The St. Augustine Distillery

Saturday was almost a very bad day. Knowing that it was our last free day for a few weeks, Jessi and I were determined to visit the St. Augustine Distillery. As different obligations got in our way, the time ticked by, and at 4:30, we found ourselves rocketing down A1A so that we could take the last tour at 5pm. We pulled into the parking lot, and with just a few minutes to spare, we raced to the door. A friendly Distillery employee met us there, and she broke the bad news: the Distillery was closed for a special event, but the gift shop was still open for free samples. We were disappointed and frustrated, but who were we to turn down free samples? We thanked the employee and forlornly headed up the stairs to the gift shop.

As we tasted a vermouth aged gin, I started talking to the bartender about our hurried drive and disappointing result. When I explained how our busy schedules made trips like this pretty rare, his expression turned sympathetic, and he introduced himself: “I’m Philip McDaniel, the Distillery CEO. If you can give me about five minutes here, I’ll take you guys back and show you around.”

still-far-viewSo, important life lesson:
If you’re going to complain about something, make sure you’re complaining to someone who can do something about it.

What followed was a truly incredible half hour. I had been on the Distillery tour once before, but never with the CEO! Philip was able to walk us right up to the machinery. He explained the ins and outs of the distilling process more thoroughly than the tour guides, even getting into the science of it with Jessi. He even popped the top on some of the fermentation vessels to let us smell the process at work.

Perhaps the most exciting part to me was hearing Philip’s vision for the St. Augustine Distillery and how it had unfolded. Philip described the Distillery as his way of giving back to the city. Sure, it was a money-making venture, but it had also cleaned up and restored a historic building and improved commerce in the area. As Philip explained, it wasn’t enough just to have a great product. To cement their brand and generate more revenue for surrounding businesses, he needed to make the St. Augustine Distillery a destination for tourism. Looking at the neighborhood around them, Philip was right. Not only was his business succeeding; his neighbors’ were as well.

bourbon-barrel-copyPhilip also shared the story of getting approval for the project. He invested his time heavily in getting to know the neighborhood. He networked with local nonprofits to see how they could work together. He knocked on doors and made phone calls to surrounding homes and businesses. And he researched and met with potential opponents ahead of time, earning the community’s trust in the process. I shared some of our journey with Main & Six (which we may go through again soon with Hyperion Brewing), and Philip was able to give great guidance on how to start the process out on the right foot. This conversation alone was worth the drive.

The St. Augustine Distillery has some outstanding products. I’ve written about the new world gin before and see it as a welcome change from the London Dry style. The vermouth aged gin wasn’t really my cup of tea, but I’m also kind of vermouthed out after writing about martinis for two weeks in a row, so don’t take my word for it. The vodka is subtle (as it should be), and the rum is bright with brown sugar and fruity notes, but the real reason to visit is Florida’s first bourbon. The double-cask is complex yet smooth, and the port barrel aged batch carries a deeper, fierier flavor. There’s a certain sweetness to this bourbon that makes sense when you consider the local ingredients. It draws inspiration from Stranahan’s and Maker’s Mark while also bringing something new to the table. But I have to say that the products weren’t what impressed me most on this visit. As I’ve said many times on this blog:

Liquor, wine, beer, cocktails— it’s all a hospitality industry.

Philip McDaniel nailed that. He nailed it when he got to know his neighbors before building; he nailed it when he made sure the Distillery had a tourism aspect to fuel neighboring businesses; and he nailed it when Jessi and I walked into his gift shop at 5:03pm on a Saturday night. This man single-handedly saved our date night, and then he signed our bottle too! If you’re in St. Augustine in the near future, swing by the Distillery, sample some amazing products, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Philip, tell him the Bar Chaplain sent you!
signed-bottle

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