ST. GEORGE SINGLE MALT
Single Barrel #BP-F017-03 selected by Craft Beer & Wine Alameda (2024)MASH BILL – 100% malted barley
PROOF – 90
AGE – 9 years 9 months 27 days (finished in a Blacksmith Port Cask)
DISTILLERY – St. George Spirits
PRICE – $133
WORTH BUYING? – Oh so yes!
Regular readers of this blog know that the annual St. George Single Malt release is the December holiday pour in my home. I love it. Its dependable variations on quince, pear, cream, caramel, and just the right accent of bitter grapefruit, conjure childhood memories of Christmas cookies and other December delights. Each year the flavor profile has a little more of this and a little less of that, and I always enjoy it.
How excited was I, then, when I heard that St. George had finally released a single barrel store pick under their own label? They’d previously sold off a barrel or two to Lost Lantern, a sourcing operation that tends to charge rather steep prices for whiskeys one can often get distillery-direct for half the price. But St. George wasn’t yet releasing single barrels of their own stuff.
Until now! True to form, they granted this honor to a neighboring business in Alameda, California, the island just across the bay from San Francisco where the St. George Spirits distillery has long operated. Craft Beer & Wine is a tiny speciality shop with a limited but excellent selection. Their own excitement about this release was palpably genuine in their social media on it. And the specs were incredible—a solid age, finished in port casks from another local operation, and bottled at a slightly higher proof than the standard St. George annual release. I got myself over there and picked up a bottle as soon as I could.
I only uncorked it recently, as I wanted to keep with tradition this past December and post notes on that year’s release. And since I don’t maintain so many open bottles at once as some whiskey fans do, I didn’t crack this single barrel back then.
But here we finally are, now one week after uncorking and three pours into the bottle. These brief notes were taken using a traditional Glencairn.
COLOR – gorgeous fiery russet oranges and cherry reds
NOSE – fresh orange and grapefruit peel, tart quince, caramel fudge, graveled granite, subtle dark cherry, coffee
TASTE – cream, coffee, caramel, the quince and cherry somehow melded and darker, accents of the citrus peel oils, a thick syrupy texture
FINISH – some red tea spice notes now; the citrus aspects brighten again, still submerged in the darker candy, fruit, and cream notes; both drying and sticky; everything very much like that smoldering vibrant color
OVERALL – a beautifully balanced, rich single malt whiskey, as ready for the party as it is for good conversation
Very fun, and very interesting. A broodier variation on the annual St. George blend, yet still lively and vibrant.
Not only is this another great single malt offering from St. George, it’s also a great example of wine cask finishing done well. The port cask’s influence is visible in the smoldering colors of the whiskey. Then on the nose, taste, and finish, dark rich cherry notes balance the brighter, bitter citrus, with everything carried nicely by the cream and candy notes.
It’s a sumptuous, complex, very appealing whiskey. Bitter and sweet. Dark and bright. Creamy and rich, with just enough edge to etch definition around it all. There’s a little something for everyone. With one sip the bitter aspects lean forward. With another sip the cream and candy aspects wash over the experience. There’s a feeling of movement to it, with the various aromas and flavors ebbing and tiding each time I lift the glass.
As with any whiskey, personal taste is what it is. In theory there must be someone somewhere who wouldn’t enjoy this. But I would have to wonder what was wrong with them. Personally, I can’t stop reaching for the glass.
Cheers!
The Right Spirit 