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Tom Anstead recalls a trip to Bermuda. Bermuda was originally known as “Devil’s Island” by Spanish explorers because of its dangerous weather. After losing his job in 2020 and deciding to start his own business, Anstead named the new Bonita his Springs distillery after his vacation in paradise.
“When we were thinking about the name, we realized that we have so many people coming here from the north in the winter. “It’s palm trees and warm weather. That’s how I felt on that vacation.”
Devil’s Isle Distillery opened in July on Old 41 Road in downtown Bonita Springs. Anstead found inspiration for the business after working with a friend who owned a distillery in Pennsylvania and was drawn to the positive vibe of the industry. He deepened his knowledge of the craft by taking a distilling course at Moonshine College in Louisville, Kentucky.
“It sounds like you had a good time. Distilling seemed fun. People are happy when they talk about it and come and enjoy it,” says Anstead. “It’s a fun business to talk to and get involved in. People in the industry are very nice.” 
Until 2021, Florida distilleries could only sell their products and merchandise in gift shops. Now the law has changed to allow customers to enjoy mixed drinks produced at the distillery.
Visitors to Devil’s Isle can sit at the bar or lounge with sofas and enjoy a vodka or bourbon drink from the distillery’s menu. Customers are surrounded by glass walls to produce the alcohol, from the mash tuns where the ingredients are first added, to the fermenters where simple sugars and yeast sit for five days, to the distillers where the alcohol is boiled and confined. You can see all your equipment. into the room where it is finally poured.
Devil’s Isle has a small team of three: Anstead, another distiller and a bartender. It may seem like a daunting task for Anstead and his distillery to undertake, but it is very efficient, he said. “Third parties may help a little bit, but after a while they will be trampling on each other,” he said. “It’s like cooking in the kitchen.” 
Mixologist Cathy Hildreth has been working at the distillery since the day it opened, after working as a bartender at a local restaurant. She is free to create any drink she wants for her customers, working with Anstead on new creative cocktails such as Bourbon Her Jalapeno Her Spicy Her Lady and Vodka Her Base Bonita Her Splash I love to invent
“[Customers] There aren’t many distilleries around here, so this is a different type of experience, which I like,” said Hildreth.
Distilleries are hard to find in southwest Florida, there are none in the Naples area, and a few in northern Lee County. Anstead said choosing Bonita Springs for his business was a good choice and believes Bonita Springs will continue to thrive in the future as it aims to start distilling gin and rum products. .
“Bonita is great, Bonita is getting better all the time. I think it’s a good place to do business,” says Anstead. “People in Bonita really appreciate the constant stream of new businesses. They love their hometown, they love Bonita, and they want to stay in Bonita.”
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