St. George Spirits COMPANY PROFILE
St. George Spirits is the most creative distiller of fruit
active today. Jorg Rupf distills by hand on a tiny Alsatian
pot still. His Hangar One vodkas have astonished the
beverage alchohol world.
Jorg Rupf’s family have been distillers in Germany for generations.
In 1982, he founded St George Spirits, bringing a small Holstein
pot still to California. Jorg wanted to be in California for
three reasons:
– the quality of fruit is more consistent,
– the food-handling technology is superior
(he gets his fruit in better condition),
– Jorg is free to experiment and innovate.
Two decades later, Jorg has gained an international reputation as
one of the world’s great distillers. His fruit brandies (eaux-de-vie)
have won numerous prestigious awards, both in the USA and Europe. Operating out of a former naval aviation structure in
Alameda (where he distills the extraordinary Hangar One vodkas),
Jorg has recently developed improved distillation methods,
producing a brilliant new series of eaux-de-vie and liqueurs under
the AQUA PERFECTA label. He and his assistant Lance Winters
(a former brewmeister) have collaborated in developing the lovely
St George malt whiskey, which is based on sophisticated malt
toasting and unusually complex cellar work.
