Scotland, Speyside: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

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Royal Brackla

Description of the whisky

The distillery

Royal Brackla distillerie

Royal Brackla Distillery
Cawdor, Nairm
Inverness-shire
IV12 5QY
+44 1667 402 002
Owner Bacardi Ltd
Creation date 1812

photos

Build on the Cawdor property, which became famous because of Shakespeare (Macbeth), Royal Brackla was the first distillery to obtain the title of supplier of the Court, during the reign of William IV in 1835.
The distillery has been build in 1835 by captain William Fraser. The starting period was very difficult, because of the concurrence of the moonshine distillers in that area. Captain Fraser was forced to find some outlets in the Lowlands.
In the early 1860's, Andrew Usher & Co joined the company. He is supposed to be the inventor of the blending technique consisting in mixing malt whisky with grain whisky. That is the reason why Brackla was one of the first whiskies to be used in blends.
The distillery has been rebuild in 1898 by two wine brokers from Aberdeen. In1926 the distillery has been taken over by the John Bisset & Co company who integrated Brackla in the D.C.L. (Distillers Company Ltd.) in 1943. The DCL has been absorbed later by UDV, which was the distillery branch of Guinness.
Rebuild again in 1964, it doubled its production capacity in 1970. The distillery was closed from 1985 to 1991, but is currently operational again.
The malting floors have been used up to 1966, when a second pair of stills have been added. During this refurbishment, the oldest buildings have been destroyed.
The Diageo Company has been created by the merging of Guinness and Gran Metropolitan. UDV (United Distillers & Vintners) is part of Diageo.
In accordance with the anti-trust law, UDV was obliged to sell the distillery to its current owner, Dewars, belonging to Bacardi-Martini.
The main part of the production is used in blends like Dewars, Johnnie Walker Gold Label and Bisset's Finest Old.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

List of the bottles

Description of the distillery

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 Royal Brackla: independent bottlings
 

Royal Brackla
Provenance 6 years
Winter Distillation
Age
 6 years
Alcohol percentage
 43%
Particularity
 Non chill filtered
Bottler
 Douglas Laing
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The nose keeps an impression of old wardrobe and fruits.
The palate is first dry, then gradually develops burned grapes and fruit pudding aromas.
The finish is dry and spicy.

(la Maison du Whisky)

A good whisky does not necessary need to be old to be good. I do not really understand the comment from Maison du Whisky about "old wardrobes", but this whisky is surprising despite its 6 years. A very good bottle with lots of character. This bottle is not really essential, but the lucky people who own it must have no regret. 
17/20
At the second tasting, the nose was rather dry on a background of citrus fruits. The impression in the palate was that this is a very nice whisky, however a bit young, with flavours between malt and citrus. A short finish, but the whole is a good bottle.
17/20
Quite a discrete nose with remote acid hints of citrus fruit on a light background smell of leather and ripe fruit. In the mouth, a slight bitterness and slightly acid touches covering malt taste and insipid fruits. A clearly spicy finish.
17/20
Quite a discrete nose, giving immediately a watery impression of this whisky, The few fragrances I could catch remain a basket of malt lost in a field where grass has been cut some days ago.
The mouth is slightly fruity (pear) and develops rather quick on malted hints and reveals soon a kind of tingling which could be attributed to alcohol, even if the general watery impression remains,
The finish is not too long and the best description of it is the memory of some alcohol feeling (at least this typical tingling) without a special taste. After a wile some touches of overripe pear seem to appear.
16/20
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Royal Brackla
16 years
Scott's Selection
Age
 16 years
Alcohol percentage
 56%
Particularity
 Cask Strength
Bottler
 Scott's Choice
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This bottle is really  amazing. The nose detects a strange mix of sweetness and acidity which is confirmed by the palate. An explosion of acid hints (lemon?) and other sweeter touches (malt) make a nice mix of impressions. This bottle is so nice, that one forgets about the high alcohol degree; A very long finish with rather contrasted feelings. An excellent bottling in a remarkable collection.
18/20
The nose is marked by citrus fruits mixed with hints of ripe fruits (pear) and a touch of coconut. A slight tingling due to the high percentage of alcohol is present at the beginning but it shades quickly off. In the palate, a delicious complexity, where the taste of citrus fruits mixes with green apples and a remote background of hazelnut. The finish is long and pleasant.
18/20
The nose is very fresh, with some cut grass hints and ripe fruits. In the palate, malty notes together with fruity and citrus hints on a slightly woody background. A nice complexity to come... The mouth is very pleasant, with notes of nut on a background of fruits and malted barley. Alcohol is rather present, but does not hinder. A very nice finish, lingering and warm, pleasant with nice hints of malt and fruit.
18/20
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Royal Brackla
1976
The Cross Hill

Age
 30 years
Alcohol percentage
 61.2%
Particularity
 Cask Strength
Bottler
 Jack Wieber
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Royal Brackla 1976 jwww
A beautiful nose where citrus smells and malt hints mix harmoniously with green apple and cut grass impressions. The palate is pleasantly complex, offering first nice acid hints (citrus) and developing quickly on malt before coming stealthily back on nutty notes to continue immediately on acid notes. A real firework in the mouth. Honey hints fulfil discretely the nice mouth impressions. The finish is particularly fresh and lingering, with a nice balance between citrus fruits, malt and nuts.
19/20
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Royal Brackla
The Whisky in the Church Bottlings
1999-2008
Age
 9 years
Alcohol percentage
 57,9%
Bottler
 Jean Boyer
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Royan Brackla WitC's bottlings 1999
A very nice and very fruity nose. Pear, melon and peach, probably too ripe. Above this beautiful fruit basket, a touch of medicinal hints. Nice complexity for this very nice nose.
In the palate, an impression of fruity notes with some acidity above. A very light touch of woody bitterness.
The finish is lingering and also dominated by fruit, fruit and fruit.
18/20
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Royal Brackla samples

Royal Brackla
Gifted stills
1999-2008
Age
 9 years
Alcohol percentage
 43%
Bottler
 Jean Boyer
Fresh fruit and cut grass at the first nosing. Anyway a nice freshness, even if the nose is rather discrete.
A pleasant impression of pear spirit in the mouth, with some acid notes giving it a nice freshness. Not really complex, but no flaw neither. An excellent aperitif whisky.
The finish is in the same mood as nose and mouth. A pleasant drink.
The cask strength version (special bottling for Whisky in the Church) had clearly more personality.
17/20
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Speyside

Speyside Map

The Speyside area is situated at the North of the Cairngorm mountain and goes to the Moray firth. It is delimited by two rivers: the Findhorn at the West side and the Deveron on the East side.
The area is named after the river Spey. Most of the distilleries take their water in one of its affluents; the Fiddich, the Livet or the Avon.
About sixty distilleries from Speyside are described on this site.

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Click on the map for a list of the distilleries of the area, on the title for further information
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