The Fourth Part of St. Kilian Genesis

The fourth part of St. Kilian Genesis

The White Dog of Rüdenau

We are often asked why we at St. Kilian call our clear, high-proof distillate “White Dog.” Well, there’s an explanation for this too, which is naturally connected to our origins and roots in an idyllic village in the Odenwald.

In fact, there are many names for the distillate we produce from our stills: New Make or Spirit are very common in Europe. For example, our series "The Spirit of St. Kilian" (Batch 1-7) was created in the first three years of our production. In the USA, the term Moonshine is most widespread. It dates back to the Prohibition era, when moonshiners secretly distilled their "white whiskey" at night in the moonlight. However, "White Dog" then established itself in America as the terminology for a legally produced spirit.

In Rüdenau, where St. Kilian distills its whisky today, a dog's head is included in the coat of arms. A male dog ("Rüde"), because we are located here "on the meadow of the male dogs" ("Au der Rüden"). So for us, the choice for the name of our New Make simply fell on "White Dog," a name that our fans have now grown fond of.

Of course, our mascot can also be seen "live" in Rüdenau. Our living white mascot is named Abby and is a purebred Dalmatian from the Herkert family.

In times of emancipation, however, our white dog is not a male dog, but a very attractive Dalmatian lady. That's why our White Dog is not "only" available as a clear spirit (43%, Cask Strength 63.5%, as a smoky "Turf Dog" or as a 66.6% "And Then She Came"), but also sweet and fruity as our liqueur series in the varieties Amber, Berry, Cream, Honey, Lime and Turf Berry Dog. Any questions? Oh, and by the way, we won the gold medal with our White Dog at the WWA (World Whisky Awards) in London. If that's not a statement?