St. George Baller Single Malt Whisky

Dank bottle aesthetic - keep it coming. Flips the bird to the run of the mill corporate marketing department. A pale straw in the glass. Weak legs but a smidge of oil to the liquid. A bit of a floral+chemical nose with a muted vanilla undercurrent. It doesn’t nose harshly, but nevertheless usually forces me out after a solid huff, confirming the youth. Hint of prune, but hard to place overall. A bit of paint thinner. Not a killer, but surely not a selling point. Thin, but retains a tease of oily texture. A light vanilla opening reminiscent of recent experiences with Toki or Hatozaki. Those prune notes eventually return as the spice and saccharides gradually build. Carries a pervasive mustiness that I like to characterize as “oat” but clearly is young barley and has this creamy starch to it that’s hard to embrace. The floral character often roars like a dragon, then disappears. And every now and then you can catch a distinct vein of smoke, but it is impish and only shows itself every seventh sip. The plum liqueur finish definitely sets this apart and creates a reason for the palate to be intrigued, but tragically doesn’t seem to ever quite arrive at desirable. While this is drinkable, it isn’t really up my alley. I’m all for supporting American single malt but I think this bottling has been overbilled. It is serviceable and I’d have a pour on a whim, but I’m not sure why I’d ever purchase another bottle. There are more than enough established and composed single malt options around this price range that ultimately just provide a more enjoyable experience.

N: Salted plum sitting in a pool of caramel. Herbal tea and mint released with a swirl. Pungent and astringent dried purple fruits. Bit of a grape medicine note. Some vanilla and maybe a touch of wood. P: Sweet with red-purple fruit early. Quickly turns bitter and, yes, umami, but not in the way you would get from food. This is different and, for me, not entirely pleasant. Sharp and sour purple fruit with a vegetal bitterness - something like Brussels sprouts. Touch of heat in it, but that fades pretty quick. Finish is herbal and medicinal, like a Halls cough drop. There are also wood notes and plenty of that dried purple-red fruit. This whiskey is just such a specific taste that really it's going to be a love it or hate it experience for just about everyone. I can see why people would like this in the same way that I can see why people like Sour Patch Kids. There's a certain experience here. But I'm not coming back to this one. Not for me. _______ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord: https://discord.gg/VSmCvzAQfH. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired, post a comment and I will provide a new one.)

Floral, light licorice, and dusty sweet cereal on the nose. Wow, unusual first flavors, caught me by surprise even after reading some reviews. Exotic spices, light oatmeal, but big eucalyptus, floral, and ethanol flash in the mouth. Long finish, oily, grassy spicy, and slightly sour grapes from the wine barreling. After a minute, I'm picking up an astringent wood resin flavor. Light straw color and light body that grows bigger and richer through the finish. But this does have that "spare" quality of Japanese whisky that differs from Scotch or Irish whiskey. I'm going to try it in a classic Japanese highball (whisky and soda) to see how it fares--I expect it will shine. (Later, It did!). I can see why people report this is like a barrel-aged gin, very unusual profile for a single malt. Light oak and no smoke. I'm already a fan of St George whiskys and gins. They have really pushed the bounds in all their products. This is an unusual taste profile, and should be treated as such-- it's not something you'd reach for without thinking about it first. All their bottles are graced with great label art, but this is arguably the BEST art label out there.

A complex, American Single Malt by Jörg Rupf for St. George Spirits in California crafted with a mash of malted and lightly roasted American barley, in pot stills, aged 3 to 4 year in ex-bourbon and French wine casks, before finishing in casks that held distillery's own version of Umeshu (a Japanese plum liqueur) before being bottled at 47% ABV. It has an aromatic birth with notes of grains, wood, tropical fruits & flowers, nuts, herbs & spices; while a complex & floral life adds notes of potpourri, wine grapes, grapefruit peel, apple skin, dried mango, lychee, plum & sweet malt; that led to a long & warm potpourri death with notes of oak, almonds, maple charcoal, Tillandsia, eucalyptus, stewed apples & smoke.

I respect St. George for really going for it with this. It doesn't really fit into any category of whisky I am familiar with. It's probably closest to a scotch with its vegetal smokiness. But it also has prominent umeboshi and honeysuckle. It's something you have to taste to understand. I can't say I really care for it neat. As it's meant for a highball, I tried it as such, and it made a very distinctive highball. The aforementioned accords carry through, but are much more pleasant and less pungent. Even so, I'm not sure I'll revisit this anytime soon once my bottle is finished.

1.18.22 Served: Neat, flute Bottle Open: 6Mo-1Yr Side by side with Monkey Shoulder Aroma: Ume, vinegar, oxidized wine (sherry, marsala), baker's chocolate Flavor: Starts as ume candy. Mids as overwhelmimgly high proof. After a few sips, the heart is more chocolate and fig. Finishes bitter, then medicinal and skunky. Aftertaste is like cannabis. This is a confusing tasting. I loved this whiskey when I first had it. Now it is repulsive. The sweet aroma clashes with the bitter taste. I wonder if oxidation has occurred or if the last thing I ate is causing this.