Old St. Pete Sweet Corn Whiskey

Congratulations! After acquiring more than 300 bottles over the past five years, this was the first one I couldn't finish. It was undrinkable. I purchased it during a vacation in Florida as a taste of the local offerings. After just one drink, I was astonished at how poor it was. Perhaps something I ate affected it? The next day yielded the same result. Oh well, at least I could mask it with a mixer. Nope - even a mixed drink was undrinkable. The mid-palate and finish gave the impression of a chemical residue. I offered it to my adult children, and after sampling it, they returned to their standard rum and tequilas. Terrible!

Lively craft Florida spirit! I'm uncertain if I adore the whiskey or not, but sampling spirits from different regions is incredibly fun. Having grown up in central Florida, this whiskey holds a special place in my affections, and the empty vessel serves as my infinity bottle. The aroma presents four distinct notes: dusty corn grain, a sweet corn sugariness, a subtle oak spice, and a breadiness reminiscent of oyster crackers. The taste is characterized by corn sweetness with that oyster cracker breadiness and a faint oak spice finish. It's light and delicate, suitable for occasional enjoyment. The whiskey improves as it rests in the bottle or airs out in the glass.

I expected it to taste similar to St. Augustine Distillery's bourbon. It did not. We conducted a blind whiskey tasting with companions, and every single one of them identified this as the poorest whiskey in the selection... and there were some very low-quality whiskeys included. Now, after this mostly full bottle has been on the bar for six months, it has developed floaters... light-colored, semi-transparent particles suspended within the liquid.

Aroma: musty, corn, slight lemon. Taste: corn, vanilla, musty, sweet. This is from a local distillery, so I decided to try it as my first corn whiskey. It's very different, like drinking street corn. It's not something I would drink all the time, but I wouldn't dismiss it either.

It certainly tastes like a new whiskey. Immediately after tasting Pikesville, this tastes as if it just came from a brand new oak barrel. It's not a negative aspect, but you can definitely detect the fresh wood flavor. I'm not sure I would try this one again if it wasn't a local product. It's certainly a good spirit, though.

Not too bad. A 3.8, not quite a 4-star rating. It has a unique, but not unpleasant, mid-palate note that I suspect comes from the sweet corn. Well done for a distillery in Florida.