Doghouse Baller Vodka 70 cl 40%

In an industrial estate in Battersea sits a distillery that has turned the usual idea of vodka upside down. It does not buy spirit in and dilute it. It buys wheat, ferments it on site and then refuses to filter what comes out.

Expert description

Baller Vodka is an English Vodka from Doghouse Distillery in Battersea, London, distilled from scratch from English wheat, unfiltered and bottled at 40%.

Doghouse opened in Battersea in 2016 and calls itself the only distillery in London making its own base spirit from grain to bottle across several categories. That is rarer than you might think. Most gin producers worldwide, and a fair share of vodka producers, buy neutral spirit in and work on from there.

The wheat is English, and the house controls the whole road from wash to bottling. The decisive choice arrives at the end: Baller is not filtered. Filtration would pull the grain character out, and instead the wheat is allowed to stay in the glass as a soft biscuit sweetness with a spiced glint.

The names and labels belong to the same story. The house range is built around music genres, and the labels are drawn by artists rather than design agencies. Baller carries a double-sided label by a street artist, so the bottle works whichever way round it stands on the back bar.

Tasting notes

Nose

Mild and cereal-led. Fresh wheat bread and a touch of dried coconut, with no sharp alcohol edge.

Palate

Soft and full. Vanilla biscuit fills the middle, with a suggestion of clove and white pepper behind it.

Finish

Medium and smooth. The grain sweetness drops away calmly and leaves a round mouthfeel behind.

Specifications

Name: Baller Vodka
Distillery: Doghouse Distillery
Region/Country: Battersea, London, England
Type: English Vodka
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Distillation method: Distilled from scratch from English wheat, unfiltered
Serving suggestion: Neat over ice, or in an Espresso Martini where the biscuit sweetness carries the coffee.

Flavour profile

Vanilla biscuit · Soft · Unfiltered · Cereal

Did you know?

Baller was named Best Spirit in Great Britain at the 2019 Great British Food Awards and collected gold at the World Vodka Awards the same year. Doghouse also makes a Baller variant flavoured with chilli and bacon, which is exactly as direct as the name suggests.

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Frequently asked questions about Baller Vodka

Why is it not filtered?

Because filtration would take the taste of the wheat with it. Doghouse wants the grain character in the bottle, so the step is skipped. That gives more body and a rounder mouthfeel, but less neutrality than a standard vodka.

What does grain-to-bottle mean?

That the distillery ferments and distils its own base spirit from grain instead of buying finished neutral spirit. Few houses in London do it, and it is the reason Doghouse controls flavour all the way from the wash.

What is it made from?

English wheat. The wheat gives the soft biscuit sweetness that is the bottle's clearest trait, and because it is not filtered out, it is still in the glass. There are no added flavourings and no sweetening.

Can it be drunk neat?

Yes, and it is actually built for it. Chill it but do not freeze it, because ice-cold closes down the grain sweetness. An ordinary small glass or a tulip shows more than a shot glass does.

Which drinks work best?

The ones where sweetness can do some work. An Espresso Martini turns full, a White Russian gains a base, and a Moscow Mule holds up against the ginger. In a very dry Martini it comes out rounder than classic.

What is the story with the label?

It is double-sided and drawn by a street artist, so the bottle reads well whichever way it stands. Doghouse works with artists rather than design agencies, and the whole range is built around music genres.

What else does Doghouse make?

Gin, aperitivo and whisky. The house is behind Renegade Gin, Doppelganger Aperitivo and Debt Collector Moonshine in both unaged and cask-aged form. To see other houses in the category, browse our Vodka brands.