Dogfish Head Distilling Co. is expanding its distilling program this November. Dogfish Head’s new distillery is in the heart of its Milton site. Head Distiller is Graham Hamblett.
The distilling operation has two 500-gallon copper stripping stills and a 250-gallon copper vodka column, made by custom fabricator Vendome Copper & Brass Works in Louisville, KY.
“We’ve been distilling off-centered spirits on a very small scale out of our Rehoboth brewpub since 2002,” says Dogfish Head founder and President Sam Calagione. “As I travel, one request I hear over and over from our passionate beer consumers is,‘When are you going to step up the spirits program and take Dogfish Head’s off-centered approach to a wider audience?’ Well, over the last year we’ve made the right investments, and the answer is now.”
The first spirits to debut from Dogfish Head Distilling Co. are Analog Vodka, Compelling Gin, and Whole Leaf Gin.
“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, a horticulturist with nearly two decades of experience running an artisanal winery and distillery. “In our process, everything starts in its rawest form, from scratch, and we will 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.” Other spirits, including rum and whiskey, are on the horizon, and a few of your favorites like Brown Honey Rum and Peanut Butter Vodka will still be available at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats in Rehoboth Beach, DE.
“With access to Dogfish Head’s brewing equipment and ingredient resources, and our long history of bending stylistic guidelines using different grains and wood-aging techniques, we plan on distilling and aging all sorts of delicious spirits in the near and long term,” says Calagione.
“What we’re seeing is that consumers are looking for the same ‘goodness’ out of their craft spirits that have led them to explore craft beer,” says Distillery Manager James Montero. “They want a high-quality distilled spirit and an honest and authentic approach wrapped in an interesting story. “The spirits will be available in Delaware just before Thanksgiving. Dogfish Head plans to expand distribution to other mid-Atlantic states in 2016.
