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30,000 cases of spirits annually. Their bestseller is the Conquistador 1513, a whiskey with a smoked oat flavor. Bagdanovich suggests trying it neat, with a little ice water, or in an Old-Fashioned. One of his personal favorites is the Siren Song whiskey. “For a number of years, I went all over Scotland and developed a taste for Scotch whiskey—the bold, smoky, peaty ones. I wanted to make a whiskey that reminded me of that. Siren Song is a very bold, very smoky whiskey, and it’s what I typically drink. For a teeny-tiny, outin-the-woods Florida distillery, we were
very proud to win medals for a smoky whiskey.” In 2018 alone, Fish Hawk Distillery won 19 medals from the American Craft Distilling Institute. When considering a local distillery to purchase from, Bagdanovich recommends getting to know their processes and supporting those who are truly distilling.
“Nine out of 10 craft distillers in Florida do not distill, but buy from big commercial outlets, repackage and resell,” he explains. “If you visit the few of us who actually distill from local products, you’re going to find some wonderful products that the big boys just can’t make.”
Fish Hawk Spirits › 16350 SW 20th Lane, Ocala, FL 34481 › (352) 445-1292 › www. fishhawkspirits.com Aug ust ‘19
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