Citrus Distillers has been bottling and branding alcohol for years, but three years ago Dustin and Nicki Skartved decided to start developing their own brand as well.
“We first started with our Citrus Distillers flavored whiskey and our first couple of products were lime and pecan flavored whiskies,” Dustin Skartved said.
Having years of experience in the distilling business is something Skartved believes has really helped them, and they have quickly made the most of their new adventure in the distilling world.
They have gotten to the point with retailers where their various flavors have become hits during certain times of the year, such as pumpkin pie whiskey and cranberry whiskey during the fall, while blueberry and orange flavored whiskies are among the most popular during the summer months.
“We like doing things seasonal because it allows people to enjoy a variety of the flavors we offer, and we can continue to grow them,” Skartved said. “We want to be the bourbon or whiskey that people are drinking locally, and we pride ourselves in that.”
Last year was the first time they created a Jacksonville Jaguars whiskey, which came in a special commemorative bottle, and they plan on doing that again this year.
“It takes about three months off and on of etching those bottles to get everything ready,” Skartved said. “We’ll start that project in June and probably switch to selling mode for them around August.”
One of the challenges they have run into is a wood supply shortage, which has made it difficult for distillers because wooden barrels are used to house the alcohol.
“It has made it truly hard on distilleries because all the wood was dried up, and it’s important that when they make a barrel, the wood has to sit outside and age for two years in the air before it can be used,” Skartved said. “There are cooperages that have gone out of business because they just couldn’t get any wood to make their barrels.”
According to Skartved, the process of producing a perfect whiskey is one that can be deeply involved, and the aging process is perhaps the most important.
“We’ve got about 7,000 gallons of whiskey that we can’t make,” Skartved said. “It’s pretty much just sitting there waiting to go into a barrel as we wait for this crazy shortage to come to an end. We’ve been told it will be 2024 before we start getting barrels again.”
The Citrus Distillery warehouse can house up to about 24,000 gallons, and they distill a variety of alcohol, such as vodka and rum and have the option to flavor it once it comes over to the facility’s mixing tank.
There are different ways of distillation that can be used depending on the desired outcome of the alcohol being distilled. The most used is their copper-packed pot still.
“That still is used the most because the whole idea with that still is to strip the water out of everything, so the first run of almost everything is run through there, because once it runs through the copper, you basically strip all the sulfites and the water out,” Skartved said.
They also have a column still, which is a 12 plate copper column primarily used for vodka and gin.
“When we run that, the plates help us get to 190 proof, which is key because vodka and gin both have to be run at 180 proof or over,” Skartved said.
The last still that they use is their marble still, which has the sole function of concentrating the alcohol that is run through it. The marble still does not add or take away any flavor.
“We’ve done over 300-plus brands in the last 10 years, ranging anywhere from gins, bourbon to flavored vodka, Skartved said. “You name it.”
