The year is 1844, and tucked away along the winding banks of a creek in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, William Harrison (W.H.) McBrayer has just established his first distillery–RD #44.

It’s been said that behind every great whiskey, is an even greater story. And for almost a decade, we’ve been obsessing over how to tell ours. 

Almost a decade ago, W.G. (Bill) McBrayer IV learned about a long-lost, distant family member: a judge and well-respected Bourbon distiller who lived in Anderson County, Kentucky in the 1800s.

New Bourbon brands are born every day—some recalling the past and some looking to the future. But not every new whiskey has a story so rich that it’s been in the making for 175 years. 

The story of W.H. McBrayer began nearly 200 years ago when Kentucky’s Bourbon revolution was just beginning to take shape.

Our legacy is one that’s been in the making for 175 years. But what if we told you that resurrecting one of W.H. McBrayer’s iconic mash bills was entirely up to chance?