St. George Terroir Gin. I actually can’t believe it’s taken me this long to write about this. This is HANDS DOWN one of THE most characteristic and unique gins on the market. It is instantly recognizable in any cocktail, and so much that I’ve even had cocktails with this misted on top. Interestingly, this was also my very first experience with craft gin outside of the typical grocery store London Dry gins.

“Terroir” refers to the characteristics of the land and environment, and this gin is made with botanicals intended to transport you to the lush, misty, wilderness of Northern California…tall redwood tree canopies hanging overhead, with the perfume of the morning dew on the leaves and the salty air from the sea. The scent is heavy with local Douglas fir and bay laurel, complemented by coastal sage and juniper, this is truly a unique and sensational experience.

About St. George Spirits…my first foray into craft spirits started with a visit to their distillery right outside San Francisco. After seeing their factory tour, we did a tasting. SO many realizations were made during that tasting: St. George produced the first American re-legalized absinthe on the market (as it had already been in the works for 10+ years prior to its legalization, St. George was ready and waiting), vodka doesn’t have to be frozen and thrown back to be tolerable (they owned the Hangar One brand at the time, and now produce their own line made with a base of pear eau-de-vie), and it was the first time I realized gin could taste so drastically different. (See St. George Botanivore Gin and St. George Dry Rye Gin for their other fantastically unique creations.)

What was the gin that made you see gin in a new light?