On March 19th, 2014, a dream became reality as St. Augustine Distillery opened its doors to the public for the very first time. This journey, however, truly began in 2011 when our co-founders Philip McDaniel and Mike Diaz began to formulate their vision for a craft distillery that truly embodied the spirit of the Sunshine State. In the following years, with the help of community sponsors, they purchased the historic ice plant on Riberia Street, visited craft distilleries around the country, assembled a team, and began to create their first spirits. The grand opening on March 19th was the culm ..read more

The year 1964 marked St. Augustine’s 400th anniversary, and also coincided with the massive civil right struggle that defined both the nation and its oldest city. Civil unrest gripped the town a year prior, when a local dentist named Robert B. Hayling was attacked by Ku Klux Klan members during a sit-in protest. The news quickly ripped through the south and soon reached the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a Christian nonviolence coalition that counted among its members Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who by now was a household name in the civil rights movement.  Dr. King fir ..read more

We’re back with another edition of our dinner party series, and this time we’re featuring our fan-favorite New World Gin! With over 12 herbs and botanicals, this flavorful spirit can bring out the best in seafood, citrus, and much more. We’ve got five recipes, including some old favorites and new spins, that will leave your guests craving more. Get started with our New World Gin Dinner Party Guide below!  Something to Sip: Essential Tonic It’s essential for a reason. This classic gin cocktail can be made as a pitcher or single serving PREPARATION Prepare a highball glass with ice. A ..read more

Enjoy some magic in your glass this spooky season with a new cocktail recipe from St. Augustine Distillery!  America's Oldest House in St. Augustine, Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish conquistadors, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied settlement in the United States, older than both Jamestown and Plymouth Rock.  Our city has undergone many changes since those days, from being almost completely destroyed by the British in 1702, to becoming the “Newport of the South” in the early 1900s, to playing a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement.     Today ..read more

The story of “Day One” Danny Rodriguez is older than St. Augustine Distillery itself. It starts back in 2010, when co-founders Philip McDaniel and Mike Diaz visited Denver, Colorado to meet with craft whiskey legend Jake Norris. Norris, the founding distiller at Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, helped the duo develop the mash bill that would eventually become the basis of Florida Straight Bourbon. He also offered them some free advice.  “You guys are going to need a MacGyver, someone who can fix anything,” he told McDaniel and Diaz. “In a 24/7 working distillery, things break every day. Th ..read more

For too long, we were unable to enjoy one of life’s simplest pleasures: coming together with family and friends over delicious food and drink. Now, with life slowly returning to normal and the holidays around the corner, St. Augustine Distillery is here with the ultimate dinner party guide. Think outside the glass with four recipes that you can make using St. Augustine Distillery’s Florida Straight Bourbon! Something to Sip: St. Augustine Old Fashioned     A classic cocktail made with all-natural ingredients. INGREDIENTS 2 oz St. Augustine Distillery Florida Straight Bourbon 0 ..read more

At St. Augustine Distillery, every drop of spirits we bottle is handcrafted with care. Why? Because we believe in capturing the Spirit of Florida® in every single step of the process. Learn how we make our flagship Pot Distilled Rum in our latest installment of the Spirit Lifecycle series! Florida is home to a long and storied rum tradition. During prohibition in the 1920s and 30s, various smugglers known as “rumrunners” transported bottles of the spirit from Cuba and The Bahamas to Florida, where they were unloaded and sent to speakeasies nationwide. This complex smuggling network operated f ..read more

Founded by bourbon legend Peggy Noe Stevens, Bourbon Women of America (BWA) is creating a more inclusive spirits industry for tomorrow’s distillers. Introducing Florida Bourbon Women  St. Augustine Distillery is proud to present an evening of celebration in collaboration with Bourbon Women. Come celebrate the founding of the 15th branch of Bourbon Women on Saturday, June 25 at 6 PM with a private tour of our distillery, followed by a cocktail hour, sensory experience, guided tasting, and dinner in the distillery. Bourbon Women members will have a chance to pick the first-ever Florida Bour ..read more

It’s said that good things come to those who wait, and nowhere is that more true than spirit distillation. Our bourbon is aged for nearly four years in charred American White Oak. Like all bourbons, these barrels give the whiskey 100% of its color and up to 70% of its flavor. However, not all spirits are complete after the initial aging process. The technique of barrel-finishing allows aged bourbon to spend additional time in a secondary barrel to deepen its flavor profile. St. Augustine Distillery proudly offers a variety of barrel-finished spirits, including old favorites, limited editions ..read more

St. Augustine Distillery is proud to commit to sustainability every day. Step behind our production lines and learn more about how we preserve our community and planet!  From grain, to water, to energy, there’s a lot that goes into creating The Spirit of Florida®. When our co-founders first began to produce spirits at our home on Riberia St, they realized that the distillation process consumed a lot of resources and generated significant waste. Sustainability, which is an integral part of our mission, allowed us the opportunity to reuse, repurpose, or recycle many of the byproducts of dis ..read more