Hearts 'n Tales Stories from the Stillhouse
September 19, 2026 • podcast
Homosassa Distillery: From Hummingbird Juice to an 800-Gallon Still
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A cardiologist who wasn't allowed to retire and a cop who made hummingbird juice in his garage built Homosassa Distillery by hand on Florida's Nature Coast. Marc Dossey and Karl Lounge talk about chicken-coop tin, an 800-gallon still with no computer on it, rum named for mangrove trees, and why the whole business runs on getting you to come back.

Interior of a rustic tasting room with a long wooden counter faced with barrel staves displaying numerous bottles of spirits with pour spouts, shelves of liquor and a chalkboard menu on yellow and wood-paneled walls. Pendant lights hang above, an American flag and a large mirror reflect the room (including a person), and a wooden barrel serves as a side table on a tiled floor.
A rustic wooden shelving unit displays numerous bottles of liquor arranged in rows, small chalkboard price signs, antler decorations and a large gorilla statue holding a bottle in the central cubby. The bottles include varieties labeled vodka, rum and whiskey, with multiple identical bottles grouped together.
A warmly lit wooden bar interior features a central illuminated "Homosassa Distillery Co" sign flanked by two angled black shelving units filled with bottles, jars, and glassware, with a row of illuminated spirit bottles and taps on the countertop. Wicker bar stools sit in front of the polished wooden bar and decorative items like a rooster figure, potted plants, and wall-mounted air conditioners are visible above the shelves.
A framed wooden sign titled "The Local Thief" with an illustration of a heron pecking at a barrel lists four entries (B1–B4) showing year, mash bill, and proof values. The sign is mounted on a wooden post amid stainless-steel pipes and tanks in an industrial space, with a white hard hat on top and two hanging lantern-style lights visible in the background.
A wooden rack holding multiple small oak barrels with white labels, centered by a wooden sign reading "Homosassa Distillery Co. Barrel Club."
Five rectangular glass bottles with pour spouts and varying small amounts of amber liquid sit on a wooden counter, the center bottle bearing a white label with a bird illustration. A metal funnel lies on its side on the counter and a mirror behind reflects shelving and indistinct figures.
A wooden barrel stamped with a tree logo and the text "HOMOSASSA DISTILLERY DSP - FL - 20170" is mounted in a wooden frame above a vertical glass column and metal spigot assembly against a corrugated metal backdrop.
A rustic wooden display unit labeled "Homosassa Distillery Co." at the top contains a central bottle of liquor on the middle shelf. Surrounding it are several small tasting glasses, black lids or coasters, boxed packaging, a metal pourer or opener, and a wood-paneled backing lit with warm yellow lighting.
Three men sit on tall stools in a wooden distillery tasting room, two wearing matching orange shirts and the third in a light-colored shirt holding a microphone and a laptop. Professional softbox lights frame the scene while shelves of liquor bottles, wooden barrels, and rustic decor fill the background.
Clear glass vodka bottles on a wooden shelf, including three "Pink Spoonbill Vodka" bottles with labels depicting a pink spoonbill bird and tropical foliage, and a "250 Vodka" bottle with a red-white-blue American flag-style label.
Interior view of a rustic distillery tasting room framed by hat racks and shelves of bottles, with wooden barrels and signage overhead. Three people sit on stools at the back behind a softbox light and camera equipment, surrounded by shelves of spirits and display items.
Three adult men stand in a wood-paneled tasting room; the center man holds a clear bottle of vodka while the two others stand on either side smiling. Shelves with bottles, a logo sign, wicker chairs and rustic decor fill the background.
A wooden barrel serves as a display table holding a gold bag of "Cattle Dog" coffee labeled Bark & Barrel in front of a standing sign that reads "Bark & Barrel Bourbon-Aged Coffee" with an illustration of a dog and a barrel. The scene is indoors against wood-paneled walls with a light switch and a window shelf holding cups visible in the background.
A room containing stainless-steel distillation and brewing equipment, including two large polished cylindrical tanks and a pot still with a copper swan-neck, connected by multiple pipes, valves and gauges mounted against a wood-paneled wall. The concrete floor has a central drain grate, hoses and tools scattered around, and an exposed insulated ceiling with additional metal tanks visible at right.
Four large stainless-steel fermentation tanks with rounded dome lids are lined up beneath a corrugated metal sign reading "HOMOSASSA DISTILLERY VETERAN OWNED." The industrial interior shows exposed insulated ceiling panels, pipes, and a vertical columnar still on the right.
A large wooden American flag made from painted planks and cut-out stars is mounted on a metal grid and covered with numerous handwritten signatures across the blue field and red and white stripes. A row of circular military emblems runs along the top of the flag, and the scene shows a warehouse-like interior with a red fire extinguisher visible on the right.
A bald, bearded man in an orange shirt uses a long wooden rod to draw amber liquid from a barrel into a glass set on a small wooden table. Several wooden barrels labeled "Homosassa Distillery" occupy the foreground and shelves of bottles, wooden paneling, and pendant lights are visible through a windowed bar area behind him.
A wooden rack with five vertical columns of small oak barrels, each bearing a white tag, fills the frame. A wooden sign mounted near the center reads "Homosassa Distillery Co. Barrel Club" and a lower-left barrel shows a "Cypress & Matthews" logo.
Multiple polished stainless steel brewing tanks and vessels with clamps, valves, and attached red and white hoses sit on a black rubberized floor mat. Behind them are exposed wooden studs and a gray wall with black insulated pipes, a small shelf holding white buckets, and a wall-mounted control panel.
A sunlit outdoor patio area shows a concrete walkway bordered by ornamental grasses on the left and a fenced seating deck on the right with wooden Adirondack chairs under large beige triangular shade sails. A notice sign on the fence reads "NO SMOKING NO OPEN FLAMES NO SPARKS," and the scene includes a patterned metal wall, potted plants, and overhead power lines.