by Jeffrey Spear | November 14, 2024
The Best Florida Bourbon and Where to Find it
The Sunshine State’s craft distilleries are coming of age.
In the land of sunshine and sand, Florida is crafting a bourbon revolution that’s as rich and complex as the state’s own history. The following are four whiskey distillers that capture the essence of the state’s fledgling, albeit ambitious, movement.
The spirit of America’s oldest city seeps through wooden barrels and into clinking glasses filled with specialty ice, warming the palates of eager imbibers soaking up Old Florida folklore on the ground floor of a historic ice plant, now known as the St. Augustine Distillery. Bessie, the stripping still, and Ella, the spirit still, take the grand stage as guests mill about, sampling the smooth amber bounty and learning about the century-old building’s past life.
Visit the St. Augustine Distillery for guided tours, educational courses on the science behind the craft, a bourbon and truffle pairing flight and a fill-your-own-bottle experience. Photography by Brady Skye.
The St. Augustine Distillery, which opened in 2014 in the historic FP&L Ice Plant, is one of the well-known bourbon giants in the state. The popular American aromatic beverage is aged in charred white oak barrels for at least three years, making the Northeast Florida distillery—and the rest of the state’s bourbon scene—younger than other tried-and-true producers nationwide. Based on the heat, humidity and salt air in which St. Augustine Distillery produces their bourbon, and the flavors imparted by the water and high-quality grains, the golden elixir that results is marketed as Florida bourbon. St. Augustine pours a straight bourbon that’s perfect for everyday drinking, a port-finished bourbon that’s matured in port wine barrels and the Saint Bourbon, their undisputed finest.
Heading south from North Florida through green pastures and under mossy oak trees lies James Two Brothers Distillers, an Ocala-based microdistillery that takes a hands-on approach to make smoother, more delicate bourbons compared to their mass-produced counterparts. Paul James and his son, Taylor, oversee the distillery, including tours and tastings, and produce a properly postured bourbon. This family-owned-and-operated business hails from a long line of distillers, dating back to Civil War-era Kentucky.
Single-batch bourbon from James Two Brothers Distillers, based in Ocala. Photography courtesy of James Two Brothers Distillers.
Marlin & Barrel Distillery in Fernandina Beach is another small company with a curated craft. According to Roger Morenc, the distillery’s owner, “We experiment and make a lot of bourbons that never get beyond our front door.” He welcomes whiskey enthusiasts looking for a new batch to visit their stillhouse. Their cask-strength Shoreline straight bourbon, aged for at least three years, is a single-barrel release often in short supply.
30A Distilling Co. shared their recipe for a Smoke N’ Berry cocktail
One of the state’s newest craft distilleries is 30A Distilling Co., located in Santa Rosa Beach. Having opened in 2022, their small batch whiskey program is still emerging, meaning that their output of properly aged bourbons is relatively small, sometimes just a few dozen bottles. Considering the successes this distillery has achieved with other spirits—especially their rum, gin and limoncello—their bourbon is one to watch.
Marlin & Barrel Distillery’s cask-strength Shoreline bourbon. Photography courtesy of Marlin & Barrel Distillery.
Bourbon is marked by innovation, creativity and experimentation. Sometimes the most flavorful ideas are brewed in a barrel and revisited years later. When asked which of his bourbons is his favorite, Ric deMontmollin, the vice president of production at St. Augustine Distillery, said, “It’s the one that’s just gone in the barrel and won’t be released for at least five years.”
