AMERICA'S SPIRIT

Louisiana’s Bayou is bringing back American rum

During the 18th Century, molasses would find its way sailing to North America in exchange for the various products the West Indian islands needed. By the time of the American Revolution in 1776 around 160 distilleries were turning these molasses into rum. It was only once trade between the British colonies and the newly independent USA ceased that whiskey emerged as the dominant American spirit.

The founders of Bayou (Skip Cortese, Trey Litel and Tim Litel) sensed an opportunity in 2011 to shift that balance again when they decided upon crafting a Louisiana rum. It was 2013 when the Bayou Rum Distillery, part of Louisiana Spirits, opened its doors in Lacassine, and today their rum is available across the world.

The two men behind rum production at Bayou are Jeff Murphy, master distiller, and Reiniel Vicente Diaz, master blender. Murphy joined Bayou in 2012 having served in the U.S. Navy during the early 1990s. He gained experience in brewing during stints at Singapore-based breweries The Pump Room and Archipelago Brewing Company.

On his return to America, Murphy took up a role with Rebecca Creek Distillery in San Antonio, Texas, distilling whiskey and vodka, before a move to Massachusetts to help launch Privateer Rum.

Vicente joined Bayou a year later than Murphy. Reiniel grew up amongst the art of rum production in Sancti Spíritus, Cuba, a city surrounded by sugarcane fields, mills and rum distillation. His father, Omar Vicente was master blender at a Cuban rum distillery for 15 years. Omar relocated the family to the Dominican Republic and at age 16 Reiniel began working alongside his father in the preparation and tasting of rums at the Oliver & Oliver rum company.

Reiniel studied chemical engineering at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, where married to his significant experience in the industry, he found opportunities to work with several Dominican rum companies. Today, he is responsible for developing Bayou’s rums.

These rums developed by Murphy and Vicente are distilled from locally grown sugarcane. The molasses come from one of