If you want to taste spirits in the building where they're made, Marlin & Barrel Distillery at 232 South 8th Street distills its spirits on site and pours them in its own tasting room in historic Fernandina Beach. The distillery now bottles under the name A1A Spirits, and its old web address forwards to a1aspirits.com. The lineup covers rums, vodkas, gin, bourbon and citrus cellos, all made in small batches.
In the tasting room you can do a guided flight, order a handcrafted cocktail built on the house spirits, or buy bottles to take home. The distillery also describes a firsthand look at the distilling process, and private tastings and private events can be requested through its booking page. Master Distiller Reilly Cassel started at Marlin & Barrel in 2020 in his hometown and counts rum among his favorite spirits.
The brand ties itself to the island's working-port past, pointing to Louis Hirth and the Cumberland Whiskey he sold here in the late 1800s. The current site lists tasting room hours from noon into the evening, running later Thursday through Saturday, though two pages on the site give slightly different days, so confirm before you go.
The site doesn't list a food menu, so plan a meal nearby. 1928 Cuban Bistro is about a block up 8th Street, Kitchen 251 is at Beech and 8th, and Mocama Brewing Company is farther south on 8th if you're making an afternoon of local drinks. When tastings are on the itinerary, transportation coordination can arrange a ride so nobody has to drive home.