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Rascally Liquor

Rascally Liquor® (or simply ‘Rascally’) is Clear Malt Spirit. It’s made in exactly the same way as Single Malt Scotch whisky, except that it isn’t matured in oak casks.

Why not? There’s no need!

Annandale Distillery’s unique twin spirit stills produce Malt Spirit that’s clear, clean and very smooth, even at 63.5% alcohol by volume (ABV).

There are two expressions of Rascally: Fruity, toffee unpeated Rascally and smoky peated Rascally. They can both be enjoyed straight, as shots, or at the very heart of some rather extraordinary cocktails.

OK, but what about the name – Rascally?

Annandale Distillery is situated in the heart of Robert Burns’ country in Dumfries-shire, Scotland. (Robert Burns is Scotland’s National Bard.) He’d moved his family to Dumfries-shire from Ayrshire in 1788, eventually becoming an excise officer. He would have known all of the (then) illicit distilleries in the area, including Annandale, of course. It was during this period of his life that Burns wrote his epic narrative poem, Tam O’Shanter; more of which in a moment.

Before moving to Dumfries-shire Burns had been friendly with a Mr John Tennant (nothing to do with Tennent’s Lager) who was an Ayrshire farmer and whisky maker extraordinaire (presumably illicit). Unfortunately, Mr Tennant had experienced financial difficulties and lost his whisky-making business. Burns missed his friend (and his whisky) but they kept in touch by letter. It was in a letter to Mr Tennant dated December 22nd, 1788 that Burns bemoaned the quality of the local whisky, writing…… “The whisky of this country is a most rascally liquor; and by consequence only drank by the most rascally partof the inhabitants” (my fore bearers, presumably).

We liked the irreverence of ‘Rascally Liquor’ and adopted the name for our Clear Malt Spirit. Although it’s clear, clean and smooth, it’s definitely irreverent!

The imagery shown on our Rascally labels depicts two scenes from Tam O’Shanter. One shows Tam (a ne’er do well) riding into town for a night on the booze. The other shows him being chased by the Devil’s entourage (the ‘Hellish Legion’).

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