, attractive building and boasts state of the art equipment and processes. The distillery presently sells its rum in 44 states and 38 countries and is one of the most decorated rums in the nation and the world. There are presently 5 distilleries in Louisiana producing rum, but Bayou is the largest one dedicated completely to rum. At present, Bayou rum produces four products: Bayou Silver, Spiced, Satsuma, and Select. There are more rum styles and other related products on the horizon.

Guests visiting Bayou rum are encouraged to take one of the escorted tours. The tour begins with a video that talks about the business of rum and importance of sugar cane to the local area. Everyone is then taken on a walk through the distillery where they get to learn more about the company and its products. The tour ends in the tasting area where guests get to sample rum before purchasing a bottle or two to go along with one of the many available gifts in the large gift shop.

Keeping it Local

Bayou Rum is arguably the premiere craft spirit produced in the state of Louisiana. The business has been around for only a short time but has received countless accolades from professional tasters, critics, and casual fans alike who can’t seem to say enough good things about this Louisiana- based distillery and its commitment to local agriculture and community.

I visited Bayou Rum one afternoon and I was impressed the moment I arrived and continued to feel impressed all the way to the tasting room and beyond. Knowing that this distillery was relatively young, I assumed it was a small operation with a modest warehouse, tasting area, etc. You can imagine my pleasant surprise when I pulled into the parking lot and witnessed this distillery for the first time. It is large, well- equipped, and state- of- the- art in most every way. When I visited, they were in the process of expanding more with the construction of another building on the adjacent property- further proof of Bayou Rum’s popularity and commitment to excellence.

I got to chat with one of the founders of Bayou Rum, Trey Litel, about the business and its mission. Trey had spent many years working for Bacardi USA in sales/marketing and he was a longtime fan of rum. But he, like many others, was puzzled that there was no rum distillery in an area that seemed so perfect to have one. With so much sugar cane produced in Louisiana, it didn’t seem right that there wasn’t any distillery making rum from all of that cane. The owners realized their vision by opening Bayou Rum and they are committed to using only locally sourced sugar cane to produce the rum for the foreseeable future.

Bayou Rum distills four different flavors/varieties of rum at the moment. I liked the spiced rum best but all are remarkable in their own way. I learned, when I was there, that Bayou Rum has a special rum in the process to celebrate the 300^th anniversary of New Orleans. I also learned about other rum varieties in the pipeline, some of which may be available in stores very soon.

Louisiana will probably always be best known for its raucous Mardi Gras celebrations and for the all- night parties in the famous Louisiana French Quarter. But there is more to Louisiana than Mardi Gras and Bayou Rum is one of its highlights. This is a must- visit place for anyone who appreciates fine spirits and one of the highlights of any tour of Southwest Louisiana. Pay a visit to Bayou Rum the next time you’re in the Lake Charles, Louisiana area. And tell them Great Beer Now sent you.