The History of 30a
Our distillery is nestled in the heart of beautiful scenic highway 30A - a stretch of winding road that extends along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
Since the late 1800's, when the region became popular as a commerce port and landing for steam boats, this little slice of panhandle heaven has been more recently gaining attraction from people all over the world. As recently as the 1970's, major parts of this region were all but deserted. Today, however, 30A is home to thousands of locals, part-timers, and visitors from all over the world. What makes the 30A region of Northwest Florida so special?
Land
After a natural phenomenon occurring 100,000 years ago brought quartz from the tops of the Appalachian Mountains down rivers towards the Gulf, the beaches of the 30A region were left with fine, silky and bleach-white sands covering its beaches.
Santa Rosa Beach rests on the edge of the Hogtown Bayou, making this relatively small stretch of land a unique blend of biodiversity and ancient sands.
Sea
This area has a lot of nicknames, one of them being 'Florida's Emerald Coast,' aptly named for the crystal clear emerald green color of the Gulf of Mexico. The meeting of the unique white sands and clear waters make for truly incredible views.
Not only that, but this region in Florida is one of only a few places in the world where you can find coastal dune lakes. These lakes are a shallow collection of both fresh and saltwater, and make a great place to swim, paddle board, kayak or fish.
Community
What really makes this area one of the best vacation spots in Florida is the people and the community they've created. The 16 communities that make up the 30A /South Walton area are all unique in their own way, with some defining factors in common. Each area is walkable, bikeable, and art-centric.
Communities all across 30A feature unique town layouts and architecture. It is even the birthplace of a new architecture style called 'new urbanism' which puts focus on small community, and centers its design on foot-traffic accessibility - making each town along our coast the perfect place to relax and recuperate in Florida.
All that being said, it's no wonder we placed our distillery and tasting room in the heart of 30A. We fell in love with the land, the water, and the people, and we think you will too.