Up in the middle of upstate New York, a little off to the eastern side, is a collection of long, thin, finger-like lakes called, appropriately enough, “The Finger Lakes”. It was at the base of one of these lakes (Lake Cayuga) that I spent my college years. The region is gorgeous (the official town slogan is “Ithaca is Gorge-ous” after all the gorges in the region), and the finger lakes are an oasis between vast stretches of farmland that bridges cities like Rochester and Albany. The next lake over, Seneca Lake, is home to “The Glen“, an international raceway in an extremely unlikely “middle of nowhere” spot.
Down the way from this raceway is Finger Lakes Distilling, an unlikely source for my continued search for the great American white dog. Finger Lakes Distilling manufactures a white corn whiskey called Glen Thunder, named after the local raceway. White dog and racing have long been connected to each other and it’s exciting to see a distiller embrace this union.
Glen Thunder Corn Whiskey (90 proof, $22 for 750ml and only $12 for 375 ml) has a sweet, bright and fresh corn nose, with an underlying smell like fresh cornbread dough. The taste is bright and sweet, the quintessential essence of fresh picked sweet corn. There is a nice kick on the finish that is essentially sweet and lingers on and on. The Glen Thunder Corn Whiskey is made from 100% New York State Corn and is extraordinarily well distilled. I’ve had it straight and over a big rock piece of ice and it was excellent both ways.
With Glen Thunder’s sweet notes it would be a perfect white dog for mixing in cocktails; the problem, though, is that I like it too much and I never have the patience to mix it with anything. It’s usually out of the bottle and down the hatch.
For anyone looking to explore the world of white dog, or for whiskey enthusiasts who aren’t sold on how amazing white dog can be, this is your spirit and at $22 per 750ml this is one of the best deals on great whiskey that you’ll ever see.
Glen Thunder Corn Whiskey Rating:
Highest Recommendation “A Classic” – White corn whiskey doesn’t get much better than this.
