Rupf, Jörg (b. 1944), is a California-based distiller and the founder of St. George Spirits. Born in the town of Colmar in Alsace (then part of Germany, now France), Rupf moved with his family to Freiburg in the Black Forest, eventually settling near Lake Constance. After studying law and receiving his PhD, Rupf became a court system judge in Munich before joining the Ministry of Internal Affairs and, later, the Ministry of Culture. In the mid-1970s, Rupf came to California to pursue postgraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley; while there, he decided to leave the legal profession and instead distill fruit eau-de-vie, as his family had in Germany. After initially working in Emeryville, California, under the auspices of Veedercrest Vineyards, Rupf founded St. George Spirits in 1982. St. George was the first modern artisanal or craft distillery in the United States, distilling eau-de-vie from fruits such as pears, cherries, and raspberries, using a 65-gallon Holstein pot still. See St. George Spirits. Experimenting with fermentation techniques, Rupf tweaked the quality and style of St. George’s eau-de-vie, while also mentoring and working with other distillers (including Steve McCarthy, founder of Clear Creek Distillery in Portland, Oregon). In 2001, Rupf teamed up with Ansley Coale, a partner in the Germain-Robin brandy distillery, to create Hangar One, a brand predicated on applying craft distilling techniques to flavored vodka. The project was a great success, both artistically and commercially. The recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Distilling Institute and a five-time nominee for the James Beard Foundation for Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional, Rupf retired from St. George Spirits in 2010.
See also eau-de-vie.
“Founder: Jörg Rupf.” St. George Spirits website. http://www.stgeorgespirits.com/story/cast-of-characters/jorg-rupf/ (accessed March 10, 2021).
Rupf, Jörg. “Jörg Rupf: A Distiller’s Perspective on Contemporary Cocktail Culture.” Interview conducted by Shanna Farrell in 2014 and 2015, Oral History Center of the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 2016.
By: Paul Clarke