Who Likes White Dog?

[cowdery]

The original point of this thread was to see if there is anyone who drinks the stuff regularly and the answer seems to be "no." This is not good news for the micro-producers who have staked their business on it.

Down at Maker's last week, they gave us some white dog in the tasting. I like MM white dog and helped myself to a second glass, which caused a slight upset stomach a bit later in the day.

[petrel800]

I probably could drink the White Dog they gave us off the still at the BT Hard Hat tour. It was fantastic fresh, but when I tasted the stuff in the tasting room out of the bottle, lump me in with the no thanks crowd.

[soonami]

Inspired by this thread up picked up some Georgia Moon when I ran into it for $10. Haven't tried it yet, but looking forward to it. At the very least, it might be a nice substitute for Vodka in some

[RickWrightson]

I know that this thread is a little stale but I think Cowdery's intent is a good one - are the craft guys chasing the wrong (white) dog? Does Maker's Mark entry into the market suggest that they think the craft guys are onto something? Is it drinkable or is it a mixologist's delight? Does that dog have a bite or is it just a barking puppy? Cowdery's tummy may be a tale-tale sign. However, I have the same interest and I've been buying moonshine, white dog, white whisk(e)y whenever I come across them (which is not easy). My intent is to nose/taste and compare them, making note of the grains used, etc.

I think that the craft guys are going to be bringing a lot to the party. They will break with traditions and try different grains, different proofs, etc and I'm sure that something new and good - in the realm of unaged, white spirit, will come out of the process. Here's what I have on my shelf at this point:

Wasmund's Single Malt Spirit (100% Malted Barley) 62% abv

Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine - White Lightnin' (Neutral Spirits) 50% abv

Death's Door White Whisky (no grain specified) 40% abv

Low Gap Whiskey-Clear (Malted Bavarian Hard Wheat) 42.3% abv

Bully Boy Whiskey (Organic Wheat) 40% abv

I find it interesting that none of these spirits specify corn as the grain, which is what we usually think of when we think 'white dog'. Also interesting is the use of 'whisk(e)y on the label when the TTB Standards of Identity state that 'whiskey' comes from a spirit that has been aged in oak containers - but, that's not really germane to this discussion.

Again, as Cowdery suggests, I think we will see some interesting spirits coming down the line in the future. There will be some that will be difficult to camouflage by any mixologist but some, I'm sure, we will find we will be able to drink 'neat'. For instance, my son was in a high end bar in Boston recently and bartender told him that he had recently tasted Prichard's new single malt barley white whiskey and he found it good.

So, I think we have interesting times ahead of us.

Edited December 15, 2012 by RickWrightson

[kingcohiba]

i like it better than moonshine. i have only tried the buffalo trace wheated though. i wish i could find some more! i paid 13$for 375 ml.

[sku]

Also interesting is the use of 'whisk(e)y on the label when the TTB Standards of Identity state that 'whiskey' comes from a spirit that has been aged in oak containers - but, that's not really germane to this discussion.

The TTB requires them to put the spirit in the barrel in order to meet the definition of whiskey. Most of them just put it into a barrel and then empty it right back out again which complies with the regs since there is no minimum aging time. The ones that don't use a barrel at all can call their spirit "moonshine" or "white dog" but not whiskey. It seems to be one of the few regs the TTB still enforces.

[squire]

Sure the stuff has a use, shaken, not stirred.

[RickWrightson]

Here's a link to a Forbes article on white whiskey and five different craft guys using five different grains. http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeslifestyle/2012/09/07/the-eye/

[cowdery]

The TTB requires them to put the spirit in the barrel in order to meet the definition of whiskey. Most of them just put it into a barrel and then empty it right back out again which complies with the regs since there is no minimum aging time. The ones that don't use a barrel at all can call their spirit "moonshine" or "white dog" but not whiskey. It seems to be one of the few regs the TTB still enforces.

[HighInTheMtns]

Not exactly, since 'moonshine' and 'white dog' are not legal types. Every distilled spirit sold has to fall into some established TTB classification. That's why most producers, if they can, use the in-and-out ruse to get the 'whiskey' designation. This is what the Jack Daniel's Rye fuss is all about, and I'll be anxious to see if the decision to label it grain neutral spirit holds when it finally appears on the market next year.