Bayou Single Barrel №2

Bayou was established as a company in 2011. The first variants - Silver and Spiced - debuted in 2013, followed by Satsuma in 2014 and finally Select in 2015. In 2018, Bayou Single Barrel #1 was added, Silver was renamed White and Select changed to Reserve. In 2019, Bayou launched own crème de la crème - XO Mardi Gras and formed the sister brand Gator Bite that took over Satsuma. A keen eye will notice, there are two newest editions missing, namely: Pink and Single Barrel #2. The latter is on my table today but more on that in a bit.

Bayou is a young brand for which being active in social media is an obvious thing. A casual atmosphere and shorter distance characterize communication online. Moreover, it fits perfectly into the alcohol industry flow. Bayou created a profile on Facebook back in January 2013, yet stopped posting online a year ago. 😶

The brand's product line has evolved over time. The milestones were ownership changes and rebranding. Interestingly, these changes can be detected through lenses of brand activities in social media. 🕵️

The beginnings were truly enthusiastic; presenting logo and label visualizations, preparations for official opening or involving consumers in the 'toast to Louisiana' campaign. Then the topics focused on opening a visiting center and gaining more and more sales footholds. Next came cocktail recipes and coverage of various events. Posts were authentic, diversified and broadcasted daily.

At the end of 2015, Bayou entered into cooperation with Stoli Group USA and slightly changed the communication style. From now on, it's more about pride in American roots; celebrating Veterans Day and Halloween or supporting local sport teams. Following topics were on top: country music, #bayouarum and #BuyYouaBayou hashtags, press reprints and these jokes of "gator's wednesday wisdom". The posts appeared still regularly.

In 2018, Stoli Group bought Bayou entirely and the rum producer underwent a comprehensive rebranding. Social media activity takes from now on strictly corporate direction; the contents are carefully selected, the photos shine. Fine but somehow lacks the human touch. Finally, from 2020 activity drops to five posts per month; published at fixed times as scheduled.

Louisiana sugar cane fields are located in the fertile delta of the Mississippi River. The oldest American sugar factory M.A. Patout supplies unrefined sugar and blackstrap molasses. The ingredients are pasteurized. Fermentation takes 28 to 30 hours with use of their own yeast strain. The rum is distilled in copper pot stills. Single Barrel #2 is aged for three years in California red wine casks and so it differs from the Single Barrel #1, which has been aged for two and a half years in rye whiskey casks. My bottle's label shows that the rum was distilled in 2016, so theoretically it could be first sold in 2019.