In days gone by, the 'Dipping Dog' would have been employed by thirsty employees at the Balvenie distillery to pilfer whisky by lowering a cylinder into a cask. On retrieving it, its canny owner would have secured his haul by tightly sealing the opening with a cork.
Then the precious contents would have been gently lowered down the employee's trouser leg by a piece of rope and tethered to his belt. The cylinder became know as a 'dog' on account of it being a man's best friend that, like its canine counterpart, was also kept on a lead by one's side.
Today this ingenious contraption is utilised by the Malt Master, David Stewart when sampling an expression directly from the cask.
