Hangar 1 & St. George Spirits

We've loved Hangar 1 Vodkas for years... but amazingly, we'd never been out to the distillery & tasting room at the old Alameda Naval Base until a couple of weeks ago when we were invited to attend an event called Exprescion (put on, of course, by Scion)*.

The space is amazing with stunning vistas of the Bay and city. So, C decided we had to go back there, armed with his camera case and during the day, which happened this past Sunday. I can't say that I didn't have a bit of an interest in it myself - I mean, what I wouldn't give to get my hands on one of those spaces to turn into my own personal loft-playground. But, I digress.

At the tasting room, they charge the bargain-basement price of $10 for the opportunity to try a ridiculous number of hand-crafted spirits, plus you get to take home a cordial glass. In addition, you get the fabulous company of the tasting-room manager and his staff. C & I shared one tasting (I was driving) and sampled the following:

• Aqua Perfecta Eaux de Vie in Pear, Kirsch & Raspberry ($36 each) - Phenomenal purity of flavors. Kirsch was particularly special, I thought; it's an uncommon flavor in these parts, and utterly a part of Jorg Rupf's heritage.
• Aqua Perfecta Zinfandel Grappa ($36) - I'm not a big Grappa fan, though C really enjoyed the clean flavors here.
• St. George Single Malt Whiskey ($45) - I loved this, and we had to have a bottle - the decanter that usually holds Knob Creek is getting a new visitor. It's packed full of complexity - they use 3 types of used casks for aging - port, bourbon & new french oak.
• Hangar 1 Vodkas in Straight, Mandarin Blossom, Kefir Lime, Buddha's Hand & Fraser Raspberry ($30-$36) - Truth be told, I have been coveting the Raspberry since Sam first told me about it - then she went and gave it an award - obviously, we bought a bottle of this, too. Of course, the true test was the Straight, which is truly the purest expression of vodka I've ever tasted outside of Russia.
• Liqueurs in Pear & Raspberry ($20). These are like drinking the sweet, juicy essence of fruit in each sip... there is a whisper of tartness in the raspberry that I found irresistable. We bought a bottle.

So, if you've kept track, by this time, we had shared a solid 5oz (at least - they are generous here) of 80-proof liquor, plus the lighter liqueurs.

And both of us decided right then and there that having St. George Spirits in our backyard makes us mightly lucky people indeed.

*For any music people out there... we went to see Mixmaster Mike. He rocked. And I felt soooo freaking old. Aside from being one of the only people with a wristband, the man himself looked old. Sigh.

2601 Monarch St.
(at the Old Naval Station)
510.769.1601

Comments

[molly]

We've been planning a trip ever since we talked to another distiller who said St. Georges is the bomb (my word, not his). Is it too much to try to hit Roesenblum too? Or will we need a driver?

[molly]

We've been planning a trip ever since we talked to another distiller who said St. George is the bomb (my word, not his). Is it too much to try to hit Roesenblum too? Or will we need a driver?

[Cristie]

Hi,

I'd like to know if you have any suggestions as to where I might purcahse gervais or petit suisse or fromage frais? I live in Los Angeles, California -
Ralph's supermarket sold it about 15 years ago.

Sincerely,

Cristie
(310) 675-6951
cristieh@yahoo.com

[Rose]

Hangar one is amazing, but you've got to get over to Rosenblum. The people there are so friendly, the tasting is always free and the wine is delish!