You know that bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States. Kentucky is the 800-pound bourbon gorilla. And Indiana, Tennessee, and Texas have a robust presence in bourbon.
But Florida? Who knew exciting things in bourbon distilling are happening in Florida.
I recently had the pleasure to do a tour and tasting at St. Augustine Distillery on the northeast coast of Florida.
The craft distillery began its journey to become “the first bourbon in Florida” in 2012 when co-founders Mike Diaz and Philip McDaniel bought the vacant St. Augustine Ice Plant. The building, built in 1907 by the Florida Power and Light Co., supplied ice to the area for more than 50 years.
The building has been lovingly restored and modernized to include the distillery on the ground floor and The Ice Plant bar on the top floor.
Today, the distillery makes various bourbons, port finished rum, gin, and vodka. A few barrels are aging on site, the rest are in a rickhouse at an undisclosed location. (Somewhere within 10 miles of the distillery, per Florida law.)
St. Augustine Distillery was given the Bubble Cap Award for Distillery of the Year last year by the American Distilling Institute. The award cited the distillery’s “excellence in quality, innovation, transparency, authenticity, growth, and community involvement.”
You can visit the distillery seven days a week for a free self-guided tour that includes some small tastings. You can walk through some thoughtfully curated exhibits on the history of bourbon, the distillery, and Florida’s first ice plant.
There are several guided experiences, including a 30-minute tasting that focuses on pairing spirits and food, an hour-long experience that covers the history of bourbon and a tasting of four different St. Augustine bourbons, and a “bottle your own” experience where you fill a bottle of Florida bourbon directly from the barrel. (See box below for more details).
Age versus Maturity
I was fortunate to sit in on the hour-long “The Spirit of Florida Bourbon” experience. Melody, an Executive Bourbon Steward, did an excellent and entertaining job leading our session. She detailed the A,B,C’s of what makes bourbon legally bourbon. And she led us through a thorough tasting of the distillery’s Florida Straight Bourbon, Port Finished Bourbon, The Saint Bourbon, and a Single Barrel Select offering.
Most of the St. Augustine Distillery bourbons are in the three-to-five-year-old age range. But Melody was quick to point out the important distinction between age and maturity: “Our bourbon, even though it’s young, it’s rather mature because in Florida we have such constant heat and humidity.”
The most unique offering is The Saint Bourbon. The distillery takes its Florida Straight Bourbon and finishes in barrels that contained its custom Old Fashioned Mix, one of several mixers you’ll find on the gift shops shelves. St. Augustine Distillery believes this is the only Old Fashioned-finished bourbon. The high-proof bourbon is worth a taste.
St. Augustine touts itself as the oldest city in our nation and there are plenty of fun, historical, and delicious activities for visitors to enjoy. Bourbon enthusiasts won’t want to miss a chance to experience Florida Bourbon at St. Augustine Distillery.
Q. and A. with Richard deMontmollin, St. Augustine Distillery VP of Production
- Give me an overview of the Florida bourbon distilling scene.
“Bourbon is not the largest spirit category in the state of Florida; that title belongs to rum. However, there are a few excellent distilleries here making bourbon, and applying our own unique twist to the history of the great American spirit.”
- Where does St. Augustine Distillery fit in all that?
“We have the great distinction of being the first bourbon in the state of Florida, and that is something we are very proud of! We share that title with the now-closed Palm Ridge Distillery, who offered a bourbon around the same time ours came out. We miss them dearly.
“We have had the great luck and struggle of learning how to craft bourbon in the state of Florida, which means contending with the heat and humidity. Luckily, we have been around for over a decade and we have taken every lesson, year after year, to learn how to make a bourbon that is so distinctly and uniquely Florida. We have taken that experience and made a series of excellent bourbon products that grow in quality and consistency with each season.”
- What can people expect when they come for a tour and tasting? What sets St. Augustine Distillery apart?
“We are proud to be one of the nation’s most-visited distilleries, so we put a lot of focus into the guest experience when on-site at the distillery. You can expect a history lesson, hands-on view of production, and of course several cocktail and spirit samples. We are situated in one of the nation’s oldest ice block manufacturing facilities, so expect to see and feel a unique experience when you pass through our doors.”
- What is “Florida bourbon?”
“Simply put, bourbon is a spirit that can be made anywhere in the USA. But the USA varies greatly in environment depending on where you are in the country. You would expect a spirit aged in the cold and dry parts of the western Rocky Mountains to taste completely different than the hot and humid areas in the southeast. Florida bourbon is our love affair with the salt air, the heat and humidity, and the marshy lands around us that age spirits in a particular way, all wrapped up in one bottle. We intentionally lean into what the environment around us has to give us, and we adjust all other decisions to making the best bourbon we can amidst that. This is what Florida bourbon means to us.”
- What does the future hold for your St. Augustine Distillery?
“The future is today! As you know, any bourbon we want to share with you today has to have been made 4-6 years ago. We are tirelessly working with new wood types, entry proofs, finishing barrels, grains, and production techniques to excite your senses and make our bourbon shine. Keep your eye on us, the best is yet to come!”
“St. Augustine Distillery was founded by 20 local families with a common vision: To create world-class spirits and leave St. Augustine better for future generations. We preserved, restored and transformed Florida’s oldest ice plant into the most visited craft distillery in America. Our mission is simple: to educate and inspire our cherished guests with handcrafted, award-winning bourbon, rum, gin, and vodka.”
St. Augustine Distillery
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The Saint Bourbon
Note – This is a barrel-strength product. Proof may vary with each release.
This exclusive spirit is made by finishing our award-winning Florida Straight Bourbon in barrels that previously held our Old Fashioned Mix. We bottle it at barrel strength. So smooth, that you absolutely will not believe that you are drinking a high-proof spirit!
COLOR: Deep, rich amber. Tremendous depth.
NOSE: Warm and smooth, with notes of toffee, winter fruit and mulled wine spice, hints of citrus.
TASTE: Unbelievably smooth. Silky mouthfeel. Taste starts with ripe cherry and chocolate, followed by notes of aromatic bitters. Sweet overtones develop into dark chocolate, caramel and vanilla, with a gentle warmth that starts deep in your chest.
SRP: $200
Source: St. Augustine Distillery
Guided Experiences at St. Augustine Distillery
The Perfect Pair Tasting Experience
A Spirit and Food Pairing Experience
Join us as we explore how food influences some of our premium spirits. Our tour guides will lead you through a tasting pairing three of our bourbons with three carefully curated truffles. Learn how to use a tasting wheel and how to pair your favorite spirits with unexpected flavors!
$15 per person
The Spirt of Florida Bourbon Experience
A Bourbon Education
Join us for an in-depth education on the history of bourbon, the history of the St Augustine Distillery, our production process, and how to engage all of your senses while sampling a selection of our premium bourbons with one of our Certified Bourbon Stewards. Upon completion of your tour, enjoy a complimentary tasting glass of your own to continue your experience at home!
$35 per person
Bottle Your Own Experience
Step behind the scenes at St Augustine Distillery to create your own custom bottle
Come enjoy the unforgettable Bottle Your Own Experience! Our distillers have hand selected some of our most spectacular single barrels and they are waiting for you to come bottle them up at cask strength!
During this one-on-one experience, guests will have the opportunity to fill a bottle with our Florida Bourbon directly from the barrel. Filling, hand corking, sealing, and crafting your own personalized label; experience the entire bottling process and view St Augustine Distillery like never before! Your newly filled bottle is your ticket to stand on our production floor and capture some showstopping photos of our facility featuring our lovingly named pot-still, Bessie!
We welcome your family and friends of all ages to watch your experience but only guests ages 21 and up may participate in bottling. Price reflective of one (1) bottle filled during the Bottle Your Own Experience.
$200 per person
Source: St. Augustine Distillery
When You Go to St. Augustine Distillery
St. Augustine Distillery
112 Riberia Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
Open 7 days a week
Retail Shop: 10:00am to 6:00pm
Tours: 10:30am to 5:30pm
Onsite parking is free, or you can ride the Old Town Trolley, which makes a stop here.
Colonel Brian G. Miller is the Editor of Whiskey Network Magazine. His column, The Bourbon Tutor, covers the latest in bourbon tourism, events, culture, and history. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky. You can reach him at [email protected]
