Rum distillery going up in Jefferson Davis Parish

Louisiana Spirits says it’s building a new, state-of-the-art rum distillery in Lacassine to craft rum with Louisiana sugar cane. Construction is already under way on the 18,000-square-foot facility, which will house the full distillery, barrel storage, bottling line, offices, gift shop and viewing room. The company was founded in May 2011 by brothers Tim and Trey Litel of the Lake Charles area, and Baton Rougean Skip Cortese. The trio hopes to have its first batches of rum available by the end of the year. “We have visited many distilleries in other states, but they do not have the fascinating history of the Louisiana sugar cane industry to work with,” Cortese says. “We plan to celebrate that history with our distillery and our rum.”