The Art of Barrel Finishing
It’s said that good things come to those who wait, and nowhere is that more true than spirit distillation. Our bourbon is aged for nearly four years in charred American White Oak. Like all bourbons, these barrels give the whiskey 100% of its color and up to 70% of its flavor. However, not all spirits are complete after the initial aging process. The technique of barrel-finishing allows aged bourbon to spend additional time in a secondary barrel to deepen its flavor profile. St. Augustine Distillery proudly offers a variety of barrel-finished spirits, including old favorites, limited editions, and a new Explorer Collection that will be released in the coming months. Here is a sneak peek of how we leverage various exotic barrels to create unique flavor profiles in our spirits through the art of barrel finishing.
What is Barrel Finishing?
Barrel finishing, also known as secondary maturation, occurs when a previously barrel-aged product is transferred to a different barrel to impart new flavors. Most often, the second barrel is a used barrel that previously contained a different spirit. While the majority of the flavor of the spirit comes from the initial maturation (often referred to as “aging”), time spent in a secondary, or “finishing”, barrel can introduce new flavor profiles to the spirit. The wooden staves of the second barrel absorb the spirit, allowing it to mingle with the wood and the previous contents of the barrel to develop a more complex flavor profile.
Commonly seen in Scotch whiskey production, finishing is relatively new in the bourbon world. Federal law dictates that a whiskey must be aged in new, charred oak barrels to be called “bourbon”. However, bourbon finishing has become an increasingly popular way to add a unique depth of flavor to bourbon by spending a short amount of time in a used barrel after the initial aging period in a new barrel. Other spirits have followed suit including gin, rum, and tequila.
Barrel finishing is a delicate art: it can lead to a complex and nuanced flavor, but the process also risks overpowering the spirit’s natural flavor if it is left in the finishing barrel too long. The time our different spirits spend in finishing barrels largely depends on the previous contents of the barrel and the time of year.
What else makes our barrel-finished spirits unique? Aside from our painstaking attention to flavor, we see barrel finishing as a way to further our commitment to sustainability and community development. Finishing allows us to extend the lifespan of a barrel: instead of throwing it away or breaking it down for scrap wood, we can use barrels multiple times while appreciating their previous use.
Internally, we re-use our bourbon barrels to age our Pot Distilled Rum, giving it the trademark golden color and warm, brown sugar notes. We also provide barrels to other local businesses like The Kookaburra Coffee Shop and Old Coast Ales, both of which have used our bourbon barrels to age their coffee and beer respectively.
Our neighbors at San Sebastian Winery often supply us with port barrels to help create our line of port-aged spirits, including our finished bourbon and Stone’s Throw rum.
We also supply our neighbors at San Sebastian Winery with used bourbon barrels with which to make their port wine. These barrels are then returned to us to help create our Stone’s Throw Rum and Port Finished Bourbon. Then, the barrels are once again sent back to San Sebastian Winery to make a new batch of port wine. Some barrels have been through this cycle of port and finishing for over five years! This symbiotic relationship contributes to a culture of creativity and harmony in our city, enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.
Check out our full list of specialty barrel-finished spirits below!
Port Finished Bourbon
The first finished bourbon we ever released, and one of our two flagship finished bourbons. We take our Florida Straight Bourbon and finish it for 4-6 months in port wine barrels from our neighbors at San Sebastian Winery. The result is a deep red color with powerful notes of fruit and sweetness throughout the nose and palate. Learn more.
The Saint Bourbon
This barrel-finished classic also starts with our classic Florida Straight Bourbon, which is aged for 6-8 weeks in barrels that previously contained our Old Fashioned Mix. This short finishing time allows the bourbon to acquire subtle notes of warming spices and orange without being overpowered by the concentrated flavor. We produce The Saint in limited batches made up of as few as four barrels. The result is that each batch of The Saint is unique with subtle variances in flavor profiles. Learn more.
The Explorer Collection
Coming soon from St. Augustine Distillery, the Explorer Collection will highlight the finishing qualities of different fine wines and spirits from across the globe on our award-winning Florida bourbon.
Upcoming Releases
We are continuously searching for new ways to finish our spirits, and our next release features the finishing power of a decadent classic. Coming Father’s Day weekend, we are proud to launch our Explorer Collection with the release of Cognac Cask-Finished Bourbon. To create this spirit, The St. Augustine Distillery team acquired 350L (93 gallon) French oak casks that held cognac for 10 years. Our matured Florida bourbon rested in these cognac-saturated casks for over two years, resulting in a 5-year bourbon with special character and sophistication.
Stay tuned for more information and, until then, stop by our retail shop at our distillery to shop for your favorite barrel-finished spirits!
