St. George Spirits' Lance Winters has always prided himself on originality. "When we make a new spirit, it's because we have something to say that no one else is saying," says the master distiller at the 32-year-old craft distillery, one of the first in the United States. Take St. George's world-renowned Terroir Gin. Winters and his team wanted flavors that would evoke the feel of Mt. Tamalpais. Each sip opens with the essence of Douglas fir, coastal sage, and bay laurel that can transport your mind 2,000 feet above the Marin coastline, even if you're shivering through the kind of winter that California never sees.
That creativity and forward thinking comes across in all of the distillery's endeavors — its 18 current releases run from fruit brandy to absinthe to single malt whiskey. The popular Hangar 1 vodka was produced by St. George until the brand was sold to Proximo Spirits (which also owns Jose Cuervo) in 2010. The St. George team took its time over the past four years to look for the right inspiration that would eventually guide a new line of vodkas, which were released mid-February.
Winters is a classic bon vivant in his approach and often speaks in poetic terms about St. George, saying things like, "The word 'inspire' is Latin [for] 'to breathe in.' You have to be in love with the word. Eyes, nose, and palate." This philosophy — which encourages breathing in the local surroundings and as well as the larger spirits landscape — is precisely what inspires St. George to be different.
Case in point: St.George's brand-new California Citrus Vodka, made with San Joaquin Valley Valencia oranges, Seville oranges, and bergamot. The result has a complex citrus aroma and bright flavors of juicy and bold orange peel going down.
The All Purpose Vodka is hardly a regular spirit, as it's made with the same Bartlett pears that have been at the center of St. George's flagship pear brandy since its inception as an eau de vie distillery in 1982. The subtle pear tones confuse the brain of the old idea of vodka being a flavorless and odorless spirit.
If the citrus and all-purpose vodkas weren't enough, the Green Chile Vodka features a combination of peppers, including jalapeño, serrano, habanero, along with red and yellow bell peppers — all California grown. "We want to use ingredients that challenge us," Winters says of the spirit. Hence the further inclusion of lime peel and fresh cilantro that forges a balance with the jalapeño and yields a slight green color to the spirit that finishes with festive salsa fresca vibes.
St. George has the luxury of a massive facility that's not even close to operating at capacity. It gives the team the ability to take its time with experiments before deciding what comes next. "The only way I can do it, is if I can stay fresh conceptually," Winters says. "This is our art form."
The freedom to be artistic ensures that St. George never takes a commodity-based approach and can carefully choose ingredients that embody a craft distillery. There are barrels at the facility that have been aging for well over a decade. The St. George Single Malt Whiskey that sits in many of those barrels was named 2014's craft whiskey of the year by Whisky Advocate. The spirit was also distilled, aged, blended, and bottled in Alameda: How's that for locally crafted?
And there's really no better way to experience St. George than with a trip to its chic tasting room, with two lengthy bars in between the distillery operation's floor and a window to the bay, overlooking downtown San Francisco. A gorgeous ferry ride from San Francisco's Ferry Building or Jack London Square in Oakland is highly recommended for the full experience. There's even an outdoor patio with plenty of seating for sunny days. Distillery tours ($20) as well as tastings ($15) are available by reservation from the staff which is genuinely in love with what it does and where it is. Stop in and you'll feel it too, or just pick up a bottle and gain another level of appreciation and a deeper connection for where we live.
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