Sometimes destiny can unexpectedly shift like the weather, and this was the case for rum production in Louisiana. When Louisiana was under French dominion in the 17th and 18th centuries, sugarcane was a key commodity in the local economy thanks to the area’s high humidity, damp soil, and sultry summertime climate. Rum production emerged as a cottage industry, as the spirit was the drink of choice among discerning early colonists.
However, rum’s growth potential was no match for the tides of history. After the Revolutionary War, whiskey emerged as the more dominant spirit. During the Civil War, sugar mills were destroyed by Union troops to cripple the Southern economy. Prohibition all but wiped out what was left in the early 20th century. And yet, not all was lost as the legend behind Louisiana rum lingered. Bolstered by the craft spirits movement of the past decade, a new generation of entrepreneurs are in the midst of resurrecting rum production.
The Players
Some rum producers whose demand has reached beyond Louisiana’s borders include Oxbow Rum Distillery (now in Texas and Georgia), NOËL Family Distillery (Florida and available for shipping to 42 states), and Roulaison (Illinois, New York, California, Florida, and Arkansas). Porchjam Distillery, producer of Cheramie Rum, is in the process of forging distribution deals for seven states. Bayou Rum, produced by Louisiana Distillers, is now available in 48 states and distributed through The Stoli Group. Wildcat Brothers Distillers, Sugarfield Spirits Co., Happy Raptor, Borasso, and micro-distillery/restaurant Lula’s are small batch producers whose products are generally available only within Louisiana but are gaining attention among rum enthusiasts elsewhere.
The Louisiana Distillers Guild, founded in 2018, is populated with board members who also happen to be producers with a vested interest in creating word-of-mouth for their high-quality spirits. Leading members Andrew Lohfeld (Roulaison), Olivia Stewart (Oxbow), Mark Taliancich (Happy Raptor Distilling), and Thomas Soltau (Sugarfield Spirits) are as hands-on with advocating for their collective success at home and in Washington, DC while staying on top of their production and quality. They are also collectively invested in encouraging bar/restaurant decision makers, bartenders, and rum enthusiasts beyond their state to hit the Louisiana Rum Trail because of its deep dive into the spirit’s storied past, the contributions of sugarcane farmers and rum producers, and even scientific innovations made by some of the master distillers.
Land of Plenty
Olivia Stewart, a next-level multitasker, deftly juggles her roles as president of Oxbow Rum Distillery, vice president of the Louisiana Distillers Guild, and keeper of the legacy of the sugarcane farm that’s been in her family since 1859...which also provides the raw material for Oxbow. These fit into her objective of making Louisiana the ultimate American rum destination.
“We have the highest concentration of sugar mills and family-owned farms here in South Louisiana today, so it only makes sense that rum should be made here,” she says. “This tiny pocket of the world happens to rank fifth in international sugar production, and we are a source of envy for so many around the world in terms of how our cane grows here. While we have a hot, humid Caribbean summer, we also have cooler nighttime low temperatures and soil with a high sucrose content and water retention. This, and Louisiana’s rich history of growing sugarcane, is what makes rum production so special.”
“As Roulaison has been around for about seven years, I see it as a microcosm of our rum industry,” says Philadelphia native and Co-Founder/CEO Andrew Lohfeld, whose vision for a distillery rooted in New Orleans history and the pre-industrial sugarcane industry brought him down south for the next phase of his distilling career. “What really enamored me is the thriving cane industry, which is just as wildly underappreciated as the rums. While we're all doing something a little bit different, we’ve got this great opportunity to work directly with the stakeholders in the sugarcane industry.”
While New Orleans-based Seven Three Distilling’s Black Pearl rums are sold only in Louisiana, Luca Cutura, Seven Three Distilling’s head distiller/general manager and Louisiana Distillers Guild treasurer, is committed to getting the story of his rums out beyond Louisiana through his participation in spirits competitions and conventions. He believes developing relationships around the country and encouraging professionals to experience distilleries on the trail will help fuel growth.
“When you travel around Southern Louisiana and you see these sugar mills and distilleries, it’s all powered by people,” says Cutura. “They know how to work with their hands and work to make something out of nothing. We also help each other succeed from the science perspective [of the distillation process], as some members’ previous careers were in science-based professions.”
Thomas Soltau, Sugarfield’s head distiller and blender (also a noted full-time neonatologist), also places emphasis on science as the key to the brand’s growth. Making the fermentations and distillations better not only creates a better rum, but also a better back story customers can connect with. “[The] scientific approach is what I really like about this. As distillers, we are always happy, yet never content, which pushes us to make our rums better with every production. Jason Zeno [of Porchjam], who a master's degree in fermentation science, and I will talk on the phone or over a glass in person about the role of science in what we do.”
Josh Goldstein, Chief Revenue Officer at Sugarfield Rum, stresses that one of its key goals is crafting different styles of rum to exemplify how versatile sugarcane juice can be in the hands of a good master distiller. This, in turn, lends itself to making the Louisiana rum production landscape bigger than the sum of its distilleries.
“There's a difference of opinion among all of us [distillers] in what makes a rum artisanal, which I think is perfect,” says Goldstein. “If you go to five different wineries in Napa, they all have a difference of opinion about what makes good wine. [It's the same with] all of us here making this burgeoning rum area in South Louisiana a place with an interesting dynamic, with a terroir that's very different from other production areas, and the fact each distiller sources juice from different mills.”
Thinking Big, No Matter the Size
Mark Taliancich, whose Happy Raptor Distilling produces the 504 Rum portfolio, pointed out on his distillery tour that the company enhances the appeal of its rums for enthusiasts by incorporating locally sourced ingredients from the community, such as fruit, herbs, coffee, and other components for the flavored rums as well as a line of syrups.
“We work a good amount with the restaurants in the area,” says Emma Timken on behalf of Happy Raptor, regarding outreach and the effectiveness of word-of-mouth. “We want to be able to support our community as best as we can, and in turn, that helps our business as well. We started by just doing tastings at restaurants. From there, we get to know them and build a relationship. And at a certain point, if they have drinks on their menu that align with our rums, most of them will agree to buy [some bottles] and put us on their menu. So in addition to that, we also do a lot of work with local nonprofits in the food industry as well. One of our syrups, cucumber lemon mint, is a partnership with Sprout Nola, an urban grove farm community in New Orleans, with 100% of the proceeds going back to the organization.”
Porchjam CEO Gordon Stewart, in contrast, is setting his sights on broader commercial manufacturing. Rather than aim for small-batch spirits designed to satiate local demand, he sees, “white space to create a national-scale distillery. People see New Orleans as a city of consumption, but we have a rich history of production as well. I wanted to put something on the map the city could be proud of.”
“You have to know the market, and specifically where your product fits in it,” agrees Jason Zeno, Porchjam’s head of operations, noting Gordon Stewart’s business and marketing savvy is what helped lure him away from Jim Beam to focus on Cheramie Rum and the rest of the Porchjam portfolio.
“While we are working with bartenders to get into the cocktail programs of [New Orleans restaurants] like Cane & Table, Manolito, and Cure, it’s important that they know that we're very clear about where our supply chain comes from, where we are, who we are, and how we fit in that ecosystem,” says Zeno. “[It is part of a] renaissance that we are seeing, where more people are interested in a rum that’s really about them, not us. It is stated on every one of our bottles saying we are, ‘Exported from New Orleans.’ It opens up a lot of people's eyes to what rum could and should be.”
Lousiana Rum Recipes
“There is a widespread misconception about rum—that it is only meant for tropical beach drinks,” says Stewart. “It’s up to us to educate the average consumer that rum warrants a spot on the top shelf next to your single malts and allocated bourbons. Rums can be elegant, sipped, and appreciated slowly.”
Some of the vehicles used to get that message across throughout the trail include straightforward classic rum cocktails, riffs on drinks where rums are swapped with tequila, bourbon, or another spirit, and Tiki drinks tapping into rum’s Caribbean underpinnings.
Here are some rum recipes from Louisiana's top rum producers.
Daiquiri
Ingredients:
2 oz Sugarfield White Rum
½ oz lime juice
½ oz simple syrup
Directions:
- Shake and serve up in a coupe glass.
Recipe by Andrew Soltau, Sugarfield Spirits
Rum Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
2 oz Sugarfield Aged Rum
½ oz simple syrup
4 dashes of bitters
Directions:
- Stir all ingredients together
- Serve in a rocks glass over a large cube of ice
Recipe by Andrew Soltau, Sugarfield Spirits
Black Storm Cloud
Ingredients:
1½ oz NOËL 6 Year Rare Rum
½ oz Simple Syrup
Blackberries
Ginger Beer
Directions:
- Muddle blackberries
- Top the berries with crushed ice
- Strain the rest of the mix right on top, just barely stirring to allow the dark fruit to bleed up through the glass
Recipe by NOËL Family Distillery, Donaldsonville, La.
Rum Amaretto Sour
Ingredients:
1½ oz NOËL Tequila Cask Rum
1 oz Amaretto
½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
6 Luxardo Cherries
Directions:
- Muddle the Luxardo cherries in a cocktail shaker
- Add all other ingredients
- Shake until fully chilled
- Pour into a short glass over ice
- Garnish with lemon and cherries
Recipe by NOËL Family Distillery, Donaldsonville, La.
Bananas Foster Martini
Ingredients:
1½ oz NOËL Tequila Cask Finished Rum
1 oz Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane
½ oz Orgeat (almond) Syrup
½ oz Dry Curaçao
6 Drops Bittermns Tiki Bitters
Directions:
- Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker
- Add ice and shake
- Double strain into a coupe glass
- Garnish with a dried banana chip or fresh banana slices.
Recipe by NOËL Family Distillery, Donaldsonville, La.
Cucumber Mint Mojito
Ingredients:
2 oz 504 Silver Rum
¾ oz Pineapple juice
5-10 mint leaves
Directions:
Add the pineapple juice, 504 Cucumber Mint syrup, and mint leaves to a shaker and muddle well. Add 504Silver rum and shake well. Pour into a collins glass, top with soda water and garnish with mint!
Recipe by Logan Gross for Happy Raptor Distilling, New Orleans
The Lavender Daiquiri
2oz 504 Gold Rum
1oz Lemon juice
1oz 504 Lavender Lemon Peppercorn syrup
Directions:
- Add all the ingredients into your shaker with ice and shake until cold
- Strain into a chilled coupe glass
- Top with a lemon peel twist
Recipe by Logan Gross for Happy Raptor Distilling, New Orleans
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