St. Augustine Port Finished Bourbon

My wife and I visited St. Augustine Distillery over MLK weekend, so I had a chance to try the distillery's two whiskies, their standard Double Cask Bourbon and a limited edition Port Finished Bourbon. 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! This is a solid 3.5-star bourbon, but I'm rounding down a little because of the price point.

A rich, Bourbon Whiskey by St. Augustine Distillery in Florida crafted with a mash bill of 60% Florida corn, 22% barley & 18% Florida wheat; aged a minimum of 3 years in American white oak barrels; that is then finish for 6 months in San Sebastian port wine barrel before being bottled at 51% ABV. It has an aromatic birth with notes of grains, wood, dried fruits, flowers, nuts, herbs & spices; while a full & rich life adds notes of corn, dark cherry, plum, salted caramel, fig newton, cornbread, honeysuckle & unripe honeydew melon; that led to a slightly creamy death of medium length with notes of pepper, oak, chocolate, caramel, coconut, tobacco & leather. May 2024

This port-finished bourbon has an appearance of coppery amber honey, with a nose of corn and rye, with oak predominance, vanilla, chocolate, caramel, and walnut and a dark, dried fruit finish reminiscent of fig and raisin. The taste is early sweet corn and oak with vanilla-oak predominating the middle and a long nuttiness in the finish. It's young with a bit of a bite, but for something so young it's very smooth and drinkable neat. It's exciting to see something like this coming out of Florida!

Nose: grain forward at first with hints of dark fruit, leather and licorice that finally gives way to buttered popcorn Palate: buttered popcorn is the first note to hit followed by dried fruit, and some black pepper spice towards the back Finish: the spice hangs around pleasantly accompanied by the buttered popcorn note that was present throughput

The official review is a much rosier presentation of mine:. This stuff smells like an old wooden clothes chest, and tastes much the same. Cedar, bitters and a splash of sweet (presumably the port influence) before a short, hot, ethanol finish. It's not spit-it-out bad, but if I was offered this or a warm bottle of Boone's Farm, I'd take the wine.

On the nose you pick up the San Sebastián port along with figs and syrup. On the pallet there is some char and dark fruit with a bit of the port coming through with hints of vanilla. It’s young so not a lot of oak and char but the finish again the port is there and some nice spice and warmth that lingers in the mouth