St. George

Founded in 1982 by German-born Joerg Rupf, St. George Spirits is one of the oldest craft distilleries in the United States. The distillery, housed in an old World War II airplane hangar on a former naval base on the edge of San Francisco, is home to Lance Winters, mad scientist and St. Georges master distiller. Winters, who is widely-known for experimenting with different types of spirits, has a laboratory dominated by a 10-liter test still in addition to the glass beakers and graduated cylinders that cover every inch of his counter space. Next to the dusty chalkboards caked with equations for the conversion of sugar to alcohol and intricate diagrams of molecular structures are bottles of experimental whiskies, vodkas and even an aging balsamic vinegar (its 14 years old already).In 1996, Winters began experimenting with the distillation of absinthe using a recipe he found in Scientific American (while it was illegal to sell absinthe until 2007 in the United States, the law was not extended to the distillation of absinthe). For eleven years, Winters tinkered with the recipe looking to find the perfect balance of ingredients in order to "create a symphony of flavor,"he says. "It was just a manic obsession with the ingredients that drove me to tweak the formula."As the ban on the sale of absinthe was being repealed, Winters finally perfected his recipe and in 2007, he released the first American-made absinthe in almost a century."The key to the process of making absinthe,"Winters says, "is to use a two-step process."First, Winters distills a grape-based brandy together with grand wormwood, anise and fennel through a 1,500-liter copper-pot still. Then, Winters infuses the absinthe with a secret blend of botanicals, including lemon balm, hyssop, mint, opal basil and tarragon.As a result of this recipe, St. George Absinthe has a heady, herbaceous aroma, with hints of citrus, anise and fennel. The aroma opens up to notes of meadowsweet, tarragon and hyssop on the palate, and the addition of water creates an opalescent louche that subtly brings out the flavor of the lemon balm.St. George Absinthe Verte earned the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2010 and was called "one of the most eloquent absinthes on the market today."Pick up a bottle today!

Founded in 1982 by German-born Jrg Rupf, St. George Spirits is one of the oldest craft distilleries in the United States. The distillery, housed in an old World War II airplane hangar on a former naval base on the edge of San Francisco, is home to Lance Winters, nuclear engineer, mad scientist and St. Georges master distiller, and Dave Smith, St. Georges chief blender.Winters and Smith, who are widely-known for experimenting with different types of spirits, have a laboratory dominated by a 10-liter test still, which sits adjacent to the glass beakers and graduated cylinders that cover every inch of their counter space. Next to the dusty chalkboards caked with equations for the conversion of sugar to alcohol and intricate diagrams of molecular structures are bottles of experimental whiskeys, vodkas, and even an aging balsamic vinegar.The St. George All Purpose Vodka starts with the same Bartlett pears that their flagship pear brandy is made with. The brandy is distilled using their Holstein stills to 95.1 percent ABV, then blended with a non-GMO grain base spirit. It is then filtered to remove impurities and bottled at 80 proof. While the pears themselves are intensely flavorful and aromatic, the finished product is clean yet full-bodied with very gentle fruity and floral notes. This makes the unique spirit a perfect drink on its own, while still being versatile enough to shine in vodka-based cocktails.Get your bottle today!

Founded in 1982 by German-born Jrg Rupf, St. George Spirits is one of the oldest craft distilleries in the United States. The distillery, housed in an old World War II airplane hangar on a former naval base on the edge of San Francisco, is home to Lance Winters, nuclear engineer, mad scientist and St. Georges master distiller, and Dave Smith, St. Georges chief blender.Winters and Smith, who are widely-known for experimenting with different types of spirits, have a laboratory dominated by a 10-liter test still, which sits adjacent to the glass beakers and graduated cylinders that cover every inch of their counter space. Next to the dusty chalkboards caked with equations for the conversion of sugar to alcohol and intricate diagrams of molecular structures are bottles of experimental whiskeys, vodkas and even an aging balsamic vinegar (its 14 years old already).After 30 years of producing their own spirits, St. George Spirits has developed a wicked hobby barrel thieving. Breaking and Entering American Whiskey is the second release under St. Georges Breaking and Entering label, following their bourbon. BandE American Whiskey brings together bourbon and rye that head distiller/blender Dave Smith sourced and then blended with some of our own California malt whiskey. The blend brings together four grainsrye, corn, barley, wheatwith no one grain being dominant.To make Breaking and Entering Whiskey, Smith sourced individual casks of rye and bourbon from distilleries in Kentucky and Tennessee and brought them back to St. Georges distillery in California. He then blended the sourced barrels with some choice barrels from their in-house whiskey program to create a balanced, expressive, all-American whiskey.Accept your invitation today.

Founded in 1982 by German-born Jrg Rupf, St. George Spirits is one of the oldest craft distilleries in the United States. The distillery, housed in an old World War II airplane hangar on a former naval base on the edge of San Francisco, is home to Lance Winters, mad scientist and St. Georges master distiller.Winters, who is widely-known for experimenting with different types of spirits, has a laboratory dominated by a 10-liter test still in addition to the glass beakers and graduated cylinders that cover every inch of counterspace. Next to the dusty chalkboards caked with equations for the conversion of sugar to alcohol and intricate diagrams of molecular structures are bottles of experimental whiskies, vodkas and even an aging balsamic vinegar (its 14 years old already).St. George makes their Dry Rye Gin in the same 1,500-liter copper pot still that they use to make their Terroir and Botanivore Gins. These Gins each have intricate botanicals bills designed to create a layered olfactory experience. St. Georges also makes a limited-release, barrel-aged version they call Dry Rye Reposado Gin. Rested in French and American oak wine casks, it has a lovely pink hue and a deep, rich flavor.For their Dry Rye Gin they chose only six botanical ingredients: juniper berries steal the shown this expression, having 50 percent more than any of their gins. The botanicals are complemented by black peppercorn, caraway, coriander, grapefruit peel, lime peelwhich were all designed to play up the junipers peppery nature.A base of 100 percent pot-distilled rye makes for a very unconventional gin, but a unique option for whiskey lovers. This gin has structure, spice, and an impeccably rich mouthfeel. Warm and spicy, it has a natural affinity with bitters, citrus, stone fruit, and ginger (St. Georges).Pick up a bottle of this fine gin today!