Dogfish Head brewery unveils new spirits line

Delaware-based Dogfish Head Distilling Company has unveiled a three-strong spirits portfolio made at its new “state-of-the-art” distillery.

Dogfish Head has expanded its distilling program with the launch of two gins and a vodka expression

Known for its craft-brewed ales, the company has expanded its distilling program with the launch of Dogfish Head Analog Vodka, Dogfish Head Compelling Gin and Dogfish Head Whole Leaf Gin.

The new distillery gives master distiller Graham Hamblett access to the same ingredients and equipment used to make the company’s ales, along with two 500-gallon copper stripping stills and a 250-gallon copper vodka column.

Dogfish Head previously made an experimental foray into distilling with Brown Honey Rum and Peanut Butter Vodka releases, but the new line marks the first time the company has produced its spirits in-house.

“You can make spirits from almost any type of raw material. We have chosen to start with the same ingredients that go into our beer,” says Hamblett.

“In our process, everything starts in in its rawest form, from scratch and we use the best ingredients available. We use a batch distillation approach through each stage. It’s a bit more work than other approaches, but it allows me to closely monitor and control each step of the distillation process.”

Made with 100% brewers malt and ‘Doggie’ yeast, Analog Vodka is described as “crisp, with viscous sweetness of caramelised sugar, malted barley with cleaning minerality; a sipping vodka for whiskey drinkers”.

Dogfish Head Compelling Gin is distilled using “the peel and flesh of citrus” and “a long list of culinary ingredients stolen from the Dogfish Head brewpub kitchen”. “Bright and citrusy”, its flavour profile offers “a crisp juniper snap and lingering cinnamon warmth”.

The third expression, Whole Leaf Gin, is made by continually dosing whole-leaf hops into each step of the gin distillation process. An “earthy” gin “bursting with floral hop goodness”, the expression is described as “the IPA of spirits”.

Designed by Saxco International, the packaging features an embossed Dogfish Head logo, two-color pictorial graphics, and pressure sensitive two-colour labels on a private mold square shaped flint bottle, which is finished with a mahogany wood topped synthetic cork.

The new spirits will soon be introduced in several Mid-Atlantic states at an RRP of US$32.99 for Analog Vodka, US$36.99 for Compelling Gin, and US$38.99 for Whole Leaf Gin.