St. George Spirits Explained

St. George Spirits should not be confused with St George's Distillery.

St. George Spirits, Inc.
Type:	Private
Founded:	Jorg Rupf, (January 4, 1982)
Location:	Alameda, California, USA
Key People:	Jorg Rupf, Lance Winters, Dave Smith
Products:	Vodka, gin, absinthe, liqueur, whiskey, brandy
Homepage:	St. George Spirits

St. George Spirits is an artisanal distillery located in Alameda, California that produces a range of alcoholic beverages under the direction of Master Distiller Lance Winters.^{[1] [2]} They are known for producing vodka, absinthe, whiskey, gin, brandy, liqueurs, and a range of exotic spirits.

History

St. George Spirits was founded in 1982 by Jorg Rupf as an eau de vie distillery.^[3] In 1996, Jorg Rupf hired Lance Winters, a brewer and former nuclear scientist. One year later, Jorg and Lance began distilling and aging their single malt whiskey, which was first released in 2000. In 2004, St. George Spirits moved into its current location, a 65000square feet airplane hangar on the former Alameda naval air station.^[4]

In December 2007, the company released the first commercially available American absinthe, St. George Absinthe Verte, since the lifting of the 1912 ban on making the spirit. The recipe had been in development for 11 years prior to release,^[5] as the ban only applied to the commercial sale of the spirit (not development).

Jorg Rupf retired as master distiller in 2010. That same year, St. George sold their popular Hangar One Vodka line to Proximo Spirits to focus on new projects, including: gin, liqueurs, malt whisky, agricole rum, and Breaking & Entering Whiskies. In 2015 they released a new line of three vodkas, and in 2016 they brought out Bruto Americano, a California Amaro.^[6]

In 2013, Maverick Drinks began distributing St. George Spirits in the UK.^[7] By 2018, St. George Spirits products were distributed in Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Finland, China, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bermuda, and Panama among others.

Products

Current Spirits

Gins

• Terroir Gin (45% ABV)
• Botanivore Gin (45% ABV)
• Dry Rye Gin (45% ABV)
• Dry Rye Reposado Gin (49.5% ABV)

Whiskeys

• St. George Single Malt Whiskey (43% ABV)
• Breaking & Entering (B&E) American Whiskey (43% ABV)
• Baller Single Malt Whiskey (47% ABV)

Vodkas

• St. George All Purpose Vodka (40% ABV)
• St. George California Citrus Vodka (40% ABV)
• St. George Green Chile Vodka (40% ABV)

Other liqueurs

• Absinthe Verte (60% ABV)
• Fruit Brandies; Pear, Raspberry, (Both 40% ABV) and Reserve Apple (43% ABV)
• Fruit Liqueurs; Raspberry and Spiced Pear (Both 20% ABV)
• NOLA Coffee Liqueur (25% ABV)
• Bruto Americano (Italian Style Amaro, 24% ABV)
• St George California Shochu (Japanese Style Whiskey, 40% ABV)
• Agua Perfecta Basil Eau De Vie (40% ABV)

Discontinued spirits

• Hangar One Vodka, now made solely by Proximo Spirits since 2014
• Agua Azul Agave Spirits
• Other experimental spirits known as "Flights of Fancy"

External links

• St. George Spirits

37.7876°N -122.3093°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Heather Bourbeau . Oct 26, 2008 . Spirited Away .
2. Web site: Lurie . Joshua . 1 April 2011 . Interview: distiller Lance Winters (St. George Spirits) . Food GPS.
3. News: Gorman . Peter . October 9, 2019 . Battle of the Clear . . 6 March 2022.
4. Web site: Spirits . 9 February 2015 . St. George Spirits.
5. News: Wells . Pete . 5 December 2007 . A Liquor of Legend Makes a Comeback . .
6. News: Pape . Allie . 1 May 2014 . Hangar One and St. George Spirits are Part Ways . Eater SF . 9 February 2015.
7. Web site: St George Spirits on Maverick Drinks . 2016-07-22 . July 31, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160731005507/http://www.maverickdrinks.com/brands/st-george . dead .