The St. Georges Spirits company has a long old history – at 33 years, it’s one of the oldest craft distilleries in the United States. In 1982, the company was founded by a German man called
Jorg Rupf, who had moved to the
Bay Area from the Black Forest.
Inspired by the local fruits, added to his passion and knowledge of distilling from back home, Jorg began distilling an
Eau de Vie. Back then,
St. George Spirits was a one man band with only one product.
Fast-forward to current day, and the company has a new
Master Distiller, Lance Winters, a former Naval Engineer who’s been with the company for over 20 years.
It’d be an understatement to say the St. George Spirits distillery is big; it sits in a
65,000 square foot aeroplane hangar – formerly the
Alameda Air Station – in California, and is full of equipment.
The distillery has a huge number of different stills, and today make three different
Gins,
Vodkas,
Absinthe (the first US distillery to produce it following the ban in 1912),
Whiskies,
Rum and more.