Why This Bottle?
Following on from the very… different pair of whiskies two weeks ago – we have another weird and wonderful dram for everyone to discover. St George Spirits in Alameda California has been operating since 1982, and they make American style and single malt whiskies.
However, they also make pretty much every other kind of spirit you could name. Brandy? Yup! Green Chili Vodka? Yup. Absynthe? Yup. Shochu? So they definitely have a creative streak, which is on full display with Baller. It’s a single malt whisky but uses some brewing malt in the mash bill. Believe it or not they actually maple charcoal filter it, in the Tennessee tradition. Then, potentially the strangest part of the process, it’s finished in casks that previously contained their house made umeshu, a Japanese style plum wine. What a wild process!
The Unbottling
Strath Panel Tasting Notes
On the nose, it’s strikingly reminiscent of Glenmorangie Nectar D’or. Slightly sweet and syrupy with apricots and digestive biscuits.
On the palate, it has some kind of a mysterious organic powdery note – not quite floral, not quite vegetal, not quite fruity, but somewhere in between. There are also some rarer tropical notes such as starfruit and feijoa with a dusty white pepper finish.
