we’re feeling gin-spired
We talk a lot about our Florida whiskey distillery, and people rave about our Blue Mountain Beach bourbon whiskey, so much so that sometimes people forget about our other spirit options.
One of our prized creations (literally) is our Citrus Rosemary Gin. Owner and distiller Brian Rabon dove deep into the gin process with friend and mentor Clay Smith. Together, they took two days to feel, smell, and taste over 100 botanicals in order to narrow it down to thirteen – which make up the gin you can try at our Santa Rosa Beach tasting room.
When Brian was sorting through botanicals, he knew he wanted to put a 30A twist on a classic gin recipe. He chose both citrus and rosemary because of their abundance along HWY 30A, including the rosemary bushes he keeps in his own backyard. He created this spirit with a sunset gin and tonic in mind, and we’re pretty happy with just how well it fits.
The Citrus Rosemary Gin just won the Gold & Best in Class award with the East Coast Craft Spirits Awards, which featured submissions from distilleries in all 26 states east of the Mississippi River. We are honored to have won what we can only imagine is the first of many accolades for our gin.
We have also just released our Barrel-Aged version of our gin this past month. It features our award-winning gin as the base, and then we age it for a few months in barrels, giving it a new and complex flavor profile. It begins with the scent of juniper, fresh spices, and citrus, then follows with flavors of lemon and cedarwood. It then features a mild oak finish with pleasant light tannins.
Both gins can be found in our tasting room, and we recommend first getting a welcoming 30A tour of our distillery Florida experience. If you’re looking for liquor distilleries in Florida, look no further. Our tasting room also features a wide selection of all our spirits, including bourbon, rum, agave spirits, and vodka made in Florida. Whether you live on the Emerald Coast or you’re just visiting 30A, you won’t want to miss it!