The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. recently announced its third release from its range of higher-end Irish whiskeys with the launch of 661 bottles of rare, double-distilled single malt whiskey, matured for more than two decades.

The Brollach is a personal tribute to The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. Founder Jay Bradley’s late father, who passed away in 2020. Bradley credited him as a significant inspiration for creating this brand. He said that they shared a passion and knowledge of whiskey, with the dream of building a legacy and creating the finest Irish whiskeys.

 This latest release is named after the O’Brollachans, which is the ancient rendering of the Bradley name and represents what’s described as the family’s Irish heritage, lineage and craftsmanship.

Bradley showed an entrepreneurial spirit at a young age and left school at 14 to work as a furniture craftsman with his father in Ireland. In 2001, he left the Emerald Isle and moved to Australia to follow his dreams and embark on adult life. To mark this milestone in Jay’s life, The Brollach was chosen as it was distilled on the same day, Jan. 22, 2001.

Located within proximity to where Bradley was raised, The Brollach was matured on the southeast coast of Ireland using fresh Irish spring water and barley aged in 200-liter ex-American bourbon casks, which adds what’s described as a deep, oaky flavour to the whiskey. It was then aged in 128-litre French Oak Madeira barrels.

The brand’s tasting notes for The Brollach show the 20 years of maturation has imparted flavours of honeysuckle, butterscotch and caramel. 

Crafted from raw Nordic oak and brushed with stainless steel, The Brollach’s box packaging has the bottle sitting in a solid oak plinth, with a slightly curved backdrop that is said to echo the lines of a barrel, and the interior is a dark suede, set against a foam protector. The drawer, which sits underneath, contains four obsidian whiskey stones, glass and anodised silver pipette, and two vials; one for a taster of whiskey and the other for the user to add Irish spring water open the flavours. The box also contains a 70cl bottle of The Brollach, along with two handcrafted Finn glasses.

“Whiskey is my absolute passion in life, and The Brollach is a very personal release to me as it is a tribute to my late father,” Bradley explained in a prepared statement. “The Craft Irish Whiskey Company was born out of a conversation with him and our shared interest for the finer things in life, particularly whiskey craftsmanship.”

The Brollach is pricing at €5,500, or around AUD 8,865. More complete official tasting notes are below.

• Nose: Vibrant, fresh and intense, with apricot, which melts into subtle butterscotch.
• Back palate: Dark cherry with a hint of sourness that softens into dark chocolate, with a caramelised banana flavour that lingers in an oily, almost velvet-like mouth-feel.