b"Thentherealestatebustof2008allbutdriedupthe whiskey one bottle at a time. The spirit is made from a mash billconstructionbusiness. Therewasnowaythecouplewould that's 70 percent rye, comprised of Florida corn, barley malt,remain afloat by raising cattle. We knew when we bought the toasted rye flakes and rye malt. Their recipe includes a few toast-farm that it was never going to make a living for us, on its own, ed chips from the bark of an orange tree that grows on thesaid Dick. property. After fermentation, which takes between four to fiveMarti read a newspaper article that related how farmers in days, the mash bill is distilled in a beautiful 60-gallon reflux col-the Midwest had turned to distilling to supplement their falling umnstill,hand-builtbyCol. Vaughn WilsonintheOzarkincomes. Dick was a longtime whiskey drinker, his preference Mountains. It stands about eight feet tall.being the iconic Canadian produced blend, Crown Royal. Marti Early on in their endeavor, their homegrown expertise wascalled her husband on the phone and said, Have I got a job coupled with months of experimentation, during which Martifor you. and Dick utilized the taste buds of family and friends. PalmDick embraced the idea, but now admits he was not pre- Ridge Reserve officially hit the market in 2010. Its a very old-pared for the regulatory obstacles and the fickle ways of Floridas fashioned way of distilling, said Dick. Profits have increased aalcoholindustry.Thecouplespenttwoyearsandaround little bit each year, which he emphasized by putting his thumb$100,000 to secure the necessary federal, state and local permits, and index finger very close together.andobtainingthe Ittakesupto12equipmentfortheir hours to distill, yieldingoperation.Theycon- onlysixgallonsofvertedthehorsebarn whiskey.Itsaslowintoaworkingdistill- process,saidDick.Aery, and in 2008, chris- glass pitcher catches thetenedtheirnewborn liquorflowingfromabusinessPalmRidge tuberunningofftheDistillery afterthelone still.ThefirstbatchPalmTreethatsits comes off at around 140amongtheclumpof proof. Oaktreesontheir Forthemostpart,property.moonshiningislongThe first distillery gone,butsomeofthedogwasBurt, orNo terminologyremainsinBurt asDickfondly thevernacularamongrecallsthemcalling distillers. There are threehim.Hewassuchan parts to distilling whiskey,When it was running and the kids were young, the Waters would pile into the truck,ornerycuss,that No dogs and all, to head into town . Dick tells us. The head isprecededthedogs theverytoxichighname for many years. Even the veterinary staff knew him as No proof. Then there is the heart, which is around 116 proof. TheBurt. Then, suddenly, a couple of years ago, everything fell into tail is the third part. place. He finally settled in and became a calm, content, really Un-aged, clear whiskey is known as White Dog and Whitegood dog. And, just as suddenly, he died of old age, said Dick. Lightning. Dick siphoned off a couple of ounces of the clear liq-More recently, a dog and her two puppies staggered cau- uid into a small measuring cup and offered a taste to us. Hetiously up the lengthy driveway, framed by regal Oaks draped admits to enjoying guests reaction as they smell and taste thewithSpanishmoss. Allofthemwereclearlyemaciatedand sample. It is strong, warm and, surprisingly, very smooth. Ourappeared to be road weary. The mama just looked so tired and faces warmed right up.weak, recalls Marti, who coaxed them towards the barn with When you barrel it, the whiskey takes on barrel flavorsfreshly cooked chicken treats and water. The dogs were bathed that overlay the grain flavors. We work very hard to keep a lotandtakentothe Watersveterinarianwheretheywerede- of the grain flavor in the whiskey, Dick tells us. We're kind ofwormed, then spayed and neutered soon thereafter.following the craft beer movement in that were looking for aToday, Mam, (emphasis on the second a) is comfortable more intense flavor profile.greeting guests of Palm Ridge Distillery, while her grown off- Dick adds tap water pumped straight from a well on thespring, Boop and Pete, observe from a safe distance in one of the property to the product until it becomes optimal for barrelingpastures. between 110 proof and 118 proof. The whiskey is then agedWalk inside the barn that houses the micro-distillery and for about eight months in one of the 100 specially-charred, five-you will most likely be greeted by Roan, an 18-year-old cat. gallonwhiteoakbarrels,importedfrom ArkansasforaboutWell, its not much of a greeting, since napping seems to be her $130 apiece. It is then hand-bottled and labeled by Marti. Thehobby of choice these days. distillery produces 500 six-bottle cases a year.One of only a fewWe put the micro in micro-distillery, said Dick of their whiskeys produced in Florida, Palm Ridge Reserve is the onlytwo-person production line which includes Marti bottling the barrel-aged whiskey produced in Florida.46 THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com"