St. Augustine Florida Straight Bourbon

Good for a mix with a splash of ginger ale, but not a preferred straight sipper

I visited this distillery a few months after they opened by chance while staying in St. Augustine. I remember they had only vodka and gin at the time because the whiskey had “a long time to finish”. The long time was apparently not long enough. I was gifted this bottle by a friend whom I was supposed to meet up with but the hurricane this summer destroyed the Bahamas and wasn’t sure it it wanted to hit FL or not so we never got to meet up so as a sign to remember we never got to go, he bought me this bottle. Cool story, now time to review. The smell is somewhat a fresh wood smell. New oak smell, sawdust with a hint of alcohol. First sip is hot with a bite of alcohol that is not pleasing. This is only aged for three years and it certainly shows could probably spend a little more time mellowing out before being barreled. After the first sip and initial hot bite you get a raisin, molasses taste that lingers for a small amount of time. I wish I could have gotten behind this one as the gin they make at this distillery is amazing but their standard straight bourbon just didn’t live up to my expectations. I will certainly stop at the distillery next time I go to the city though and see what the operation looks like after a few years of being open.

Only aged three years & it shows. Very Smokey taste with a weird finish I can’t put to words. It’s like gnawing on campfire wood. Very strong almost like whiskey and it’s really not a high proof. This is the second bourbon I’ve tried from this company & while I liked The Saint this is crap.

Very forward straight bourbon. I get notes of oak, orange peel, and maple.