Copper Dog

Copper Dog Whisky is named for a device that was used by distillery workers to sneak a sample of whisky from a cask. Typically, a copper dog was made from a narrow copper pipe with a coin welded to one end, and a stopper on the other end. Often, a string was attached to the copper dog so that it could be tied to a belt. Workers would hide the device in their clothing (usually down their trouser legs) as unauthorized sampling of whisky was not allowed.

I first tasted Copper Dog Whisky a few years ago, and it was one of the first whiskies I ever tasted that made me think, “oh wow, that’s really good.” I believe anyone who’s gotten into whisky is able to recall a similar occasion; a kind of whisky epiphany.

Like most people, I started my whisky journey with “bottom shelf” blends, mainly because they were (and still are) the most affordable options. Blends also have a reputation for being more approachable than single malts, and so are often marketed at those who are fairly new to whisky. Some whisky enthusiasts tend to view blends as inferior to single malts, but this is not necessarily the case, and John Glaser has done a great deal to challenge these sorts of preconceptions with a number of his creations at Compass Box.

Copper Dog is not actually a whisky that’s retailed in South Africa, so I first tasted it when my brother – who came across this whisky while traveling – bought a bottle and shared it with me. It was created by Piers Adam, the owner of the historic Craigellachie Hotel (which is located in the heart of the Speyside region of Scotland), in collaboration with Stuart Morrison, a master blender. Copper Dog is the name not only of the whisky they created but also of the cozy pub inside the Craigellachie Hotel.

Copper Dog whisky has quite an interesting origin story: shortly after purchasing the Craigellachie Hotel in 2014, Adam heard stories about all the distillery workers who would finish up their shifts and head to the pub at the hotel. These workers would pour all the contents of their Copper Dogs into in one big vat at the pub, and share the resulting drink with everyone. Inspired by this story, Adam and Morrison created Copper Dog whisky. It’s a blended malt whisky, made from a blend of (at least) eight different Speyside single malts.

Copper Dog is bottled at 40% ABV. In the UK (and many other countries), the legal minimum ABV for whisky is 40%. Interestingly, in the UK this decrease from 43% to 40% took place in 1983. One obvious reason for a lower ABV is profitability; essentially, the whisky gets diluted just a little more, but that can make a pretty big difference to how many bottles a distillery is able to produce. Reducing the ABV from 43% to 40% allows a distillery to produce about 7.5% more whisky from the same amount of pure alcohol.

In South Africa, however, the legal minimum ABV for whisky has remained at 43%. This difference has led me to stumble upon several whisky reviews in which reviewers lament a whisky being bottled at only 40%. They’ll often state that they wish some or other whisky (The Glenlivet 12, for example) had a slightly higher ABV, even just 43% – which, coincidentally, is exactly what I will have in hand. As far as I’m able to find, it also turns out that South Africa may be the only remaining country where whisky must be bottled at a minimum of 43% ABV, and I’ve heard 43% ABV referred to as “export strength” because of this situation. Consequently, Copper Dog’s low ABV is genuinely something a little different for me. In retrospect, it’s also possible that this lower ABV may have helped with the whisky epiphany I experienced years ago – as a relative newcomer, a lower ABV may have helped ease me into a world of slightly more interesting and complex whiskies.

Copper Dog – Review

Colour: Reddish gold, copper.

On the nose: Light on the nose, with aromas of sticky toffee pudding. Quite fruity, with some red apples, papaya and loquats. A hint of honey. Vanilla and oaky spice. Some green wood notes.

In the mouth: Vanilla and marzipan. Dark berries and gentle spice – a distinct dash of cinnamon. Maybe a little mocha. Quite light and smooth in texture, it fades into soft woody notes, with a hint of bitter dark chocolate. I found that there was a faint menthol note that lingered in the empty glass, eventually overtaken by a caramel aroma.

Conclusions:

Copper Dog strikes me as a well-rounded and easy-to-enjoy whisky. It also has just enough going on to keep one interested. I particularly enjoyed the slightly more unusual fruit notes I detected. Overall, however, I felt that it lacked a bit of depth.

I imagine that the 40% ABV will make Copper Dog accessible and appealing to a broad audience, as lower ABV whiskies are generally regarded as less harsh and more palatable, especially if you’re fairly new to whisky. However, for someone who is looking for more intense and bold flavours in their whisky, Copper Dog’s 40% ABV might feel a bit subdued; 46% ABV seems to be the new sweet spot for many whisky enthusiasts, and I must admit that while I still enjoyed this whisky, its impact this time round wasn’t the same as when I first tasted it all those years ago.

Copper Dog is also very much marketed as a versatile whisky that can make for a great mixer in cocktails. When I hear this about a whisky, I feel it makes it less likely that the whisky will impress as a standout sipping whisky in its own right.. and I suppose it didn’t. It’s nice, but not amazing. At roughly $42 a bottle (which is around the price of a bottle of Glenmorangie 12 Lasanta), I think it’s a little on the expensive side, and so I think I’ll be hesitant to repurchase a bottle when I’ve finished this one.

As a complete aside, the Copper Dog brand contributes to various organizations and initiatives that focus on animal welfare, which is quite nice.

Score: 5/10