Florida is getting its first new bourbon brand since Prohibition, courtesy of a relatively young distillery in the nation’s oldest city. After several years of selling rum, vodka, and gin (bourbon takes a hot minute, y’all), St. Augustine‘s aptly named St. Augustine Distillery will release its first batch of bourbon on September 9.
Though it’s the distillery’s first shot at the virgin-barrel-aged whiskey, Florida Double Cask Bourbon already comes with quite the pedigree. The drink was overseen by former Maker’s Mark Master Distiller Dave Pickerell and Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Distiller Jake Norris.
The distillery says the state’s first newcomer on the bourbon scene in over 80 years is “full-bodied, deep, and complex with notes of caramel, dark fruit, oak and dark chocolate” and clocks in at 93.8 proof. The distillery calls the bourbon — made largely with locally sourced ingredients — a “celebration of the Sunshine State.” The youngest part of the batch is around 16 months old, but some of it has been aged for over two-and-a-half years.
Though it’s not yet available to the public, it’s already racking up awards. The new bourbon (along with another Port Finished Bourbon) was a Triple Gold Medal winner for taste at the 2016 MicroLiquor Spirit Awards.
For more bourbon-y goodness, check out Vince Mancini’s trek through the heart of bourbon country and a deep-dive into why the hell Pappy Van Winkle is so delicious.
(Via Forbes)
