Tasting 4 Royal Bracklas

Royal Brackla is one of only two distilleries left that still uses the "Royal". Royal Lochnagar being the other one, and neither of these are often bottled as single malts. Here we go...


Royal Brackla 10yo 1969-1979 40% Gordon & Macphail Connoisseurs Choice

Some oldies in this tasting, one with that old brown G&M CC-label. A very young/old whiskymatured for only 10 years, from a very active cask? It smells roasted nuts, almonds, sugary, syrupy, stewed apricots, other sweet boiled fruits. The taste is all on bittersweet notes, tonic water, banana and dried spices. It needs some water. More earthy now, rich, a bit sulphury, raw honey, pine wood, flinty, big old greasy whisky style. Fatty ribs and grilled mushrooms. The aftertaste is spicy with lots of dried fruit notes.

Another style than what's produced today, will this style ever return?: 7


Royal Brackla 16yo 1970-1986 40% Gordon & Macphail Connoisseurs Choice

Distilled only a year later than the previous one, but it has 6 more years in the wood. Amber color. It smells peppery and spirity, vodka and charcoal. Not bad, but very raw and primitive profile if you like. The taste is sweet and peppery, some vanilla but mostly this peppery and slightly bitter greasy feeling. Austere, tongue-prickling. I can't go high on this one, but it sure makes for an interesting whisky. Water just makes it volatile. One might wonder how it still can be so raw and unrefined after 16 years in oak.

Almost newmake-style: 3


Royal Brackla 14yo 1978-1993 43% Signatory Vintage cask#11079,11080,11081 btl.768/2400

This one has the color of very very light white wine, borderline water. It smells sweet, vanilla, bananas, leather, roasted squash and onions, garlic, very fresh and good, seems more than 43%abv. The taste is sweet, green grapes, sawdust, fish sauce, wasabi paste, extremely rich and expressive for a whisky at this age and strength. I wonder what would've happened if they bottled this at cask strength. However, its also a bit raw and spirity, and perhaps the cask hasn't done a proper job here. It lacks a bit of mellowing and this spiritiness leaves a disturbing shadow over the other nice notes.

Until the finish it was a very good whisky: 4.5


Royal Brackla 13yo 43% Master of Malt

If the last one was pale in color, I'll tell you this one is completely like water, or Vodka if you like. Let's hope that's a similarity that's only definable by looks. It smells herbal, spirity, vodka, unterberger, lots of herbs going on in this one, alongside a heavy spiritiness. I have to say, if this one is close to the new-make, which it very well could be as this one also has that young and rawish spiritiness like the SV-version, then the spirit from Royal Brackla must be quite brilliant. The taste is, oh yes, this has little or no aftertaste, a quite neutral and spirity flavor and little to no aftertaste. If this was served me blind I'd think it was some sort of Vodka. Thankfully I have some more, higher strength Royal Brackla left to try.

Almost like a new-make, a good new-make that is: 4



Next tasting: Linkwood Distillery