St. George Baller Single Malt
Uses two pale barley. 47 ABV, aged 3 years in Ex-Bourbon and French oak wine casks. Charcoal filtered like Lincoln County Process, and then finished in own made Japanese plum(umeshu) liqueur casks. Does a bit hazing, but I meant to say Non chill filtered, which NCF is a real and better quality- this is a chillfiltered whiskey to a degree.
First impression 8.18 2022 10:55
Rub on hands: Toasty wood, fruity peach grog,
Nose: Sweet saki, grain, vanilla pearl, peach jam, toasted cask, juicy barley, quasi barley peat,
Palate: Saki grain, fruit burn, stone fruit, bell pepper, beer, burned up wood, singe, umami essence, salt,
Finish: Warm and a bit rough. Saki grain, some bitter notes, Jack Daniels allusion, beer grog. Lingering fruit.
(no notes written with water)
On the rocks: Chilled gives a nice pleasant picture from it being neat. Any off notes are good gestures.
With bitters: Does well side by side.
With Cola: Does good as a highball like drink.
So far: As a sipper goes, I will be brutal in saying: that the spirit itself is beated up by charcoal filtration, then crowded out by the Ex-Bourbon, French wine oak, and then put down by the Umeshu finish. As a mixer and casual on the rocks, these do very well into that way. Reviewing this will be handled as a mixer, rather than a sipper.
Final: 80 points. It is stripped product in terms of sipping, but the mixing part work well here.