William Philip Guidry — Master Distiller

by Marty Guidry

Yvonne Bourget Kendall, a Guidry descendant, sent the following article on her grandfather William Philip Guidry — an interesting and intriguing person.

A nationally-recognized chemist, Philip Guidry was instrumental in refining the distillation process for a well-known Jamaican rum brand. Closer to home, Yvonne remembers her mother Rosemary Clare Guidry Bourget telling her about Philip when he worked for RC Cola. He would bring home samples when Rosemary was a child for her to taste test since colas have different flavors in different parts of the U.S. and world.

Rosemary Clare Guidry married Henry Augustine Bourget and was the daughter of William Philip Guidry and Mildred Anna Walters. Philip Guidry was born in Lafayette, LA on 26 June 1892 and died in Los Angeles, CA on 4 January 1969. He married Mildred Walters in New Orleans, LA on 8 October 1917.

Born from distinguished Acadian roots, William Philip Guidry’s parents were Homère Désiré Guidry and Marie Thérèse Mouton. Marie Mouton was the daughter of Alexandre Mouton, the first Acadian governor of Louisiana, and Emma Kitchell Gardner. Alexandre Mouton was the son of Jean Mouton, the founder of Lafayette, Louisiana, and Marie Marthe Bordat.

Homère Guidry was the son of Alexandre Lessin Guidry and Carmelite Broussard. Alexandre Guidry’s parents were Joseph Guidry and Marie Scholastique Hébert. Joseph Guidry was born to Pierre Guédry and Clair Babin. Pierre Guédry, the son of Augustin Guidry and Jeanne Hébert, was deported from Merliguèche, Acadia in 1755 at the age of ca. 14 years to Edenton, North Carolina. After living in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland, Pierre finally arrived in Louisiana in February 1768. After several relocations in Louisiana, he finally settled at La Grande Pointe (near today’s Cecilia, LA) where he started a vacherie (cattle ranch) and became quite wealthy. Claude Guédry and Marguerite Petitpas were the parents of Augustin Guédry.

Article announcing William Philip Guidry’s new employment with Pacific Distillers, Inc. in Culver City, California

MEET MR. W. PHILIP GUIDRY, the master distiller and plant superintendent. Upon him rests the responsibility of coordinating the various delicate functions of the plant. From his fertile brain came many of the exclusive processes used in the distillation of Pacific Distillers Products.

A brief review of W. Philip Guidry's history may reveal the man's eligibility for his position. We may find Guidry in the laboratory, examining a pure culture under a microscope, or in the purchasing department, specifying certain materials. Or in the fermenting room with his eye to a gauge, his hand on a valve. Or in the still house, storage room, bottling room or warehouse, examining, comparing, dove-tailing the many operations.

A slender, alert-eyed dynamo of human energy, Guidry will itemize his experiences for us as systematically as if he were prescribing a formula:

"Employed as chemist for the Cuba Cane Sugar Corporation in Cuba as soon as I left Southwestern College, Louisiana."

"Then I became Assistant Superintendent for the Sterling Sugar Company in Franklin, Louisiana. Spent the next twelve years doing special research work in sugar for various alcohol plants... in Louisiana, Cuba and Jamaica."

"Became chemist in charge of alcohol and rum research for the U.S. Industrial Alcohol Company."

"Was put in charge of fermentation and distillation operations for the Federal Products Company."

"Then I became plant superintendent for the American Commercial Alcohol Company, and then superintendent of the United Sugar Company’s distillery."

"Appointed plant superintendent of the A. & G. J. Caldwell plant in Newbury, Massachusetts. Left this position to work as consulting chemist for the Coca-Cola Company and National Brewing Company. At the same time I held the berth of Superintendent for the North American Distilling Company."

"Then, before coming to Pacific Distillers, I spent several years doing special research work for Dr. William L. Owen, the nationally famous bacteriological authority, and for the Lummus Company of New York."

Today, after having served the most important distilleries in the country in one executive capacity or another, Guidry is still a comparatively young man... in his early forties. Calls for advice on delicate points in culture, fermentation, distillation and other C2H5OH matters still come to him from all parts of the world. He ranks among the highest of this country's authorities in Distillation matters.

And he loves his work. Gets a thrill from it. In a few minutes of conversation he can make you feel that the full continuous process of distillation and the Pacific Distillers' unique process of sending spirits through the gin head is one of the most beautiful, exciting and sacred phenomena of the world. Is it strange, then, that the products from this distillery should reflect the skill, perseverance and ambition that contribute to their manufacture?