Florida Cane Distillery’s tasting room and bar located inside Ybor City's historic El Encanto building at 1820 N 15th St. quietly closed its doors last week.
“The constant decline in Florida Tourism, coupled with the closing of so many other Ybor music venues/bars/restaurants and the recent shootings have pushed us to this decision,” the owners of The Florida Cane Distillery wrote on social media last week. “Although we are saddened by having to close to the public it’s been such a great joy to host all of you in our tasting room, on our behind-the-scenes tours, and hands-on whiskey classes—this was only possible because of your loyal support.”
The Tampa-based spirits distributor debuted its Ybor City location—which it boasted as “Florida’s first vodka tasting room”—in 2012, mere months after launching its production space in Brandon.
In addition to providing a laid-back environment to sip liquor and craft cocktails in, Florida Cane’s tasting room also provided tours of the distillery (complete with samples), organized events and themed game nights, and even hosted whiskey-making classes last year. The local distillery also produced loads of hand sanitizer for the greater Tampa area during 2020's Covid-19 pandemic. Although its tasting room closed its doors last weekend, its variety of Florida-made rums, gins and moonshines can be directly purchased from its website or from local retailers like Luekens Liquors and B21 Fine Wine and Spirits.
Throughout the last decade or so, Florida Cane Distillery has created over 30 different spirits, often utilizing ingredients from the Sunshine State.
For the latest news on Florida Cane Distillery, head to its Instagram at @floridacane or Facebook at @canevodka.
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