American rum breaks ground on addition featuring a barrel library, an event space and an outdoor entertainment venue.
Lacassine, LA (August 8, 2017) – Bayou® Rum, a Louisiana-made, handcrafted spirit, today announced breaking ground on a distillery expansion, adding a barrel library, an event space and an outdoor entertainment venue to its Visitor Center, which Drinks International named “Best Large-scale Visitor Center” in its 2017 Distillery Experience Challenge. Valued at more than $6 million, the expansion is planned to open in the summer of 2018.
The barrel library will be part-storage, housing thousands of batches of the latest creations from Master Blender Reiniel Vicente Diaz and Master Distiller Jeff Murphy, and part-tasting area, where visitors will be able to sample Bayou rums and learn more from the team behind the award-winning range. The event space can hold up to 300 people and is being designed for corporate events, weddings and everything in between. It is connected to the outdoor venue, complete with a stage and dance floor for hosting top entertainment acts from around the gulf region or those traveling through.
“In 2016, the Bayou Rum distillery hosted more than 35,000 guests. This expansion will allow us to better cater to new and returning visitors and offers an indoor and outdoor area for events that locals can enjoy,” said Joe Reese, Bayou Rum’s managing director, who has been leading the undertaking. “While the barrel library certainly enriches the visitor experience, the benefit for our production team is more room for current batches and for future innovations we’ve got in the pipeline.”
The distillery, which also was deemed 2016 “Attraction of the Year” by the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association, is currently open Tuesday-Saturday from 9:30a.m.-5:30p.m. Tours include a short film on the inspiration for Bayou Rum, a gallery celebrating Louisiana’s historic role as a sugarcane producer, a guided walk through the distillery where visitors can see firsthand how the spirit is produced, a tasting bar, and the popular gift shop, which boasts Bayou branded gear and drinkware and merchandise from local artisans.
About Bayou® Rum
Bayou® Rum is handcrafted at its Lacassine distillery, using raw sugar from Louisiana sugarcane and the finest molasses to produce its signature sugarhouse recipe. The Bayou Rum family consists of four expressions – Bayou Silver, Bayou Spiced, Bayou Select aged rum, and Bayou Satsuma Rum Liqueur – that have been recognized more than a combined 100 times in tasting competitions. Learn more about Bayou Rum by visiting www.bayourum.com, or by following us on Facebook at facebook.com/bayourum, on Instagram at BayouRum, or on Twitter @BayouRum.