Bayou Rum Makes Major Changes to Its Rum Lineup
In the fall of 2024, Stoli Group USA, owner of Bayou Rum and whiskey brand Kentucky Owl, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Over the past few years both brands have continued to operate, although aside from a new bourbon last year, Kentucky Owl has been fairly quiet. This week the news arrived that Bayou Rum was relaunching and had redesigned its recipe and distillate style, aiming to achieve a better foothold in a struggling spirits market.
Bayou Rum, which is located in Louisiana, started operating more than a decade ago in 2013, and was acquired by Stoli Group USA just two years later. As mentioned before, Stoli Group USA and Kentucky Owl, which it acquired in 2017, filed for bankruptcy in 2024. In January of this year, the companies filed a motion for Chapter 7 liquidation, but a judge denied that bid and ordered Chapter 11 trustees for both to operate the businesses and oversee finances. Also, as we reported back in January, McIlhenny Company, which owns the Tabasco hot sauce brand, filed a lawsuit against Stoli claiming that its new Halapeño Pepper flavored vodka infringes upon its trademark.
According to a recent report at the website the Spirits Business, all of this has not had a major impact upon Bayou’s business. Starting this month, however, some major changes have been instituted. “For the first time in Bayou Rum history, we are unveiling an enhanced recipe for our two flagship expressions: Bayou White and Bayou Spiced,” Reiniel Vicente Diaz, second-generation master distiller, told The Spirits Business. That means changing the actual distillate that the distillery uses in these expressions. Previously, the rum consisted of 100 percent pot still distillate, a heavier and oiler style that many rum enthusiasts enjoy. Now it’s a blend of column and pot still rum, which the distillery says is lighter and more conducive for making cocktails. The website still refers only to pot stills, however, so it’s unclear if the column still rum is produced there.
These changes will apply to the White and Spiced expressions, which are most commonly used for making drinks, and the price will go down quite a bit for these bottles as well. The aged expressions, including Reserve (aged four years in bourbon barrels) and XO Mardi Gras (aged up to five years and then finished in PX sherry casks), appear to be unaffected by the change in style of distillate. We reached out to Bayou for comment about these changes, and will update if and when we do.
