Review #133 - Royal Brackla 12 Year
A relatively new distillery for us - established in 1812, and given a royal warrant in 1833, so by no means 'new' in the scheme of distilleries. We only tried products from this brand in the last couple of months, though, including this 12 year, as well as a couple of Signatory bottlings. Today we're looking at the distillery's entry level whisky.
Owned by Bacardi via Dewar's, this whisky has an Oloroso sherry cask finish, which presumably means it spent some earlier time in ex-bourbon barrels for initial maturation. It's presented at a solid 46% ABV, and we don't have any added color or chill filtration, which is an added bonus.
We don't generally place much stock in the appearance of a bottle and its label, but we do like the look of this one a lot. It's a tall bottle, which can be problematic for storage purposes, but this has a premium feel to it, and the label is quite understated, classic, and classy. The natural color of the whisky is a lovely darker tone, implying some potential first-fill sherry maturation; if appearance is anything to go by, we might be in for something nice. We'll let the liquid do the talking, though.
Royal Brackla 12 Year
Scotland/Highlands - Single Malt
Price Paid: USD 63 (2023)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 63 (2023)
Age Statement: 12 Years
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask Makeup: Oloroso cask finish
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 1 month; bottles at 100%, 90%, and 80% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: A bit of ginger, then lots of fruits: stewed fruit like plum, tart fruit like cranberries, and plenty of citrus like orange and lemon. There is more sweetness from brown sugar and cardamom, along with a freshness from some spirit influence and malt. This is clean and bright, and with more air time, the oak slowly comes to the front.
Palate: A medium mouthfeel, maybe a little more; peppery and a bit more spicy than your average unpeated sherried single malt. It's white pepper and cinnamon, wood spice, some cardamom and clove. There are still fruits like orange and cranberry, maybe a hint of light fruit like apricot on the back end; it's balanced between sweet and sour, with brown sugar balanced by oak. Later, hints of metallic character, like copper, and it's slightly estery.
Finish: Medium length, with soft, oily oak and some sweeter fruits of orange and raspberry. Black pepper and drying oak come and go, and there's an aftertaste of bell peppers.
Final Note: Enjoying this one - the spicier, more peppery kick on the palate is a nice added dimension when compared to some other entry level, unpeated, sherried whiskies. There's a nice selection of fruits on the nose and palate if you give it some time to air out, as well; still, it's not the most complex whisky, and the standard bottling strength doesn't allow it to convey more at its relatively young age. Price seems about par for the course when we come to Speyside and Highland 12 year whiskies - for that reason, this gets a roughly average value rating.
Our Average Rating: 6.3 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.37
