This last month has been a doozy for Florida Cane Distillery owners Pat O’Brien and Lee Nelson.
Seeing that their block is soon to welcome a new hotel, as well as the forthcoming bar and restaurant Barterhouse, Nelson told CL he didn’t want to be “the ugly kids in the crowd.” So for the last 24 days, the Florida Cane team has been in serious upgrade and renovation mode.
The distillery has only been around for three years, but the owners of the concept needed a remodel. That meant new floors, bathrooms, and a mural designed by Netta Radice and brought to life by local muralist Heather Walton. Nelson said the excitement doesn’t stop there, in January, the distillery will welcome an 800-liter custom-built still which will change the game for the business and ensure consistent batches.
"I wish we did this two years ago, because it's important to see brands showcased. It sets the tone when people come in," Nelson explains.
When the Florida Cane team put their heads together for what they wanted the tasting room to look like, they were shooting to market to two specific groups who frequent the concept; one of which people out-of-towners who hop off of the trolley and want a taste of Florida spirits. "We want to showcase what Florida means to us, which is finding the middle ground between Florida man and a kitschy tourist hangout," Nelson says with a laugh. The other group of regulars is what Nelson refers to as the 'Etsy sophisticate,' who are obsessed with the handcrafted movement and appreciate the intense labor that comes along with the distilling process.
Keeping their guests in mind, Florida Cane now has books in its merch section on how to get started distilling (which is a question Nelson says he gets a lot), alongside cocktail books, and local reads like Florida Roadkill by Tim Dorsey and Cigar City Mafia by Scott M. Deitche.
While all of the renovations were going down, O'Brien and Nelson took another trip to Tallahassee for a meet and greet with house representatives to continue their efforts in changing alcohol laws for craft distilleries to match those of craft breweries. This means being able to create, mix and sell craft spirits in-house, shipping products out of state and removing limitations on the number of bottles per brand per consumer that may be sold per year. As of right now, Senator Perry E. Thurston is sponsoring The Craft Distiller Bill (HB1229), with a matching sponsorship in the house by Representative Anthony Sabatini matching. "It's exciting that we already have a sponsorship match and now we're waiting for the bill to get assigned to committees," Nelson says. The distillery is set to host an event for Hillsborough delegation in January with the help of lobbyist Amy Maguire of Shumaker Advisors. If this bill is cleared, we'll be able to get heavier pours and signature cocktails from Florida Cane's tasting room. Until then, sips, bottles, and merch are available for purchase.
Florida Cane Distillery is located at 1820 N. 15th St. in Ybor City. Hours for the tasting room are 5-11 p.m. Thursday, 3-11 Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.
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