Bluegrass Distillers Blue Dog

It's not that I don't enjoy white dog, but they usually taste far too similar to each other given that most American whiskey distillers use the same mash bill, in addition to them not usually bottling and selling it. I loved the taste of this one from the still, and was even offered a taste of it at this proof point, and thought that this mash bill offered a noticeable sweetness that was still neutral enough to be used as a vodka substitute (or so I'm hoping). Plus, it is always nice to support a small distillery that makes great products and hires great people (shout out the Stephan, who gave a fantastic tour and tasting). The color is just barely not clear, and seems to have a tiny touch of a pale yellow in it. I wondered when I saw "aged less than 30 days" on the bottle, if they perhaps filled some barrels and then changed their minds about it a few weeks later, but wouldn't that make it a different product if you aged it? Either way, the nose has a lot of sweet corn, but is a much softer sweetness that I assume is due to the wheat. I am not sure what to expect from blue corn specifically, but there's a large note of fruity cereal that I have smelled before on moonshine, so I wonder how just these grains can bring such a sweetness that is normally a result of added sugar. Funny enough, the initial body is so light that I thought I may have mistakenly added water, but it does build quickly and stay around after the first sip. Sweet corn, a touch of baking spice, and a decent amount of that fruity cereal note from before, but not enough to be overwhelming or take over the entire palate. The gums start to spice up, but the hotness stays focused at the center of the mouth, allowing a more concentrated flavor that never makes it to the corners of the palate. The finish is fairly hot and sweet, but still heavily focused on the corn itself instead of an artificial sweetness. I don't keep any vodka around just because I find it too neutral and can usually find a way to use gin in it's place; most of the time flavors get enhanced using gin, whereas vodka seems to be used only to get drunk off of juice and mixers. This white dog has a potent body and nice sweetness that makes it a little too aggressive and plain for drinking neat, but should be a welcome vodka substitute that can sweeten drinks without overpowering the mixers, and would be a nice choice for those who don't enjoy the botanical flavor of gin. If this was a 750ml bottle at this price, I may have even picked up 2 of them, but the price is definitely too high for an unaged spirit at this volume.