Lance Winters

Lance Winters is the Master Distiller at St. George. He is also a partner in the company, as well as its President. Before joining St. George, Lance spent 8 years as a U.S. Navy Nuclear Engineer stationed in Alameda, CA, and subsequent time as a brewer in Fremont, CA. Inspired by the ales he was making, he became interested in whiskey and began making it at home. He enjoyed the art of distillation so much he decided to pursue it as a career. In 1996 he approached St. George founder Jörg Rupf with a bottle of homemade whiskey as his resume.

He has been with the company ever since. Lance started the St. George whiskey program in 1997 and is the creative mind behind many of the distillery’s revered and exotic spirits, including the foie gras vodka made for the late Anthony Bourdain (who found it horrifically wonderful). 

Lance is a five-time James Beard Foundation nominee for Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Producer. In 2023, Lance became inductee #83 into the Whisky Magazine Hall of fame