It seems that there is now an artisan distillery in operation in that sprawling smoggy section of California known colloquially as "El Lay", according to an article in Forbes, with a whiskey worthy of George Clooney, whatever THAT means (maybe only for the 1% ers? Obama buddies? Nevermind
). ANYhoo, the Greenbar Collective, makers of TRU organic Vodka and Gin, IXÁ Organic Tequila *strange, I thought "tequila" was an appellation of a distilled spirit made in the Tequila region of Mexico?*, CRUSOE Organic Rum *oh Cap'n, ever sampled either of these rums?*, FRUITLAB Organic Liqueurs and lastly, BAR KEEP Organic Bitters are trying their hand at whiskey. First is "Slow Hand" white whiskey, to be followed later in 2013 with the cask-finished brown colored version. It's not clear if that is due to coloring added to the brown version or if it is entirely due to interaction with the cask. The image of the bottled white dog product has on it's label this interesting bit, "Aged less than 10 minutes in oak casks"
I also find it interesting that the author, David Hochman, asks partner in the Collective Litty Mathew about the aging affirmation on the label, if it was a joke and received this reply:
While there is some truth in her statement, obviously Ms. (I'm making an assumption here as there is a reference to a husband as the other partner...then again, this IS the "Land of Fruits and Nuts"...ahem) Mathew has never tried the excellent white dog from Buffalo Trace, or the bierschnaps made at Essential Spirits Alambic Distillery to the North of Los Angeles, in Mountain View, a city in the South Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area/ "Silicon Valley"."Not at all! At one time, all American whiskey was white. Only during transportation in barrels did it pick up flavor and color. These days, white whiskey, or “white dog,” is usually unaged whiskey that’s sold to generate income from inventory that otherwise would sit around a couple years. The problem is, white dogs can be rough, and drinking them is often a philosophical exercise."
And while I am hopeful of a good product, the use of marketing-speak and the last 2 sentences of this statement by Mme. Mathews makes me think that, like the political state of what WAS "The Golden State", what appears to be gold is not so.
Not a sipping whiskey, but merely a product to be mixed in a cocktail?"Since we begin with good quality, flavorful, real ingredients — and that’s what organic farming gives us — we can make a really tasty whiskey even at the white dog stage. Organic grains produce more flavor. The brown will have even more flavor. As far as I know, we’re the only ones doing two mash builds – one for the white and one for the brown. It’s an unorthodox approach but the great thing is, Melkon and I don’t have a spirits tradition to protect. We’ve broken a lot of rules in creating our products and are simply focused on the final outcome — a very good cocktail."
George Clooney, indeed
