St. Augustine Double Cask Bourbon

My wife and I visited the distillery over a holiday weekend, giving me the opportunity to sample their standard Double Cask Bourbon and a limited Port Finished Bourbon. Frankly, this is a typical craft spirit: genuinely produced and impressively high in quality given its age, but still possessing many unrefined aspects. The future of this distillery is uncertain, and I anticipate this bourbon will eventually compete effectively with other high-quality wheated bourbons. Interestingly, a small portion of the blend is also aged in port for added sweetness, suggesting the bourbon on its own might be somewhat too bitter. The primary flavors I detect are those of a young spirit, alongside a mild corn sweetness and abundant raw grain notes. It is remarkably smooth and works well in an Old Fashioned due to its low sweetness. I've observed some people describe a pine-like taste, which is quite accurate. In some ways, the flavors here bring to mind the distillery's gin, which is a potent offering.

This bottle was one of the worst whiskey disasters I've experienced. I purchased it during an extensive road trip from Wisconsin to Texas and back (covering 4,400 miles, 14 states, three weeks, and with a seven-month-old along). Unfortunately, it spilled in the trunk of my wife's car between Mobile, Alabama, and Freeport, Texas. On the upside, the trunk now smells like bourbon, which could be worse. I managed a couple of sips before it was completely absorbed by the roadtrip gods. Even better, if I had to choose a bottle to spill, it would have been this one. Its fundamental character is pleasant, with sweetness and spice, but it truly needs more aging and mellowing. While hot climates speed up maturation, this bourbon just tasted young and harsh. It's a decent first release from a respectable distillery (their gin is fantastic); I'm optimistic about their future offerings.

This bourbon from Florida presents an amber honey hue. Its aroma offers notes of oats, corn, and hay, followed by spicy oak and a nutty sweetness reminiscent of walnuts and pecans, with plum at the very end. The taste is smooth, light, and silky. It begins with rich vanilla sweetness, leading into oak, cinnamon, and nuttiness, finishing with subtle hints of grain. It's a smooth and easily drinkable bourbon, especially considering its age, which makes it truly remarkable. I eagerly anticipate future releases from St. Augustine after 5 or 10 years!

It certainly seems young, but the consistent 90-degree temperatures year-round during its maturation give it an older character regarding oak influence, etc. This one grew on me over time. I believe it will be a solid product once it has aged a few more years.

Nose: Orange zest, cinnamon, brown sugar with maple, ginger Palate: Sweet vanilla and orange at the start, followed by oak, cinnamon, clove, and black pepper in the middle Finish: Lasts a medium to long time

A respectable bourbon for an initial release. The youth is evident, but it's still enjoyable. I am eager to try an aged version. The entire bottle was consumed on 4/16/17.