Sugarcane production is a crucial part of the economic history of Louisiana. Bayou Rum, from Louisiana Spirits in Lacassine, hopes to honor that tradition by becoming a part of it. Taking locally sourced Louisiana sugar, the ownership team of Trey Litel, Tim Litel and Skip Cortese produce an entire portfolio of rum products that they hope will come to be known as some of the country’s finest. Trey took time to share the story of their goal of preserving Louisiana’s sugarcane history through their rum, the people who helped them get started, and the advice he has for other distilleries.
Trey worked at Bacardi before deciding, with the help of Skip and Tim, to start their own distillery. Louisiana Spirits is one of the first craft distilleries in Louisiana, which Trey told us meant many hurdles, legal and otherwise. Like many, they had trouble with zoning, fire codes, TTB concerns, local utilities, besides actually planning on how to make the best distillery they could.