Lifting St. Augustine’s Spirits

A group of St. Augustine locals shared a dream and created a business collaborative. They wanted to bring the national movement of distilling super premium, small batch spirits to our community. And they wanted to do it better than anyone in the world.

As St. Augustine Distillery turned their dream into reality, they gained a widespread reputation for their handcrafted products and lifted our spirits along the way.

They knew that if they could bring some of the world’s best distilling experts here – the oldest and coolest small city in America – with access to locally grown sugarcane, wheat, corn and citrus, they could develop a finer quality spirit than just about any other place in the world.

When St. Augustine Distillery engaged their farming partners to help preserve our heritage by growing crops unique to our region, they challenged the status quo of the commercially produced spirits. In turn, they provide greater choices to friends and customers.  As the Distillery explores and develops new products, they share them with everyone who wants to learn with them.

The Distillery’s vision was to bring something special to St. Augustine; something that could take root and grow. Craft distilling has been happening all over the country – but not in Florida. So, they talked to some people and found they shared the Distillery’s vision. After 18 months, 28 brave, beautiful, local people signed on to help the Distillery build their dream. Three years later, they stand together in their historic building, proudly taking their place in this city’s rich history.

Finding a place big enough to house a distillery and convenient enough to allow folks to visit and learn what they are creating was no small task. But there was one building that provided everything the Distillery needed: the historic FP&L Ice Plant. Built as part of St. Augustine’s first power and ice complex in 1907 (visit the Distillery’s museum to see photos dating back to 1925!), they lovingly restored and brought the building back to life – so she can serve the community for the next century.

A beverage sponsor for Made in St. Augustine, the Distillery will provide several opportunities to lift visitors’ spirits. Attendees may sample St. Augustine Distillery’s handcrafted spirits. Ice Plant Bar will be serving craft cocktails made with St. Augustine Distillery’s products. To learn how to make your own craft cocktails – from the experts – register for the Distillery’s private instructional workshop taking place during the festival.