Bald Cypress Bourbon

Unfortunately, most smaller distilleries strictly source their products, especially aged spirits, from bulk suppliers.  This saves time and money but comes with a loss of craftmanship and often quality.  Any distillery that initially offers an aged spirit without waiting for years for their products to age must collaborate with an established distilling operation.

Our journey began several years ago with visits to small and mid-sized distilleries from the bourbon belt of Virginia and Kentuckey to the southern regions of Florida.  After careful consideration and long-term planning, we opted to work with a distillery right here in central Florida.  But why? Product quality and consistency.

All bourbons are held to the same legal standards of production established by the federal government.  There are some variations in product designations for some spirits depending on the actual location (Kentucky or Florida Straight Whiskey for example), but the ingredients and required processes are the same.  The big difference between production locations is often water sources and the climate where aging occurs. These factors alone can have a significant impact on the flavor profile of the finished product making it nearly impossible to produce a similar product from two entirely different geographical locations.

The question that remains is: Isn't bourbon from Kentucky or Virginia better? No, it's likely different from a flavor profile perspective but there's no measurement of better or not. That being said, what are some of the advantages of producing bourbon in Florida? Water and climate.

In our area of Florida our water comes from the Homosassa Watershed of the Florida Aquifer.  This natural spring water is some of the purist available.  With its natural minerals and lack of heavy irons and sulfur our water is the perfect start for a well-balanced bourbon.

How does the climate effect aging?  Temperature fluctuations play a crucial role in the aging process of spirits in barrels.  Here’s how it works:

Expansion and Contraction: As temperatures rise, the spirit inside the barrel warms and expands, increasing the pressure and forcing the liquid into the wood’s pores. When temperatures drop, the spirit contracts, drawing out the flavors and compounds from the wood back into the liquid.

Extraction of Flavors: Higher temperatures accelerate the extraction of flavors from the wood, leading to more intense and complex profiles. This includes notes of vanilla, caramel, and spice, which are derived from compounds like lignin and hemicellulose in the wood.

Oxidation: Temperature changes also affect the rate of oxidation, which contributes to the development of flavors and aromas. Warmer temperatures can speed up oxidation, enhancing the complexity of the spirit.

Temperature changes are vital for the aging process, influencing the interaction between the spirit and the wood, and ultimately shaping the final character of the aged spirit.  Given any average year the geographical difference in daily temperature ranges between the Appalachian region and Florida are considerably different.  This results in a much different flavor profile change during the same time frame.  As with every topic there are differing opinions of the advantages or disadvantages of any process, but we can't change the climate in which we live so we must embrace it.

For those reasons we chose to work closely with our partner Florida distillery during our journey to bring you our own Florida crafted bourbon: Bald Cypress.