Dogfish Head Distilling Co. launches new spirits

Ladies and gents who steer clear of the naughty list might find something a little extra off-centered under the Christmas tree this year.

This November, Dogfish Head Distilling Co. will debut the first of three spirits from its new state-of-the-art distillery in Milton. Analog Voka, Compelling Gin and Whole Leaf Gin will make their first appearance in Delaware restaurants, bars and liquor stores just in time for the holidays.

Dogfish Chief Executive Officer Nick Benz said the high quality, old-fashioned distilling equipment that has been installed at the Milton facility will allow Dogfish to produce up to 50,000 cases per year at maximum output. But quantity is not key here, he said.

“What we hope resonates with people is our off-centered approach to everything we do,” Benz said. “This is a totally different way to experience Dogfish Head: One sip at a time as opposed to one bottle at a time.”

In the early days of Dogfish, Benz said, founder and president Sam Calagione and his talented staff always looked into the kitchen to find ingredients to push the envelope with beer, pulling flavors from pumpkin, chicory and coffee, among others. The goal is to do the same with their spirits, Benz said.

“If someone says, 'it's just vodka' or 'it's just gin,' then we failed,” he said.

Dogfish Head is launching the new distillery in Delaware only, Benz said, and won't consider expanding to other markets until 2016.

“Our brand of beer grew from here for many years before we were nationally recognized, and our intention is to do the same with our spirits,” Calagione said t a private launch party on the Milton campus Sept. 21.

Dogfish debuted its three spirits Sept. 21, mixing Analog Vodka, described as “a sipping vodka for whiskey drinkers” with tarragon lemonade and Whole Leaf Gin, “the IPA of spirits,” with peppercorn and cucumbers, highlighting the off-centered options for Dogfish-based cocktails.

Dogfish Head started discussing a new distillery nearly two years ago, Benz said, and after a long journey that included finding the right people and equipment, the two 500-gallon copper stripping stills and 250-gallon copper vodka column are working hard to produce quality spirits.

“It's not just vodka. It's not just gin,” he said. “There's going to be something off-centered.”

Dogfish Head isn't new to spirits; the company has been distilling at its brew pub in Rehoboth Beach for about 12 years. The new operation represents a step up from what Benz called the blissfully inefficient homemade equipment used in Rehoboth.

“It was very experimental and stuck in a tiny corner of our restaurant in Rehoboth,” Calagione said. The recent expansion at the Milton facility has allowed the room for a commercial-sized distilling operation.

“We use our strength, our world-class facility here, to integrate into our distilling process,” he said. “Whether it's our IPAs or our more color-infused, more exotic beers, what we're all about is quality, consistency and making well-differentiated beverages.”

Three new creations will be available this November, but rum and whiskey aren't far behind: The launch party revealed that molasses is on the way.

For more information about Dogfish Head's new distilling venture, go to www.dogfish.com.