From the Land of Grapes, a Different Spirit
This short article popped up in the NYTimes yesterday. Thanks Chris K. for the tip.
When Leslie Rudd, the owner of Rudd Winery in Oakville, Calif., bought Edge Hill, a winery in St. Helena, Calif., that was founded in 1882, he discovered a building on the land that bore a well-worn sign, Registered Distillery No. 209. That heartened Mr. Rudd, who wanted to make a gin at the winery. “There are 400 vodkas out there, but gin drinkers are neglected,” he said.
But Edge Hill is in a grape-growing agricultural area, a designation that does not permit the manufacture of grain spirits. So he took over a pier in San Francisco, installed a copper pot still and hired Arne E. Hillesland as ginmaker.
The resulting artisanal gin, No. 209, has an alluring citric perfume, thanks to an infusion of bergamot peel along with more typical spices like juniper. The bottle was inspired by the shape of an old one that was used for gin in the Netherlands. The gin is around $39 at Le Dû’s Wines, Beekman Liquors and Mister Wright.
Some more information on Rudd’s venture can be found in an SFGate article from 2004. This man also has his hand in 14 Dean & Deluca gourmet food stores, one of my favorite places to shop, and owns Kansas liquor distributor Standard Beverage Corp. With that kind of money behind him, he’s sure to make a quality Gin.
Read [SFgate.com]
