Apart from locally producing gin, vodka, and rum, the St Augustine Distillery is also known for making Florida’s first Bourbon. Furthermore, in this tour, you’ll be able to see how they make “The Spirit of Florida” from farm to glass.
History buffs like myself will also appreciate the fact that the distillery’s building was properly restored. Back in 1907, this building was home to the very first power and ice plant in St. Augustine.
Being that it’s the oldest city in America, the historic buildings in St Augustine definitely have their unique charm.
How Long is the Distillery Self-Guided Tour?
Since you’ll be going at your own pace, this distillery tour in St Augustine can take as much as you want it to.
We spent about a full hour at the St Augustine Distillery and we think it was a reasonable time.
After learning about all the important facts on the distillery production, we browsed around the gift shop and enjoyed walking around.
As a reference, you should at least save 45 minutes to an hour for this distillery tour.
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What Will You See in the St Augustine Distillery Tour?
Upon your entrance to the building, you will be asked to check in. Afterward, you can begin the tour as you wish. To make things easier, here is the tour divided into ‘rooms’.
1. The Museum
Once you check in, you can look around the museum. You’ll learn some interesting facts about the history of the distillery and look at some great pictures.
2. Production Barrels
Then, you will then go through the doors and walk through a path surrounded by the actual distillery production barrels.
If you look closely, you’ll notice that each barrel is identified with the type of spirit and barrel number. I personally loved looking at them!
3. Distillery Production Observation Area of the St Augustine Distillery
The path will then lead you to the distillery production observation area. In other words, this is where the magic really happens!
You’ll be able to look at all the distillery equipment like the mash cooker and fermentation tanks. And there is also the 3,000-gallon bourbon blending tank as well as the finished spirit tanks.
4. Bottling Room
During our visit, we were not allowed to go inside the bottling room. This was the one place where we were looking through a window. Nonetheless, we were able to see how the bottling process takes place.
5. “Fill your Own” Bottling Experience
First, imagine a fountain drink machine. Then, imagine that it’s filled with the locally produced spirits of the St Augustine Distillery.
Yeap, just like that you can fill up your bottle to purchase and enjoy at home. You can request the “fill your own bottle” experience at the gift shop.
6. Spirit and Cocktail Tastings
Now, can we skip to the good part? Did I mention that the St Augustine Distillery self-guided tour includes free tastings? Oh, my bad! 🙈
As part of the tour, you can enjoy free tastings of the spirits and some cocktails prepared just for you! Additionally, you can enjoy the aromas of the flavorful ingredients that are used to produce gin, vodka, and rum.
7. St Augustine Distillery Gift Shop and Bourbon Tastings
Saving the best for last! For the last part of the tour, you’ll be heading out to the gift shop. This is also where you will be able to grab free bourbon tastings and even some samples. How cool is that?
Overall, this will be one of those tours where you have a really good time and are excited about going back!
Also, the fact that this historic landmark building is well-preserved, definitely adds more to the experience.
Plan your visit
Tour Hours: Open daily from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. There is no reservation required for the free tours.
Info: Check out the St Augustine Distillery website for more information and updates on tours.
Have you been to the St Augustine Distillery? Let us know in the comments!
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Yanitza Ninett
Yanitza is an avid adventurer with 15+ years of hiking experience and outdoor travel. As a PADI-certified scuba diver, she's also passionate about ocean conservation. When she's not exploring the great outdoors, Yanitza obsesses over The Vampire Diaries and dreams of traveling to Mallorca, Spain.
A fountain where you can fill your own spirits? Amazing!! Thanks for the write up 🙂
Thank you so much for reading!