Two stops on the St. Augustine trolley tour are the St. Augustine Distillery and the San Sebastian Winery. We stopped at the distillery on Friday afternoon; it started to rain so we went inside to wait out the storm. The distillery is a few years old and is based in an old ice factory. The building has been restored, has a small museum exhibit about the history of booze in Florida, and is really cool (no pun intended).
St. Augustine Distillery
Address and Location
You’ll find the Distillery at 112 Riberia Street in St. Augustine, Florida. It’s stop 11 on the St. Augustine Old Town Trolley route.
Cost
Participating in the tour and tasting are free. You do have the option to purchase liquor, mixers, and more in the gift shop.
What to Do
The staff provide a tour similar to those of wineries or breweries where you walk the production route and hear about the process. You can also sample four cocktails made with St. Augustine rum, vodka, bourbon, and gin. After sampling the drinks, we left with bourbon and bourbon balls.
San Sebastian Winery
Address and Location
The San Sebastian Winery is located at 157 King Street in St. Augustine, Florida. It’s stop 12 on the St. Augustine Old Town Trolley route.
Cost
The basic wine tasting is free. You can purchase a full glass at the end of the tour. They also have a full selection of their wines (and more) for sale.
What to Do
We visited San Sebastian Winery on Saturday at 10 am when they opened. Because of our early arrival, we did a self-guided tour through the winery and stopped at the various tasting stations set up around the building. They also offer fully guided tours. The wines rotate seasonally, and I enjoyed that the tastings were spaced throughout the building. One of their notable wines is a port (which you can buy in a lighthouse-shaped bottle) whose barrels are used at the Distillery to age some of their bourbons.
St. Augustine long weekend | Downton Abbey costume exhibit at the Lightner Museum | Flagler College | Castillo de San Marcos
