St. George Baller Single Malt Whisky

2018 release tastes like flowers smashed between the pages of an old book.

This doesn't smell like whisky, the plum wine influence is immediately obvious. That fruity sweet note is mixed with peat. So this smells like... hospital bathroom soap. Viscous on the tongue, this is thick. Perhaps the thickest whisky I've ever had. The sweet note hits up front, but the fruity hospital note dominates. That being said, I'm trying hard to hate it, but I don't. I probably won't drink it again, but it's interesting and not off putting, even for someone like me who dislikes, or at best barely tolerates, peat. Definitely unique. Some people are going to love this. 6/27/18

I've been sitting on this bottle for a year, cognizant of its scarcity value, but the combination of a wider release this year and a warm evening that called out for something lighter finally nudged me to pop its cork. I'm a fool for delaying. I was immediately rewarded with one of my favorite flavor profiles, a tropical fruit nose of pineapple, along with pine and lemongrass. And oh my lord the taste: this is beautiful and unique. There are apples and pears and malt, to be sure, but what stands out is the backdrop of aniseed. It’s subtle but distinct, not overpowering in a Pernod or absinthe way, but unmistakable nonetheless. I don’t think I’ve come across this flavor in a whisky before. You get so used to parsing the minor differences between the typical reference points that it’s incredibly exciting to encounter something so different. It’s the imprint of the plum liqueur cask finish, no doubt, and you can smell its provenance most significantly in the empty glass. As the aniseed tapers, there’s a long finish that fades to a zesty blast of cinnamon. I’m not sure how frequently I’ll return to this bottle, but the world seems a little better for its audacity. Amid a sea of expensive and indistinctive craft whisky, Baller has balls.

Sweet floral nose and palette...The plum cask finish definitely gives it the uniqueness...excellent!

A little hoppy, but great finish!