Discovering Rum

Starting September 2015, local rum connoisseurs will be raising their glasses to a new sipping sensation as the St. Augustine Distillery brings its first rum program tasting to the streets of downtown St. Augustine. The Discovery Series (the distillery's first rum tastings through the remainder of this year) will be available to the public beginning Thursday, September 3 in the Distillery’s gift shop, located on Riberia Street.

Each tasting in the series is a limited release expression of rum, created during the development of the Distillery’s flagship rum. Each version has been fermented and distilled on-site in St. Augustine from select regional sugarcane syrups and molasses in copper pot stills, then barrel-aged for a distinct flavor profile.

“Our Director of Production, Brendan Wheatley, asked if, in order to make the best possible rum, we would allow him to create a series of 500 case allotments over the course of four months,” explained Philip McDaniel, co-founder and CEO of St. Augustine Distillery. “This will help him ‘dial-in’ the best combination of sugar sources and distillation techniques for a first-rate final rum recipe,” McDaniel said. “We wanted our customers to have the unique chance to experience each of these different recipes as we refine our flagship rum. This opportunity is very unique and only available at a craft distillery like ours."

The first release in the rum program will be followed by Series 2 in October, Series 3 in November and Series 4 in December. The Distillery’s flagship rum (or final recipe) is slated for a January 2016 release. The St. Augustine Distillery is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with free, guided tours and tastings every half hour.

For more information, call 904-825-4962, or visit their website at www.staugustinedistillery.com