The 2012 release of Buffalo Trace White Dog, the unaged bourbon, is now available in the UK, building on the appeal of the clear spirit with bartenders.
Limited supplies of Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1, distilled in autumn 2012, have been imported by Buffalo Trace’s UK distributor, Hi-Spirits.
Without ageing, it has more of the fresh, sweet flavours of the grain used to make the spirit. It is bottled at 62.5 per cent ABV and is suitable for cocktails and infusions.
Buffalo Trace Mash #1 is the recipe used to make acclaimed bourbons including Buffalo Trace, Benchmark, Eagle Rare and George T Stagg which develop their complex flavour characteristics from ageing in oak barrels. Traditionally, unaged bourbons were called “moonshine” or “white dog”.
Jeremy Hill, chairman of Hi-Spirits, said: “There’s strong interest in white dog bourbons amongst bar professionals, mainly because it’s a flavour profile they haven’t worked with before. Unaged whisky made in the UK isn’t sold commercially, so this is a point of difference for the UK bar market.”
Paul Loki, bar supervisor at the Mint Leaf Lounge in the City of London, began working with Buffalo Trace White Dog in the run-up to Christmas 2011. He said: “It’s basically old-fashioned moonshine whiskey, and there’s a lot of interest amongst bartenders in traditional drinks at the moment. However, because of its strength, I wanted to work with ways of serving it to customers without overpowering them.”
Paul has used White Dog to make flavoured infusions, working with seasonal flavours such as chestnuts, summer fruits and walnuts. He added: “White Dog has a fresher, sweeter flavour than aged whiskey. You get much more of the cereal flavour, there’s a real corn aroma, and you can balance it with strong flavours such as the chestnuts and cinnamon we used in our Old Fashioned.”
