Penny for Your Thoughts - St. Augustine Distillery
At St. Augustine Distillery, I had a chance to try the distillery's two whiskies, their standard Double Cask Bourbon and a limited edition Port Finished Bourbon.
St. Augustine Double Cask Bourbon (43.9% ABV) - St. Augustine's standard bourbon is a wheated recipe that features a relatively low proportion of corn in its mash bill (60%, along with 22% malted barley and 18% wheat). This whiskey is young, aging between 16 and 28 months in fresh oak before bottling. Look, this is a classic craft spirit: honestly made, and surprisingly high in quality for its youth, but with a lot of rough edges remaining. I'm not sure what the future holds for St. Augustine, and I'd certainly expect this bourbon will prove to be a viable competitor for other high-quality wheated bourbons with time. Interestingly, it sounds like a small percentage of the blend is also aged in port, to lend it some additional sweetness, which speaks to the fact that the bourbon standing alone probably is a little too bitter. The dominant notes that I get from this are young spirit notes, along with a mellow corn sweetness and a lot of raw grain notes. It is surprisingly smooth, and holds up very well in an Old Fashioned due to its lower level of sweetness. I've seen some reviewers describe a pine-like taste to this bourbon, which is dead on. In a way, some of the flavors here remind me of the distillery's gin, which is a legitimate heavy hitter. But what makes a great gin is not necessarily synonymous with what makes a great bourbon. C+
St. Augustine Port Finished Bourbon (51%) - This limited edition is prominently featured in the distillery's gift shop, and seems to sell well even at some super-premium pricing: $40 for a 375 ml half-bottle, and $80 for a handle. The port influence creates some spectacular aromas of cherry and strawberry, along with darker, richer syrup notes. The taste is reminiscent of the Double Cask Bourbon which forms the base of this release, but added sweetness in the form of dates and raisins make this a more pleasant release. It has a moderately long finish of vanilla and dried fruit. Unlike the Double Cask, which is pretty rough, this felt to me like it could be a daily sipper, although it'd be hard to afford placing this bourbon in that role. This dram is more promising than what I've tasted from Angel's Envy but, like its base, it needs more time in the barrel. Especially at the prices that they're asking! B