Our Story as a Louisiana Rum Distillery
Louisiana rum distillery dedicated to crafting slow-aged, premium rums that reflect the culture and heritage of our state. Since becoming one of the oldest incorporated rum distilleries in Louisiana in 2011, we have focused on perfecting traditional methods while honoring the vision of our founders. Our journey began with a simple goal: create world-class rum rooted in Louisiana craftsmanship.
Born and raised in our Louisiana namesake and based in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana Distilleries is a manufacturer of premium, luxury spirits. We produce world-class spirits for Louisiana, and the world, to enjoy.
The story of Louisiana has been written by people, tastes, trends, and traditions that span the globe. The story of our spirits is no different. We have traveled the world, through our experiences in the worldwide sugar industry recognizing, the best ingredients, materials, and methods, bringing them all home to Louisiana, where we are developing and launching spirits brands this region can be proud to get behind.
Our founders believed that Louisiana deserved a signature spirit, and this philosophy guides our identity as a craft rum distillery in Louisiana.
George M. Schaffer
George Schaffer has over 35 years’ experience working in the sugar industry and owns one of the few sugar engineering and equipment firms in the world; he is also well known in the metals industry, selling and processing aluminum, stainless and specialty metals after working in a steel fabrication shop making sugar equipment. As the son of a world-renown sugar engineer, he travelled the global sugar industry at an early age, living from Africa to Europe, and the United States.
While George was acquiring sugar industry experience, he also acquired an appreciation for fine rums. Today, his company’s sugar factory engineering, products or process equipment exist in every
sugar mill in the United States and reaches into factories in 15 or more additional countries. The Schaffer engineering sugar legacy includes the world’s largest integrated sugar mill in the world, the only sugar mill in Texas and the majority of the sugar mills in Panama.
Before opening Louisiana Distilleries, George spent time working with William Manso on sugar projects around the world, once they decided to make rum, they travelled to Europe to select the barrels needed to produce premium rums they envisioned. At Louisiana Distilleries, he guides the vision of producing fine rums for both his home state of Louisiana and eventually rum drinkers across the world.
Elio Villasmil
Elio Villasmil earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Chemical Engineering From La Universidad del Zulia (LUZ) in Maracaibo, Venezuela, and later completed his Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
While at LUZ, Elio excelled in fermentation, process control, and product quality, eventually teaching the university’s Industrial Fermentation Course (2011-2014). He has in-depth food and beverage industry experience in quality control and product development in Venezuela, Mexico, and the United States.
While pursuing his Ph.D., he began working directly with companies on formulation and sensory evaluation for different food and beverage products. It was during this time, Elio’s passion for the art and science of rum making began eventually leading his talents to Louisiana Distilleries. Here, he oversees the formulation, distillation, process standardization, and sensory evaluation of spirits to ensure every batch delivers a consistent flavor profile. Elio is also certified in FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food.
William Manso
William is a sugar engineer from Santi Spiritus, Cuba, who began his career at the Uruguay sugar mill (Jatibonico, Cuba) in 1969 and the Melanio Hernandez sugar mill and distillery (Santi Spiritus, Cuba) in 1973.
Later, William worked for the Cuban ministry of sugar managing technologies used at over 100 sugar mills and distilleries across the country. William became very well known in the Cuban sugar industry before leaving the country in 1995 to work for F.C. Schaffer and Associates, a world renown sugar engineering firm. He has worked in over 30 countries around the world and is now settled in Panama where the Schaffer company engineered and project managed three sugar mills and one distillery.
William learned the art of making rum in Cuba and with process techniques acquired through his travels, he uses his artistic ability to create Louisiana Distilleries’ premium rums. His method is rooted in selecting the best distills, select barrels, his nose and palate along with his engineering knowledge. He has created all of Galvez brand’s rums formulas and processes. As a Cuban citizen who has always been busy working the worldwide sugar industry, he has never needed to apply for asylum into the Unted States and therefore resides in Panama.
Our commitments
Passion
Our team leads with a passion to create exceptional products that uphold a level of honor, courage, and satisfaction.
Quality
We hold ourselves to a gold standard–never sacrificing great ingredients and quality processes.
Tradition
Our team pays homage to those that have helped shape us and our history.
Sustainability
LA Distilleries is dedicated to leaving the planet in a better way than we found it. As our business grows, we plan to expand our contributions to environmental causes, like rainforest restoration projects and ways we can reduce the carbon footprint of our entire operation.
Alcohol Responsibility
As a staple in cultures around the world, alcohol is best served with people! We use it as a way to relate to others and establish connections, celebrate life’s journeys and toast to the future, and express our creativity and embrace our individuality. However, we do recognize and respect the powers of alcohol and strongly encourage all to drink responsibly–that entails knowing your limit, avoiding illegal behaviors like underage drinking and drunk driving, and staying aware in situations where drinking is involved.