Celebration Distillation Corp. (NOLA)

[Jason Perlow]

Celebration Distillation Corporation

2815 Frenchmen St, New Orleans, LA 70122

Phone: (504) 945-9400

New Orleans Rum website

Business' exterior

Stacks of former bourbon barrels in which rum is aging

The recycled Jack Daniels barrels are labeled with when they were filled with rum

Molassas storage tank

Every delivery of blackstrap molassas is tasted before use

More barrels

The Still

Condensation pipes above the still

Pressure guages

Cane Syrup Storage

Part of the filtration system

Bottle filling equipment

Labeling equipment -- Cane is their high end product

Capping equipment

Cases of Cane and New Orleans rum ready for shipment

The tasting room is modeled after the tin roof sugar shacks

Mark Stewart, President & Distiller, with Sharon, our tour guide

Edited November 24, 2003 by Rachel Perlow (log)

[Chris Cognac]

O.K. now I need a drink after looking at this one....Hmmm its 9 am and I want fried Chicken and Rum...better not look at any more of these NOLA posts!

[Jason Perlow]

Prior to visiting Celebration Distillation Corp, my only experince with visiting a rum distillery or any other kind of liquor distillery was Bacardi in Puerto Rico. Comparing Celbration Distillery to a massive operation like Bacardi would literally be like trying to compare night and day or apples and oranges.

Celebration Distillation is an extremely low-tech, small production operation compared to a huge industrial giant like Bacardi. What you see in these pictures is what you get -- a small, artisinal rum producer using old equipement to produce a very fine, old-style rum. The product is made using blackstrap molasses which is brought in from sugar processing plants near the Louisiana cane fields, which is then pumped into their storage tank and then processed with water using their vintage still and boiler. In the case of the higher end Cane product, pure cane syrup is added during distillation to give it that distinctive sugarcane flavor and it also lightens the color of the rum somewhat. The product is then put into bourbon barrels where it is aged for several years and picks up some of the flavor from the barrels.

If you're in New Orleans I highly recommend visiting the distillery. Be sure to call in advance as they don't normally do tours, although they just opened up a new visitors center. And definitely pick up some of this rum -- its one of the best American made spirits I have ever had, and it really compares favorably with some of the best artisinally-made rums from the Caribbean. Its distinctive Bourbon and sugarcane flavor also sets it apart from its competitiors and makes it a distinctively New Orleans and Louisiana product.

[Jason Perlow]

Tragic news from Celebration Distillation:

We were hit extremely hard. We lost a great deal of aging inventory, almost every barrel. We, like every business in New Orleans, are currently fighting with insurance companies so that we may rebuild. It's going to be a while before we're back to normal, but then again we were never "normal."

It's important for people to understand that even though Katrina is fading out of the national spotlight, New Orleans is still in total shambles. Our situation is far from unique, every business and every homeowner is living the same nightmare. We'll be back, but it's going to be while.

-Lynae LeBlanc

Marketing Director

[Mayhaw Man]

The part of town where the distillery was did not fare well. At all. I have seen it (in fact, I drive home through there several days a week) and I assume that the water was as deep, or deeper, than it is out on Elysian Fields parellel to the distillery. It's mess. I hope that they reappear in some form or fashion, but it's hard to imagine that it would not take a more or less complete retooling of the place (which was, at best, kind of cobbled together anyway). It's a great idea and a great product (and had improved dramatically over the last few years) and it makes perfect sense. I hope that they do come back soon-of course, I hope that alot of people come back soon, both businesses and individuals. The senses of loss is, well, pretty overwhelming all along the Gulf Coast and in particular in the New Orleans area, if only because it STAYED under water for weeks and many, many people can't even think about coming back until they have somewhere to live and until the schools are open for their children to go to.