Rum Across the Sunshine State

A Thanksgiving trip to the Tampa area and the return home allowed me to visit six distilleries which focus on rum and sourcing local molasses, crystals, or cane juice. 

Nestled in the heart of Dunedin’s vibrant "beer-muda triangle", Cotherman Distilling Co. has carved out a niche by producing hand-crafted spirits with a focus on quality and local ingredients. Their signature offerings include the 727 Vodka, a unique single-malt vodka distilled from 100% malted barley, and the Half-Mine Gin. They also produce a range of unique whiskies using different beer and rye mashes. But rum was our focus and their One Eyed Jack is supreme. This superior rum is aged in a chardonnay barrel that were used by neighboring Cueni Brewing Co. to rest a Belgium Tripel. Cotherman then obtained this barrel and aged their Dark Rum in the barrel for five years. Excellent. They also offer several other rums aged in various second use or different barrel sizes. For value, go for the Crockett's Reserve. 

Located in historic Ybor City, Gasparilla Distillery & Cocktail Bar is celebrated as Tampa’s first rum distillery, blending local heritage with a playful nod to the legendary pirate José Gaspar. Since opening in 2018, the distillery has produced a wide range of small-batch spirits, including Gasparilla Silver Rum, Spiced Rum, Coconut Rum, and seasonal flavors like Pumpkin or Apple Spiced Rum -- and the eye-opening Banana Bread Rum. This as well as their Key Lime Pie Rum were our favorites.  Not as sippers, but as ingredients to cocktails in which the creative bartenders described in detail during our visit. The rums are created by fermenting top-grade molasses from Okeelanta Sugar Mills in South Florida over seven days. The juice is then distilled using a 1,000 gallon copper pot still with rectifying columns. 

Founded by Drum Circle Distilling, Siesta Key Rum also sources the finest Florida molasses and only real ingredients like ground spices, honey, coffee, and coconut to produce their lineup of usually eight rums. This portfolio includes Toasted Coconut Rum, Coffee Rum, Spiced Rum, various aged rums, as well as beer barrel series -- all distilled using copper pot stills. Tastings are free with cocktails available at the tropical-inspired “Infinity Room” tiki bar.  The aged rums are worth exploring. The Siesta Key Distiller's Reserve Aged Spiced Rum is crafted using a solara system and is fantastic. Their Siesta Key Maple Syrup Barrel Aged Spiced Rum was aged in barrels that started as bourbon barrels, then were used to age maple syrup. After that, the maple soaked barrels make their way to the distillery and filled with the Siesta Key Spiced Rum. The batches are blends of barrels that have aged up to 7 years. 

Opened in 2019, Loaded Cannon Distillery is Bradenton’s first and only liquor distillery, proudly producing spirits “grain and cane to glass”.  The corn, molasses, rye, sugar, rice, and lemons are sourced directly in the Sunshine state. Their lineup includes bourbon, rum, vodka, gin, and specialty flavored spirits such as the popular Jalapeño Vodka, Limoncello, and the Pyracy Rum, crafted with dark sugar and molasses. We loved the Port Barrel Finished Rum and Maple Pecan Rum, but were more attracted to other offerings. Starting with the four grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey -- complex and easy sipping. Grab a Neat glass for this one. Their fabulous Limoncello is made with the lemons hanging in little cheesecloth hammocks, suspended above the high proof spirit, rather than peeling the lemons and immersing said peels in the spirit. This old Sicilian technique provides more zesty flavors. And we now know why the Jalapeño Vodka is very popular. Bloody Mary material. 

Driving through tall green sugar cane stalks swaying in a gentle breeze, you find a hidden distillery, a one of kind operation.  Sugar Sand Distillery is the country's only estate-grown sugar cane farm distillery where the sugar cane is grown, processed, distilled, and sold at the same location. In this case, Lake Placid in south central Florida.  Founder Don Davies grows four acres of cane on a former 10 acre citrus grove. The cane stalks are fed by a hydroponic system that delivers water and nutrients directly to the base of each plant; a by-product of Don’s decades of experience in the fertilizer industry.  The distillery opened in April 2018 and offers numerous spirits based on proprietary cane juice and corn mash recipes. These include small-batch rum, whiskey, vodka, limoncello and moonshine.  See A Visit to Sugar Sand Distillery - America's Only Estate-grown Sugar Cane Farm Distillery for a fuller picture of their operation and spirits. 

St. Augustine Distillery is located in the America's first city and in the historic FP&L Ice Plant (the first commercial enterprise to produce block ice in Florida over 100 years ago). The distillery is a business collaborative of 28 local entrepreneurs who utilize local sugar cane, wheat, corn, and citrus to produce whiskey, rum, vodka, and gin. They provide one of the most insightful free walking tours of a distillery. Each station includes a free cocktail sample and the museum provides a history of block ice production as well as a legality neutral history of distilling in The Sunshine State.  Their Pot Distilled Rum is produced from Grade A US Fancy sugarcane syrup and molasses and aged in used St. Augustine bourbon barrels. One of very few rums that are aged in barrels that previously held bourbon from the same distillery. The spirit is straw-colored with a surprising coconut and very light baking spices profile. 

Swig & Ramble Season 1 Finale: The Tastes of 2021

Thanks to the fine folks at Swig & Ramble for having me as a guest to discuss my favorite spirits of 2021.  In between Mark interrupting Julia we discussed several Virginia and New York craft spirits from Dida's Distillery, Catoctin Creek Distilling Company, Cooperstown Distillery,  Hillrock Estate Distillery, and Kings County Distillery. There's also a shoutout to Florida's St. Augustine Distillery, plus my 2021 favorite -- the Maggie's Farm Rum - Allegheny Distilling Sherry Finished Rum -- American grown sugar cane fermented and distilled in Pittsburgh PA. Follow the Swig & Ramble Facebook Group to receive updates on the 2022 show schedule. Cheers.

St. Augustine: A Craft Beverage Destination

For two decades now, while driving to South Florida, we have been inclined to include a detour into St. Augustine to visit the historical sights such as the Old Town, the Spanish Quarter, the Castillo de San Marcos, the Lighthouse, and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine.  These visits also included a stop at the city's only craft beverage establishment - San Sebastian Winery - as we had become fans of their Blanc Du Bois and Port styled wines. They also provided an excellent tour of their facilities as well as a rooftop pavilion with satisfying glasses of white sangria.

In the past few years, other craft beverage outlets joined San Sebastian along the Trolley Tour Route such as St. Augustine Distillery - situated only a couple blocks away in the Historic FP&L Ice Plant (the first commercial enterprise to produce block ice in Florida over 100 years ago). The distillery is a business collaborative of 28 local entrepreneurs who utilize local sugar cane, wheat, corn, and citrus to produce whiskey, rum, vodka, and gin. They also contacted the world’s leading distilling experts to assist in crafting the spirits recipe and local bartenders on drafting recommended cocktails. They also emulated San Sebastian's tour design and provide one of the most insightful free walking tours of a distillery. Each station includes a free cocktail sample and the museum provides a history of block ice production as well as a legality neutral history of distilling in The Sunshine State.

For this trip, we intentionally targeted the distillery in order to purchase a bottle of their Port Finished Bourbon ($80, 102 proof).  This whiskey starts as their Florida Double Cask Bourbon which is made from a mash bill of 60% regional corn, 22% malted barley, and 18% regional wheat that is then finished in used San Sebastian Port barrels. For both the Florida Double Cask and Port Finished bourbons, distiller Lucas Smith worked closely with the late Dave Pickerell on the first blends and barrel selection as well as the final proof. Interestingly, the Florida Double Cask weighs in at on odd 93.8 proof as that was the proof that all "blenders" agreed upon.  The Double Cask refers to the use of initial 25-gallon barrels in which the spirit was then transferred to seasoned 53-gallon casks in order to slow the maturation process. The result is a phenomenon whiskey
and with the additional Port finishing imparts a slight sherry profile along with the raisins and cinnamon.

We also left with a bottle of the Pot Distilled Rum ($45, 90 proof) and the Florida Cane Vodka ($28, 80 proof). The rum is produced from regional sugarcane syrups and molasses and aged in used St. Augustine bourbon barrels. The spirit is straw-colored with a surprising coconut and baking spices profile. There's a mild dose of heat but the finish is very smooth and clean. The vodka is pot distilled from 100% Florida-farmed sugar. This provides a subtle molasses character with a clean finish.  The Florida Mule was its primary purpose and here are several other recommended cocktails:

Brooklynite •  2 ounces Pot Distilled Rum •  1 ounce honey syrup •  1 ounce lime juice •  few dashes of bitters Garnish with orange peel.	The Lolita •  1.5 ounces Florida Cane Vodka •  0.5 ounce fresh lemon juice •  0.5 ounce fresh grapefruit juice •  0.5 st. germaine •  0.25 ounce simple syrup •  3 dashes of peychauds bitters Garnish with a grapefruit peel.
Mojito •  2 ounces Pot Distilled Rum •  0.75 ounce lime juice •  0.75 ounce simple syrup •  10 leaves of fresh mint •  top with soda water Garnish with fresh mint.	The Florida Mule •  1.5 ounces Florida Cane Vodka •  1.5 ounces ginger-lime simple syrup •  Top with soda water Garnish with fresh mint leaves.
	Classic Vodka Collins •  2 ounces Florida Cane Vodka •  1 ounces simple syrup •  1 ounces lemon juice •  Top with soda water Garnish with a lemon peel

During this visit, we also stopped into two of the four craft breweries that have surfaced in the last couple of years. Ancient City Taphouse is located next to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine and the two standouts were the Castillo Coconut Porter and Brazilian Pepper Tree Honey IPA.  Old Coast Ales is located a short walk or drive over the Matanzas River and we walked out with crowlers of Salt Run Gose and the Hopper 2.0 N.E. IPA. Both nice beach beers.  Another solid beer is the Dog Rose Brewing Co. Palace Pale Ale which I had with lunch at the A1A Ale Works Restaurant & Taproom where Dog Rose owner and brewer, Doug Murr, used to brew. And finally, Bog Brewing Company and City Gate Spirits will have to wait until our return visit to America's oldest city.