You think rum? Maybe golden beaches. Maybe sugar-laced secrets. But in Baton Rouge, Oxbow Rum Distillery—fifth generation, fiercely independent, now led by Olivia Stewart—is teaching rum to stand on its own feet: bold, transparent, rooted in heritage, not hype.

Olivia didn’t stumble into distillation—she was born into it. Stewart’s family has farmed sugarcane and turned raw molasses into commerce since 1859. Today, she carries that torch from the field to the pot still—literally the same land, the same soil, same story, same distillery. Oxbow isn’t a craft trend or Instagram flash. It’s five generations thick and liquid at the same time. When rum rolls off that estate-grown cane mill, it’s not just a statement—it’s memory, preserved in barrel.

What Oxbow crafts defies standard American rum labels. They press cane juice within hours of harvest to make Rhum Louisiane, and also distill molasses for their Estate Rum—adding that cane-to-glass cred that so few distilleries can claim. The result? Expressions that taste like land. Unfiltered, additive-free, direct from barreled cane spirit. It whispers of swamp air, sugar, patience, and terroir.

This isn’t just family-owned—it’s woman-owned, and proudly so. Olivia Stewart didn’t just inherit leadership—she earned it, steering Oxbow with clear-eyed ambition and respect for tradition. She’s reshaping the narrative, asserting that rum, especially American rum, needs women at the helm.

Last year, Oxbow’s spirits earned Double Gold Medals at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Their Small Batch White Rum even nabbed Best of Class worldwide. That’s not possible without soul. That’s not a bottle—it’s a slow bloom of craft and perseverance.

Oxbow recently launched e-commerce service to 30+ states, delivering Louisiana’s cane juice culture beyond its bayou borders. This isn’t global expansion—it’s cultural outreach. It’s saying: a slow-sipping story from a family farm can matter, across miles.

In a market flooded by celebrity brands and flashy marketing, Oxbow stands by its story—one penned in mud, cane, and quiet strength. Small batch isn’t enough. Additive-free isn’t a trend. It’s honesty. And yes—there’s power in that.

So when you pour Oxbow Estate Rum or swirl a cane-pressed agricole into your glass, know you’re tasting legacy—not spin.

Raise that glass. And savor what happens when heritage, female leadership, and real terroir converge.