my final new orleans post is our trip to the old new orleans rum distillery! it was really neat to check out this little warehouse distillery & learn quite a bit about one of our fun activities.
did you know that rum comes from molasses?? i truly did not. i guess i had never really thought about where any liquor comes from. so you can learn too - vodka comes from potatoes, whiskey from grains, tequila from the blue agave plant, gin from grains & flavored with juniper berries. look at all of this knowledge you get reading our blog!
{our adorable tour director, bob}
{the water line from katrina in the distillery}
so this whole process starts with louisiana molasses, water, & yeast. the yeast is what gives the product its alcohol - it eats the sugar in the molasses & produces alcohol.
{three steps during the rum making process:
molasses, distilled rum, & the final rum output}
{the wall of spices to flavor their rum}
there are two different distillations - pot still & column still - that purify your alcohol.
then the rum is aged in oak bourbon barrels. they smell pretty fabulous.
{"the angels' share"} {charcoal is used as a filter}
then the rum is blended with various ages for consistency in flavor. & the spiced rum is aged with fresh spices.
the owner of old new orleans rum is, by trade, an artist. he has designed many labels & finally chose their current one. however, on the inside of the label, he keeps prints of his artwork.
currently, they carry four kinds of rum - a crystal white rum, an amber 3-year aged rum, a cajun-spiced rum, & a 10-year aged rum. the 10-year rum survived katrina, as it was kept in barrels in the loft of the warehouse. the fifth bottle is their new creation - a carbonated drink with rum & natural ginger juice.
a fun & delicious tour! learning & tasting. two wonderful things.
we absolutely loved our week in new orleans. already looking forward to our next trip back.
love love,
kjp.
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