Spirit Hound Distillers Released a New Spirit, the White Dog Moonshine

Spirit Hound Distillers, a small-batch distillery and tasting room in Lyons, released the White Dog Moonshine in bottles. The moonshine is the unaged, all-malt spirit that the company distills and ages in charred oak barrels for its burgeoning whisky effort. The white whisky is released in its fresh form, the distillery says, because of its exceptional flavor and demand from consumers stopping at the distillery.

"Our customers have been clamoring for whisky since we opened," says distiller and co-owner Craig Engelhorn, "and we won't compromise or rush our aged spirits. But our unaged spirit is clean and flavorful, and after reducing it to 90 proof, I was pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted."

The spirit is made from an all-malt whisky wash that is made from Colorado Malting Company base malts and includes a small amount of peat-smoked malt. "It's a clear spirit," Engelhorn says, "but it's got peaty, earthy notes much like a Scotch whisky. And the finish is quite smooth with only a little of the burn that spirits fans associate with white whisky, moonshine, or white lightning" he adds.

White Dog Moonshine will only be available for purchase at the distillery, at 4196 Ute Highway (State Road 66), 1 mile east of downtown Lyons. The tasting room at the distillery is open weekdays from 3 to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sundays from 12 to 7 p.m.

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