92: The Frontier of Louisiana Cane Juice Rum with Jason Zeno of Cheramie Rum

The Rumcast

In this episode, we sat down with Jason Zeno of Porchjam Distillery / Cheramie Rum to take us inside one of the most interesting up-and-coming American rum distilleries out there right now. Located in New Orleans, they're making a significant volume of fresh cane juice rum that's beginning to trickle its way into several markets across the U.S., and have some exciting aged releases coming up as well. We talked to Zeno about:

How he went from making whiskey for Beam-Suntory to making cane juice rum in Louisiana

Their long journey to finding a source of fresh cane juice

The perils of trucking fresh cane juice in from two hours away

The upcoming harvest season

Their multi-faceted approach to aging

Why they make 3 different types of cane juice rum

The broader landscape of Louisiana rum

The status of a regional designation for Louisiana rum

Winning over more drinkers for cane juice rum

Pearl Jam, somehow

And much more!

If you want to learn more about Cheramie, you can check out the interview Will did with Zeno back in 2021 for deeper details into their production process.

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