St. George Spirits Baller Single Malt Whiskey, California, USA

A heavenly Baller move.

In 1982, craft distilling wasn't even a thing in America, with only around 20 distilleries scattered across the country. But then, a young German lad named Jörg Rupf hopped the pond to become the Ministry of Culture's youngest appointed judge. He quickly realized that his true calling lies in being the judge of something far more delicious — his own Spirits. Armed with a 65-gallon pot still, he started making drams from pears, raspberries, cherries, and kiwis. When Lance Winters joined in on the party, they decided to tackle the uncharted territory of Single Malt Whiskey (since the category hasn’t officially existed yet), and in 1997, they put their first batch into the cask. In 2010, Rupf retired, leaving the reins to distillers Lance Winters and Dave Smith, but his commitment to quality lives on in the legacy of St. George Spirits.

The Baller Californian Single Malt Whiskey incarnates the comingling of those crisp Japanese flavors and the bold swagger of America. They start with pot-distilled American malted barley, age it in American and French oak casks previously occupied by other Whiskies, and then filter it through maple charcoal for a subtle smoky twist. But what really puts the “um” in "yum" are the umeshu casks, which have housed some seriously aromatic plum Liqueur made by the California-grown ume fruit. The flavor journey starts with a pinch of malt sweetness and maple charcoal, then flows into a swarm of plum, mango, and lychee with some almond and eucalyptus flavors lurking in the background. And let's not forget the bottle, adorned with stellar watercolors by Oakland's Sylvia Solochek Walters that feature St. George as a samurai, and the calligraphy by Eri Takase.