Baton Rouge home distiller Delos Butler is launching a small-batch spirits brand called Bayou Blessing out of the Barringer Foreman Technology Park on Airline Highway.
The idea started when Butler asked himself, “What if I started my own distillery?”
Self-taught, Butler says he has been experimenting with the craft for years. He’s starting out with a brand of vodka, and will follow that with bourbon, strawberry brandy and a seasonal peach brandy that he is producing at What If Distillery & Brewery LLC.
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“I tried my hand at making my own (spirits), and it just kinda stuck with me,” he says. “It’s something I’m passionate about.”
Butler is sourcing as many ingredients as he can locally and from within Louisiana and will use strawberries from a farm in Holden and peaches from an orchard outside of Ruston.
Starting a distillery is challenging, he says. The federal, state, and city permitting processes, acquiring funding and finding a location that worked were all hurdles.
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He has been attending beer and bourbon festivals and has developed a relationship with another local distiller, Laissez Versez, whom Butler says has been a valuable mentor.
Butler plans to begin distilling commercial batches in June or July.
This story originally appeared in a March 28 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.