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 around a year ago. Touring the facility has been on my list since then. Bob and I finally made the trip (about 20 minutes) yesterday.
Here's the billboard from I-10.
Rum is made from sugarcane. Sugarcane is one of Louisiana's primary crops. Surprisingly, 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 U.S. 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.
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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 the glass.
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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 this week, Louisiana Spirits sold only two varieties of rum -- Silver (plain) and Spiced. Their brand new product is a Satsuma rum. It won't be available in stores until August 1, but we brought a bottle home with us. Wow, is it yummy! It is 60 proof, which makes it technically a liqueur. For my non-Louisiana readers, a satsuma is similar to a mandarin orange and is native to the state.
They have a 4th 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.
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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.
If you haven't yet been to Louisiana Spirits, it's worth the trip. Learn more on their website here.
Here's the billboard from I-10.
Rum is made from sugarcane. Sugarcane is one of Louisiana's primary crops. Surprisingly, 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 U.S. 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 the glass.
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 this week, Louisiana Spirits sold only two varieties of rum -- Silver (plain) and Spiced. Their brand new product is a Satsuma rum. It won't be available in stores until August 1, but we brought a bottle home with us. Wow, is it yummy! It is 60 proof, which makes it technically a liqueur. For my non-Louisiana readers, a satsuma is similar to a mandarin orange and is native to the state.
They have a 4th 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.
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.
If you haven't yet been to Louisiana Spirits, it's worth the trip. Learn more on their website here.
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3 comments:
I see some black 'n' gold in that photo of the main entrance!
I don't know much about rum, but it's interesting that the Jesuits were the first producers in Louisiana.
Thanks for the tour!
CHM, I went to a Jesuit college. I'm not at all surprised. And here in Louisiana, black and gold represents the Saints!
Angie, I am loving your blog my co-worker from the tourist bureau, Amos Orr, just told me about. I'd love to speak to you directly. I just shared a link on the pizzeria on my twitter account, @GoLakeCharlesPR. Please contact me at mhartman@visitlakecharles.org or 800-456-7952 when time permits.
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