The guy giving the tour is one of the distillers. This is a real laid back bunch. No uniforms or formality. He has a full black beard about 8 inches or so long (looks the part) and had taken "several" hearty "samples" from the sampling bar before the tour started. A real nice guy and very forthcoming with all questions. Never played the "we are magicians and only we can make this stuff" routine. One patron asked about water quality and he flatly stated that they use New Orleans municipal water for their fermentations and no secret yeast varieties. Did say they use the same type of yeast but also said that any yeast will give you alcohol. He didn't mention what type of yeast was used. Did mention that the water used for dilution was filtered to eliminate those elements that are uniquely New Orleans.
I've noticed Rubber Duck has mentioned this rum a time or two on the forum and this was my first experience with their rum. They serve you a generous glass of rum and ice tea when you come in. The nice young lady noticed my glass was getting a bit low and promptly refilled it. At the end of the tour we went back into the store area and had samples set up of the 4 products they offer. Our guide went through the the different product offerings and told the stories of how each one originated. The 10yo flavor profile moves away somewhat from what I consider a Rum profile. Moves over to the whiskey notes. It does finish, ever so gently, on a Rummy note though.
After the tour was done and the other patrons had left, a young couple we met there remained behind and we continuted to talk to our guide. I had asked enough questions that he knew there was more than just a passing interest and it just so happens the other guy has a chemistry degree. We got into conversation about permits and he said he would be glad to help us with anything we needed. He knows the lady with the TTB personally and she is cool. She would be one of the persons that would come out and inspect. After a bit more conversation he took us back into the distillery and to a fermenting room. There was a vat (temp-controlled bulk milk storage container) full of rum wash. Got into some of the detail about temp control during ferment to minimize "undesirable elements" production. By this time I had finished my two glasses of tea and was well into my wife's glass and had a good buzz going so I wasn't pressing for too many details. He then took us over to where they had a few experiments that he asked us to sample. One was clear rum with lemon grass maceration and the other was one with whole cayenne peppers. Both were interesting with each conjuring up their own mixer versions. Something island and fruity with the lemon grass and, unanimously, a bloody-mary with the cayenne. Overall a very enjoyable experience and orchestrated by an entertaining and knowledgeable guy. If you're ever in N.O. it's well worth the time to travel over and check out this bit of N.O. nostalgia.
cheers
WalkingWolf
