Royal Brackla 12 Year
The Royal Brackla holds a claim to fame that few Scottish distilleries can match, which is the royal warrant it was granted in 1835 by King William IV that allowed the distillery to use the “royal” adjective as part of the name (the other two are Royal Lochnagar in 1848 and the now closed Glenury Royal). Founded in 1817, Royal Brackla has run mostly uninterrupted for over 200 years. Like many distilleries, it shut down briefly due to world wars or market surpluses and has gone through several changes in ownership but has never been dormant for long. Its output has long gone into blends and thus not received much individual attention. That changed in 2015, however, when current owner Dewar’s released a range of single malts. This Royal Brackla 12 is from the spring of 2020, when the core range was relaunched to comprise a 12, 18 and 21 year age statements.
Mortlach 16 Year
Mortlach was the first official distillery in Dufftown, founded in 1823 and known as “The Beast of Dufftown”. Operating relatively uninterrupted since then across several owners, it has long passed under the radar of many enthusiasts since its output has gone primarily into blends with only the occasional special single malt release. This changed in 2013 when the brand relaunched with more emphasis placed on its single malt offerings. This Mortlach 16, the Distiller’s Dram, comes from a new trilogy announced in 2018. Like all expressions since 1896, it is distilled 2.81 times, and matured entirely in ex-Sherry casks.
The Dead Rabbit
The Dublin Liberties Distillery, as you might be able to tell from the distiller name, is intensely proud of their roots. The Liberties section of Dublin is a famous and storied part of the city with a history too checkered and daring to include here. Everything about the distillery is intricately tied to historical people and places from the Liberties or connecting to Ireland more broadly. Take a tour and you’ll see, trust us. This particular offering is 5 years old and made in collaboration with The Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog in New York City. This Irish Whiskey bar is in turn named after the Dead Rabbits, a notorious gang of Irish immigrants in the mid-1800s whose rivalry with the Bowery Boys eventually resulted in riots that lasted for days.