DFH Continues to Expand Spirits Portfolio with Dogfish Head Straight Whiskey

By Sam Slaughter July 20, 2019

A few months back, we covered Dogfish Head’s first-ever whiskey release, Alternative Takes: Volume 1, a whiskey that was aged in rum barrels. Now, the company’s distillery arm is back with Dogfish Head Straight Whiskey.

Coming in at 80 proof, Dogfish Head Straight Whiskey is made from a custom blend of 100% 2-row malted barley that is milled, fermented, distilled, and aged on-site. On the aging side of things, DFH veered away from the typical barrels used in whiskey aging and instead opted to take a wine-like approach to things – the barrels used are lightly toasted and charred (compared to a much heavier char for most bourbons or other whiskeys). The resulting whiskey is lighter with more of the malted barley flavors coming through.

Dogfish Head Straight Whiskey — Dogfish Head

On the nose, you’ll find caramel and ripe apples as well as bready, sweet malty notes. The palate is medium-light and fairly dry, with burnt sugar, some wood notes, and a little bit of fruitiness on the end. The finish is medium-long and drying.

If this is the first time you’ve heard about a spirit Dogfish Head, don’t be too concerned. While they have been produced since the early 2000s at Dogfish Head Brewing’s restaurant in Rehobath Beach, Delaware, Brewings & Eats, distribution has not gone far beyond the Delaware area (with a few surrounding states getting lucky to get a few bottles of some of their spirits). From 2002 to 2015, the spirits produced by the company were made there on a still they had named “Frankenstill” with the bulk of the product staying in the restaurant for guests to enjoy before, during, or after their meal. In 2015, though, they moved their operation to a new, state-of-the-art facility to continue to produce the multiple rums, vodkas, gins, brandy they had become known for.

Dogfish Head Straight Whiskey is the third whiskey product from the distillery. They previously released Sonic Archaeology, a bottled cocktail containing a blend of DFH’s rum, brandy, and whiskey, as well as the aforementioned Alternative Takes: Volume 1.

If you’re looking to get your hands on Dogfish Head Straight Whiskey, start looking at how to get to Delaware, because (at least for now), the spirit is only available in the distillery’s home state.

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Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…

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Jameson Releases Two New Caskmates Editions

jameson caskmates hyperlocal editions revolution bale feat

In recent years, the immensely popular Jameson Irish Whiskey has gone way beyond its well-earned reputation as the shot you throw back with a cheap beer at your local dive bar. You can and should still do that, to be clear, but the brand has also released some interesting and more complex new expressions in recent years, including the Caskmates series.

For Caskmates, the distillery partners up with small breweries and gives them used whiskey barrels to age their beer. These beer-seasoned barrels are then returned to the distillery and refilled with mature Jameson for a short finish during which the whiskey picks up new flavors. The first two Caskmates used IPA and stout casks from local Irish breweries. The new releases are collaborations with small American breweries Bale Breaker (Yakima, WA) and Revolution Brewing (Chicago, IL), and are part of the Caskmates Hyperlocals series. Both breweries traveled to Ireland to brew their beer and create these seasoned barrels, instead of brewing here in the U.S. and shipping the barrels to the New Midleton Distillery just outside of Cork.

Food & Drink

The Danish Beer Empire Continues to Grow as Mikkeller Lands in Portland

Mikkeller Brewing

It’s been a crazy few months in Portland, Oregon, one of America’s great beer cities. The Rose City lost a couple of big players in Burnside Brewing and Bridgeport, but gained a significant one in Mikkeller. The internationally acclaimed Danish producer is officially setting up shop in the Pacific Northwest.
For the record, Mikkeller has eight American establishments. Only two, however, are producing beer. For a brewery known for experimentation, this could be a downright godsend. Portland offers near-outstanding agricultural terrain, from hops to all kinds of fruit, produce, and forage-able goods. Should Mikkeller decide to produce as well as pour here, we could see some very interesting products roll down the line.
There have already been a few collaborations. Oregon sour beer specialists Cascade teamed up with Mikkeller to release the Bean-to-Barrel Triple. The beer is a blend of sour ales, Oregon and French oak, and cocoa nibs from Bean Geeks Craft Chocolate in Copenhagen. Another, aptly named F--king Classy, is a clean and surprisingly flavorful brut IPA made in tandem with Gigantic Brewing. It’s one of the better versions of the still-emerging beer genre.
So far, Mikkeller’s spot is just a pop-up, set in the old Burnside Brewery off the famous street the former place borrowed its name from. With space to brew and lots of eager collaborators in the Portland picture — not to mention Mikkeller’s distribution prowess — it’s an exciting period for fans of the Scandinavian label. The momentum only continues with the recent announcement that the pop-up will include food from famed Momofuku Las Vegas chef Shaun King. It is slated to be a full-service restaurant with a Japanese streak, per the chef’s background.

For those who don’t know Mikkeller, here’s a quick primer: The brewery launched as essentially a garage operation in Copenhagen in 2006. Brewer Mikkel Borg Bjergsø tinkered with recipes from home in between teaching math and physics. The label now encompasses 40 countries but remains relatively small and experimental in terms of production. Their immediately recognizable labels are colorful and feature the playful artwork of Keith Shore.
Mikkel Borg Bjergsø's brother, Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø, is the brains behind Evil Twin Brewing. It’s industry legend that the siblings’ opposite personalities drove them apart. Both are fascinated by beer and known for collaborations, just not with each other. Evil Twin was considered a gypsy operation for many years, turning out one-off brews with friends in the industry before opening a production space in Queens earlier this year. The Danish empire continues.
If you haven't tried any Mikkeller beers yet, here are a few to start with:

Food & Drink

Sam Adams Brewer Boston Beer Co. and Dogfish Head Merge to Create ‘Formidable’ Portfolio

Jim Koch Boston Beer Sam Calagione Dogfish Head

Two of the most influential craft beer companies are now under the same ownership as Boston Beer Company and Dogfish Head Brewery announced their merger this week.
The merger creates a powerhouse of sorts as it slots the Dogfish Head brand within the impressive portfolio of Boston Beer, makers of Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Boston Beer CEO Dave Burwick will lead the company, while Dogfish Head co-founder Sam Calagione joins the board of directors of Boston Beer, a publicly traded company under the symbol SAM.
“We believe we are creating the most dynamic and diverse American-owned platform for craft beer and beyond,” said Jim Koch, Boston Beer founder and chairman. “Dogfish Head has a proud history as a craft beer pioneer with a brand that is beloved by American consumers and highly respected by the industry.”
Sam and Mariah Calagione, the Dogfish Head co-founders, took nearly all their merger consideration in SAM stock, becoming the second largest non-institutional stockholders, behind Koch. The Calagiones received approximately 406,000 shares of SAM valued at $314.60 per share, while Dogfish Head shareholders received $173 million in cash.
Sam Calagione will remain at the head of the Dogfish Head brand.

Jim Koch of Boston Beer (left) and Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head (right) Image used with permission by copyright holder
"This merger better positions Dogfish Head and our co-workers to continue growing within this definition for many years to come,” Calagione said. “In fact, Mariah and I believe so much in the future of our merged companies that we are all in, and personally we're reinvesting nearly all of the proceeds back into the combined entity. We're also proud to announce that we intend to devote a percentage of the Boston Beer stock that we receive to establishing a foundation and funding various local charitable programs."
"We believe we are creating the most dynamic and diverse American-owned platform for craft beer and beyond."