Arrival in Port
By Kara Pound
A little over six months ago, Charles Cox, owner of San Sebastian Winery, and Mike Diaz and Philip McDaniel, co-owners of St. Augustine Distillery, had an ah-ha moment. As the only distillery and winery in town, they decided to trade barrels to see what the other one could come up with.
“For the past 20 years, we have aged our port in bourbon barrels acquired from distilleries mainly in Kentucky,” explains Cox. “It seemed to make much more sense to partner with the St. Augustine Distillery to use their barrels to age our port and vice-versa. It’s been a win-win for both of us.”
This winter, the Distillery unveiled the latest in an ever-growing portfolio. It’s called Port Finished Bourbon. The spirit makers took their award-winning Florida Double Cask Bourbon, which came out in the fall, and aged it for up to one hundred days in San Sebastian’s port barrels. “From the beginning, we’ve wanted our customers to take a journey with us as we develop our spirits,” says McDaniel. “Our Florida Double Cask Bourbon was just the first step. Our new Port Finished Bourbon is the next step. We will continue to evolve while introducing spirits using the best quality ingredients.” Port Finished Bourbon, which is available in both 375 ml and 750 ml bottles, is described as “a unique malted bourbon with a smooth and semi-sweet finish with hints of raisins, cinnamon, cloves and chocolate.” And it’s already been awarded a Triple Gold Medal in the 2016 MicroLiquor Spirit Awards.
Visit the St. Augustine Distillery here.
