Rum Distillery Visit - Old New Orleans Rum

On Tuesday, March 8, 2016, my boyfriend Nathaniel and I went to Old New Orleans Rum distillery in the legendary Ninth Ward neighborhood, about 10 minutes outside of the French Quarter by car. Nathaniel and I flew to Louisiana for spring break to visit his grandmother and we spent our first few days in New Orleans. When we were in the city, we picked up a city map and on there, we saw a "buy one get one half off" coupon for this distillery so we decided to check it out. It was located about 20 minutes away by foot from where we were staying, which was very convenient. With the coupon, we got to participate in the tour with rum samples for $9 each (originally $12 per person). As soon as we arrived, we were welcomed with a "Welcome Cocktail," which was a mixture of their Crystal Rum and Amber Rum with mango-peach tea. It was very refreshing especially after we had run there to get there on time. 

Old New Orleans Rum: Celebration Distillation Est. 1995

Rums in the "Welcome Cocktail"

They are open every day of the week with tours at noon (weekdays only), 2pm, and 4pm. We went to the one at 4pm and after the tour, we took the complimentary shuttle to the French Market. This distillery was founded by James Michalopoulos in 1995 in a 150-year-old cotton warehouse. In January 2016, they released their 20th Anniversary Blend: King Creole to the public, which contains seven different rums including its 8th, 10th, and 13th year rums-- some of which survived in the distillery after it flooded from Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Michalopoulos is also an artist, and he has his own gallery by the French Market. Several of his paintings are hung up around the distillery. They are very vivid in color and most of them portray the scenery around the French Quarter. He grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and moved to New Orleans, LA about 30 years ago. He traveled to Burgundy, France in hopes of starting his own winery back in the States, but only to learn that the land and climate of Louisiana were not suited for producing grapes. When he returned, he realized that he could instead produce rum using sugarcane grown in Louisiana. This is how this distillery all began 20 years ago. They currently have about 10 people working total in the distillery and four of which are "distilletors" and their rums are sold at local shops and bars, as well as at various stores throughout the nation. Some states have strict regulations where alcoholic beverages of other states cannot be sold, including Pennsylvania and Maryland. Old New Orleans Rum's main distributors outside of Louisiana include Chicago and Florida. 

One of Mr. Michalopoulos's paintings inside the distillery

Free transportation is provided for visitors between the distillery and the French Market

The 20th Anniversary Blend: all labels are put on bottles by hand

2815 Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, LA 70122

"Since the 1700s, the river plantations of Louisiana have made rich blackstrap molasses from the world's finest sugarcane. We celebrate this legacy by producing Old New Orleans in America's oldest premium rum distillery. We use the finest materials, a unique distillation process, and special filtration techniques to create the world's most 
distinctive rums in small, handcrafted batches. We invite you 
to enjoy and share this unique libation on the rocks or in your 
favorite rum cocktail." -Old New Orleans Rum

Watermark sign: the yellow plaque indicates how far up
the water was after Hurricane Katrina-- 8 feet high

These racks helped protect some of the barrels
during the flood after Hurricane Katrina

There were about 12 of us in the tour and once we all had a chance to indulge ourselves in the "Welcome Cocktail," our tour guide gathered us around and told us about the history of the distillery before taking us around the distillery. The molasses used to make their wine comes from an area in Louisiana, about 50 miles away from New Orleans and it is stored in large tanks. The tour guide told us that it takes about two weeks to drain the entire tank of molasses. She did not know how much of molasses can be stored in each tank. With constant water-soil movements with the Mississippi River, the production of sugarcane is successful in this region. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Old New Orleans Rum was under 8 feet of water, but fortunately some of the barrels on wooden racks were safe and some of them are mixed in their 20th Anniversary Blend. 

Wooden racks that hold barrels of rum inside the distillery

Two large tanks for molasses to be stored

American sherry oak is used for all barrels

Amber Rum: barreled for three years

The tour guide showing us the "bung" on the barrel

Since alcohol evaporates, the barrel is not filled up all the way by the end of the barreling process. What is lost to evaporation is said to be "Angel Share" and the bottom part is called "Devil's Cut," according to our tour guide. The Amber Rum is barreled for three years. 

How the inside of the distillery looks like from the front

Back when they first started operating, the Column Still was used for distillation of alcohol, but it is now only used for projects and experiments. The tank boils the alcohol and the vapor goes up the tube to the right and then comes back down. The alcohol that comes back into the tank is what is potentially used to make rum. There are three types of alcohol in the tank:

Column Still: now used for experiments only

1. Heads -- "high wine": apparently this is distilled twice but it is still too strong to be consumed. The tour guide said this could remove your nail polish-- it is that strong. 

2. Hearts -- "sugar on fire": smooth in the mouth but puts your mouth on fire. We got to taste this one.

3. Tails -- "low wines": this is 'good' alcohol that contains amino acids, proteins, and lipids. 

The four types of original rums sold at the distillery

Prices:
   -Crystal: $17.00
   -Amber: $19.00
   -Cajun Spice: $21.00
   -Gingeroo: $11.85 (buy 3= 5% off/ buy 4= 10% off)

The tanks used to ferment molasses: always at 83 degrees F

Where the alcohol is distilled

The tour guide shows us how the second filtration process is like

Before the rum is ready to be bottled, it goes through three types of filtration. The first one is with charcoal, the second with sheets of paper, and the third, right before bottling. This three-step filtration guarantees that the rum is clean and ready to be consumed. Everything from fermenting the molasses and distilling the alcohol to bottling the rum all take place at this distillery, a 150-year-old former cotton warehouse. Mr. Michalopoulos is still very much involved with the distillery despite having his own art gallery. We missed him but according to the tour guide, he came by just to see how things were running right before our tour began.

Inside of the sherry oak barrel: strong smell of rum and oak

Mike, the main distilletor making an oak barrel

Sugar Kettle: used in the past to press liquid from the sugarcane

During the Prohibition in the 1920s, people still found ways to possess and consume alcohol. According to our tour guide, people looked for the symbol on the left, which indicated that alcohol was secretly sold at that location or nearby. It is neat that they kept the symbol here.

Gingeroo being bottled by a machine

The tank where the Gingeroo is produced

Right after Gingeroo was bottled

A cute little sign by Gingeroo

Gingeroo was delicious! It was sparkly and the ginger flavor makes this cocktail rum very crisp and refreshing. It is best served chilled and this would be a perfect drink on a hot summer day. If I did not fly to Louisiana, I would have bought at least one bottle of this. This contains only 10% alcohol/volume, so it can be consumed on its own without mixing it with anything. This was definitely my favorite out of all the samples. 

These caps keep Gingeroo fresh once opened

Posing with Gingeroo in my hands

Crystal Rum: "Sensual, rich, and aromatic...mix me or on the rocks."

Cocktail syrup: goes well w/ Crystal Rum

Crystal Rum is the base of all the rums produced at this distillery. This rum is not oaked but the molasses is filtered out to create this transparent color. It has 40% alcohol/volume (80 proof). It is smooth in the mouth and it was great when mixed with pre-made cocktail mixes. 

Cajun Spice includes seven types of spices

Cajun Spice contains seven types of spices: cardamom, cinnamon, chicory, cayenne, nutmeg, all spice, and ginger. It is made with its Amber Rum. The cinnamon on the nose is very strong and the spice-ness leaves your mouth on fire a little after swallowing it. It was tasty. 




Nathaniel and I had such an amazing experience at Old New Orleans Rum distillery. We had never gone to a place like this and it holds so much history in such a small place! I feel like not many people even in New Orleans know about this place, because it is on the other side of a railroad track, hidden away. We are so happy we got to participate in the tour and learn about its history and how their rums are made. I think it is so neat that the founder, James Michalopoulos initially wanted to start his own winery and ended up opening a rum distillery! It is also very fascinating that he is also an active painter. If you have an opportunity to go to New Orleans, it is definitely worth going on this distillery tour! Our tour guide was very helpful and she knew a lot about its history and the process of making rum at the distillery. This distillery and I are almost the same age and I am excited to see how far it grows over the years. I would definitely consider going back to this place in the future! Who knows, they might come out with the 50th Anniversary Blend in 30 years!

Nathaniel and I posing by a display of their rum selections