John and I recently popped into Island Grove Winery tasting room and was referred to check out Fish…read moreHawk Spirits in Ocala. We had a trip down to the Tampa area to see family and decided we would hit them up on the way home- it's about 20 minutes off I75 heading West on 40 and then you enter the twilight zone. We are cruising through farmland and John points at the navigation and says look at that huge community out here in the middle of nowhere. A diamond shaped pattern of roads and intersections appeared on the screen and that is where GPS was taking us- into this what-appeared-to-be neighborhood. Follow that nav- trust me. Aw the road changes from paved to gravel you will feel like you slipped into the twilight zone or a horror flick or simply that there is no way a distillery is out there. It is. The property was selected based on water supply- spring water. It was never intended to host customers, but Fish Hawk has a wonderful bar setup in the backyard. Yes- you are going to a farm/home/working distillery. Pro tip- call ahead for reservations and have no other plans for the day. You will be treated as old friends and the conversation will be fun, entertaining and real. The samples of Whiskey, Rum, Vodka, Brandy & Absinthe will keep the conversation flowing, as will the craft cocktails, expertly made. The Old Fashioned was divine! And I loved my color changing Lemon Drop! This will probably be the most interesting distillery find ever for me & that's saying A LOT. Matthew was waving us in from the road and was so entertaining, his son behind the bar made sure we had our samples and cocktails and a few toasts were made. Conversation waxed on and the light dimmed. How long have we been here??? Just before the sunset we did a quick tour of the facility- they had a lighting strike that forced a remodel and things were temporarily out of place. That didn't stop Matthew from educating us! My favorites: Conquistador 1513- John and I tried 2 different batches of this whiskey and the one I had was bottled this year and so smooth. It's 100% Oat mash bill using half smoked and half rolled Oats from farmers in Northern Florida and aged with barrels and chips ot create a smokey oatmeal finish. I bought this bottle and it will be one of my most prized bottles on my bar. Marion 106 Black- This is a much higher proof fruit based brandy- deep flavors that linger and fill your mouth, I fully expected to buy this and I probably will next time I visit! It's tangerine based and delightful. La Septima- a bold Black Rum. A friend of the owner popped in and chatted for a bit and said to make sure I try this rum, the he had a bottle on his bar because it is so good. I LOVE rum. Whiskey, bourbon and rum are my go-to choices. They had 4 different rums and I only sampled this one and I took this bottle home. I loved the warmth in this bottle. I even convinced another guest to try it when he had his mind made up to buy a bottle of whiskey only. He took home both! Any of my friends who enjoy tastings- I will certainly send here! Worth the day trip from Jacksonville for sure! There is so much more to say~ but this is already a lengthy review!

After reading the other reviews, I have to agree with most of them. This place is warm, friendly,…read moreentertaining, and the cocktails are really fantastic! The owner and his son were our hosts, the son was our talented bartender who obviously has some experience with their signature cocktails... they were spot on! The old fashioned was just the right amount of sweet & fruit with the tang from the whiskey. The gin's botanicals were deliciously refreshing and made a truly superb gin and tonic. The owner is a likable guy who enjoys telling stories and interacting with the guests. His story about the origin of the term "shot" to describe a portion of liquor is very entertaining. There's only one caveat about this place, it could use some... tidying up! I get the whole rustic vibe, but the tour area is very crowded, mostly with buckets, random tools and... kinda junky. I really want to stress the good aspects of this distillery, namely the people. You get a great idea of the steps involved in making liquor presented in an interesting and entertaining tour. (Please note; our visit to the winery was actually about 10 months ago, I just noticed on yelp that I hadn't finished/posted the review!

First timing coming to sugar works distillery and it was SO cute. The vibe was great, live music,…read moreTyler was our bartender and he made the BEST cocktails. They were so delicious. Highly recommend giving this place a try!

Craft cocktails and wonderful mocktails are served at Sugar Works! We were in town for a long…read moreweekend on the beach and when I saw this place n Yelp, it was bookmarked immediately. It's a cute place inside - it's clean and well decorated, the staff is very friendly, and most importantly they really put the CRAFT in craft cocktails. They're dehydrating their own garnishes, and they taste and smell delicious! There is no mocktail menu, but the gentleman bartender (with the fancy mustache!) offered to make one for my companion. It was amazing... we still talk about it today. Creamy, dreamy, sour/sweet, strawberry goodness. It was a ten out of ten. I had this creative and fun cocktail made with Hawaiian Punch foam. I was worried it'd be overly sweet, but decided to go for it. So glad I did - super balanced and just perfect! My only complaint was that we were pressed for time and only had time for one round. That's on us! LOL. Next time I'm remotely close by, I would stop in for more fabulous drinks here!

So to say this is off the beaten path is an understatement. However - once you find it you're…read moregoing to love it. A wonderful garden area with different types of seating. Games, animals, an "ass" to scratch (for reals). Live music and beer/sangria. And the best part- whisky and rum tasting. Doubles as event space. You can't drink the liquor onsite. Probably for the best- too much and you may never find your way out. Also food truck! Delicious bites to go with the beer and beautiful weather. The good news- we got the good stuff, and the bad news is that our rum bottle opened up and more than half of it poured out before we made it home- so be careful with that stuff!

Very fun experience. Whiskey and rum tasting, live music and outside bar. The grounds are large…read moreand beautiful with very creative lighting and furnishings. Highly recommend.

Fun little place! Will definitely come back! Staff were super friendly and attentive.read more

I stopped in here with a buddy after driving past here. I did get some of the moonshine which was…read morenot bad. I have had better moonshine but to be fair I'm not a big moonshine person. I would say if you are in the area you should at least stop by and check it out.

I had a blast here several months ago with some family members. We decided go do a tasting and had…read moreso much fun. I can't recall the name of the young lady we had unfortunately, but she was fantastic and so much fun. My family ended up buying a few bottles to take home with them. It was a nice local place to stop by and support. It had a really good vibe when you walked in. It looked like your typical local distillery room when you come on with the barrels. I don't go to St Augustine very often but if you love to get a taste of local spirits when you are visiting places I highly recommend this place.

Always a great experience! We visited two days on a row and had Lexi take us through the spirit…read moretasting both times. What a fantastic employee! Each time we've visited we have had wonderful experiences. Everyone is always a joy to interact with. Lexi had a large group during our first visit and then just the two of us the second time. Both times we walked out with our favorite spirits and some new ones. The peanut butter whiskey is always a staple and this one is my favorite. We now have a new addition to our must-have collection, mango datil whiskey. I dont even mix these with anything as they are incredibly smooth. Can you? Sure. But why? The spirits also change out and I'm a little sad that the cookie dough whiskey will become seasonal (that one did mix well with the peanut butter and caramel). But the new key lime pie rum was delicious and the coconut rum is another favorite. Was there anything we didn't like? I am not a fan of the roasted pecan whiskey but I can appreciate why others will enjoy it. In our tasting, Lexi swapped that one out for me so I didn't miss out. The care and joy the team has is palpable and a must stop when visiting the St Augustine area. Big fan and we now stop by multiple times each visit to sample and take home our favorites. Im excited to try the new rye whiskey on a future visit. One thing to keep in mind is that the tasting used to be free and now costs $5. Personally, I don't mind since there is a $5 coupon to use in the store that can be stacked so it becomes essentially free but it's a relatively recent change (the same applies to the nearby St Augustine Distillery and San Sebastian Winery). Do I wish that this one was still free? Of course. Will it stop me from visiting? Nope. It just breaks up my purchases so I can apply the cost each time. (And it's much better than the winery which gives you a plastic cup...nice but not really repeatable.) Overall, City Gate continues to be my favorite Distillery for flavored spirits. Thanks for always providing a great experience and product! And thank you to Lexi for being awesome!

Loggerhead Distillery is so cute. We stopped in while participating in the mini masters in downtown…read moreSanford. The employees were very helpful and let me sample the rum and vodka. FYI the rum is Keto Friendly, which I have never seen before. I got a Rosey the blonde cocktail which was very good. I will definitely be back to buy a bottle of rum!

This place has been around for 8 years but I swear it's always closed when I walk by. Well today it…read morewasn't!!! 2:30 on a Thursday, they were open. We headed in to see what they're about. They had quite a lineup for tasting. And the samples are free! I enjoyed their orange blossom sweet tea vodka. The orange blossom makes it a little different than the usual sweet tea vodkas. On the menu, they have a John Daly cocktail. As a golfer and a fan of golf, I was destined to enjoy this cocktail. And their prices! Talk about a bargain! My drink was only $7.99. We had a few more samples and then I spied their seasonal frozen drink. It's a spiked "hot" cocoa! That frozen drink was so good. You could not detect the vodka in it but I'm sure it would kick in. I just had a sip of my husband's. So good. The store is super cute. They were busy decorating the place with Christmas stuff- even though Christmas is literally around the corner! Haha. A bit late but much appreciated. They have quite a bit of merchandise. Some is loggerhead and some is just cute gift type- for example- their tea towels are funny! I grabbed two for Christmas gifts. They have shirts, coffee mugs and tons of bar glassware. You can even buy bottles of their spirits. The place is a bit small. There's a Large table that seats about ten people and then standing room. You can see right into their distillery from the windows. Their spirits are offered at a few local restaurants, including The district, which is next door. Parking is along the street. The little lot across from them is gone- it's undergoing construction to be some retail building. Definitely stop by when you're in the area. Have a free taste, get a cocktail and pick up some gifts. Support local!

Omg their moonshine is amazing!!!! The root beer moonshine and Arnold Palmer where delightful!!!!…read moreThe shine mixes so well with the paired flavors and doesn't hit you hard.

Yes. I bought Banana Pudding. It was awesome. I haven't been to the store yet and will go soon but…read morethe stuff is great! Good people too!

The wine is made from blueberry's and is delicious. You can buy this wine soon at total wines.read more

Beautiful setting, very casual. We had a party of six for dinner on Friday night at 6:30…read more First of all the blueberry wine (dry) is pretty tasty; a bit of a surprise. We ordered a cheese and fruit plate for the table, wine flights, and full steak dinners. Tom and I split a 12 oz ribeye ($40) and ordered a soup (lobster bisque) and a salad. The steak was cooked perfectly medium rare - char broiled perfectly. Served with a baked potato and veggies. We split a blueberry cobbler with ice cream for dessert. Total bill with tip (be aware they add a 20% tip) was $100 for two. We sat outside on the covered patio and it was very pleasant. Great service too - we will definitely return. Recommend!

This is such a special spot. I have been trying Dirty Martini's for 30 years. I feel like I have…read morefinally found it!!! This spot is soo spacial! There is no real food here. It is strictly a bar! But the service is so friendly & welcoming. They are quick to offer recommendations. The vibe here is low-key neighborhood & a kind of locals secretwatering hole. Come check out this special little spot before everyone else does!!

Chase and Julia (gosh I hope i got the names right) were fabulous hosts, guides, bartenders! Step…read moreinside the dimly lit tasting room and craft cocktail bar and relax! I've been trying to stop into this distillery for years, but my timing was always off. Either they were closed that day i was there or not opening before I left. But today, the starts aligned. If you know, John and I love going to small craft/ small batch distilleries & we have the bar to back that up. Years of learning what we love and what we (I really) don't. I was all interested in the bourbon! And they delivered! Every batch is a one and done, with every new batch trying to be better and more refined than the last. Reminds me of myself, I'm always moving forward & trying to do better! Loved the bourbon. The Winter Park Arts Festival blend was phenomenal! Then... I tried the Gincident and that was an easy yes, let's take that bottle home. Meanwhile, Chase was bragging about their Best Espresso Martini.... hmmm, prove it. Made with bourbon, omg yes please. Proprietary blend of coffee, vodka made in house and yes, it was one of my to three I've ever had! And now I want to start trying various bourbons to make one at home! And I heard they do a Halloween Yelp Event!!! Whhhaaaatttt! Please please, I must go this coming fall! I LOVE HALLOWEEN!!!

Great little find in Daytona Beach! Copper Bottom Distilling let us taste all of their spirits,…read morewhich was a nice touch -- lots of options to choose from. The orange cream moonshine was a standout for me. The owner/operator was really, really nice and made the whole experience feel personal. Good selection of drinks overall, plus great merchandise if you want to take something home. The space itself has both indoor and outdoor seating, and it wasn't too loud -- easy to actually talk and enjoy yourselves. They also host numerous events, so it seems like a spot worth checking back in on. A good little addition to the Daytona Beach area -- would recommend stopping by.

Awesome atmosphere!!! Super knowledgeable and very welcoming!!!…read more Bought some bottles to take home because we loved the spirits much!!!