The brandy in this bottle changed the course of distilling history. When St. George founder Jörg Rupf began making pear brandy in 1982, there was no such thing as “craft distilling” in the U.S. With 30 pounds of fresh, whole Bartletts in every bottle, our Pear Brandy isn’t just strikingly vivid, it’s the spirit that kicked off the craft distilling renaissance.
Format: 750ml
ABV: 40%
Availability: Widely available
Succulent, juicy, and stunningly fruit-forward, our pear brandy captures the essence of the fruit without any sweetness. Distilling is our form of self-expression, and St. George Pear Brandy exemplifies our commitment to distilling groundbreaking spirits that showcase purity of flavor and genuine terroir.
St. George Pear Brandy is made from the most aromatic dry-farmed, organic Bartlett pears we can find—and we pack about 30 pounds of fruit into every 750ml bottle. Dry farming is important because it concentrates the flavor of the pears. Once you’ve had dry-farmed fruit, regular supermarket produce tastes watered down by comparison. Using the whole fruit gives our brandy incredible depth of flavor. If you close your eyes, the fragrance can transport you right to the orchard.
We begin by sourcing the most flavorful fruit we can find and then distill it at its prime. The pears finish ripening in our distillery and we know the time is right when the aromas shift from incredible to irresistible. In a deliberate effort to maximize the most essential flavors and aromas, we use the whole fruit in its entirety. Pears are the only ingredient in our Pear Brandy, so all you get is the honest essence of the raw material. Our Holstein copper pot stills give us extraordinary command, allowing us to capture all the nuance and depth of this incredible fruit with just a single still run.
While terroir is a word that is typically associated with wine, St. George Pear Brandy captures the distinct notes of the regions where our pears are grown. The nose is astonishingly fruit-forward, with a tropical quality that leans toward guava. The palate is dry but redolent of ripe Bartlett pears with subtle honey notes and a hint of spice. Further tasting reveals a buttery richness that’s balanced by steely minerality.
Europeans traditionally sip unaged fruit brandy as a digestif, and we’re all for that, but at 40% alcohol with no residual sugar, our wildly aromatic Pear Brandy is stunning in cocktails. Try it with hard cider in a highball, sip it with tonic water for a quick and delicious session cocktail, or swap it for the gin in this Negroni riff we call A Fistful of Pears.
