Royal Brackla 11yo
Nectar Of The Daily Dram | 46% ABV
Score: 6/10
Good Stuff.
TL;DR
A story of ‘coulda’ ‘woulda’ ‘shoulda’
Unfulfilled Potential Leaves A Bitter Taste, Not Unlike This Whisky, In Fact
Honest question: why is it that one of the oldest distilleries of Scotland, which can boast ties with not only one of Scotch whisky’s most flamboyant characters, but with one of Scotch whisky’s most important trailblazers as well, is so often overlooked? Or at least has been until very recently?
Ask anyone who calls him- or herself a whisky enthusiast to name 10 personal favourites and I’m willing to bet Royal Brackla will struggle to get more than a few mentions. Founded in 1812 by captain William Fraser, an ‘interesting’ character to say the least (part-time army man, part- time charlatan, full time hustler), he manoeuvred his way into Brackla becoming the first distillery (and, as it would turn out, one of only three ever) to be granted the use of the word ‘Royal’ in its name, first under Queen Victoria and later confirmed by her successor King Edward. Furthermore, whisky pioneer Andrew Usher Sr. became an agent for Royal Brackla after moving on from his successful passage at Glenlivet in the 1830-ies and 1840-ies, and it was while working for Brackla when he launched what is believed to be officially the first ever blended malt.
Like so many other distilleries, Royal Brackla changed hands a few times, although for 5 decades during the 20th century it was under ownership of Scotch Malt Distilleries, a subsidiary of United Distillers (what is now Diageo), during which period it was refurbished, expanded, mothballed, started up again and further improved, all before finally being sold to Dewar’s (Bacardi –Martini) in 1998. Being used mainly as a workhorse for the Dewar’s blends, we only first encounter a core range from Royal Brackla as late as 2015. Coming from a blending company, the 12, 16 and 21 yo core range were all released at 40% ABV, with added colouring and likely chill filtration. And that’s a pity. Because to add insult to injury both the 16yo and 21 yo are put in the premium market – the 16yo retailing for some £90, while the 21yo was deemed worthy of at least some 150 of your finest pounds sterling. Remember, this was 7 years ago.
“Although Brackla was now the only licensed distillery between Inverness and Aberdeen, Fraser complained to a Parliamentary Commission three years later that he had ‘not sold 100 gallons for consumption within 120 miles of his residence during the past year, though people drank nothing but whisky’. Such evidence persuaded Parliament to change the law again, and the Excise Act of 1823 laid the foundations of the modern whisky industry.”
Little surprise then to see that what it excelled at most, was gathering dust on shelves across the globe. And this penny seems to have dropped in recent times with the folk at Dewar’s as well, as since 2020 their entire core range got a revamp and many enthusiasts will now happily embrace Royal Brackla for releasing a new core range consisting of a 12 yo, an 18 yo (replacing the old 16 for roughly the same price – good) and a 21 yo (north of £200 – not so good), all presented at 46% ABV, without chill filtration or a fake tan (very good!)
So, chances are that if you are keen on trying what Brackla has to offer, for years it would be indies you’d turn to rather than official releases. I only tried the official 16 yo release once – a whisky that screamed ‘missed opportunity’ with every sip, as you could tell it was full of flavour, character and potential, all sadly drowned in the poor presentation. Luckily all that has passed with the new direction Dewar’s have chosen for Brackla (*cough Aberfeldy cough*). A change for the better, as somehow it doesn’t feel right that we need to turn to indie bottlers in order to get a taste of the full potential of what a distillery has to offer. Not talking down indies here by the way, just stating that some distilleries - or rather their owners- need to up their game and move with the times.
Review
Bottle Details in Teal Blue, 46% ABV
£45-£50 still available
Those of you who may not be familiar with The Nectar Of The Daily Dram –The Nectar is a Belgian independent importer and distributor of quite a few Scotch whiskies. They started out in 2006, mainly focussing on Scotch whisky, but have since branched out to all sorts of spirits. They are the driving force behind the Belgian ‘Spirits in the Sky’ whisky festival and have been releasing (usually good to excellent) independent versions under the ‘Daily Dram’ label since 2008. You might compare them to Lady Of The Glen – putting quality up front as they tend to be quite critical when it comes to selecting casks, and usually the price tags are set accordingly. That said, this bottle set me back some £45, which is pretty decent for an 11 yo, naturally presented Highland single malt.
Nose
Roasted, well, everything: toasted bread, cooked fruits, oranges, a shipload of raisins and wood char. Underneath there’s something lighter, like sappy wood with a star anise freshness but you have to dig past something smoky – not necessarily peat, but more down to a heavy charred cask or 2 in the batch. Coffee, cherries & raspberries, going dark liquorice – again, that deep toasted and roasted element. It’s a treat to nose (which I happily did for some 40 minutes) as it’s quite complex and wonderfully integrated.
Palate
Soft bitterness at first – quite wood driven even, with that charred oak note. Toasted bread, dark toffee and treacle and a heavy roast coffee. While a lot of the nose reappears on the palate, this is far more monotone and one dimensional, unfortunately. And while some added water helps bring back some of the nuances I picked up on the nose, it all remains deep and dark going slightly bitter with drying spices on the finish. Still pleasant but it can’t live up to the nose.
The Dregs
I’ve yet to try the ‘new’ official 12 yo Brackla, and I’ll be setting this bottle aside for now as I want to hold them head 2 head and compare them. This on the nose is easily a 7/10 – on a good day even leaning towards an 8, but on the palate it’s quickly losing ground I’m afraid, hovering somewhere between a 5 and a 6/10. I would have loved to slap a big bold 7/10 on this one, but it is not to be. Even if I’m being lenient here, it cannot merit more than a 6/10. A good score, but sometimes you get the feeling that ‘good’ should have been ‘great’.
Score: 6/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. EA
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