From the Cawdor Estate (as in, “Thane of Cawdor,” if you remember Shakespeare’s MacBeth), the Royal Brackla distillery’s fame as the “King’s own whiskey” (circa 1833) brings a new entry to the Scotchology crew: the Royal Brackla 16. Finished in first-fill ex-oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 40% abv (80 proof), this 16-yr old barley malt is one of Dewar’s (Bacardi) series of releases entitled “The Last Great Malts of Scotland.”
Distillery: Royal Brackla
Region: Highland
Age: 16 years
Strength: 40%
Price: $123.99
Maturation: ex-oloroso sherry casks
Location: Nairn
Nose: Grain, apple, orange blossom honey, floral, citrus, dried cherry, mineral
Palate: Vinegar, peat, plum, peanut, white pepper, cinnamon, cardamom
Finish: Oak, sour
Comments: Wait a bit after pouring in your glass before tasting to let the few harsh elements mellow some. No water needed.
Adam – The Royal Brackla 16 is peak Highland malt for me. A strongly floral nose tinged with citrus and honey are a feast for the sense. The palate feels a bit of a shift at first, with a little peat coupled with white pepper. There’s an astringent element here that can poke through if you’re not careful, something I wish was countered by stronger fruits from the nose. There’s a little stone fruit and nuts to go with the pepper – and it is not an unpleasant or dominant pepper, thankfully – but feels like a small let down after the nose. That being said, it is incredibly smooth even where it lacks the sweetness on the palate that the Royal Brackla 12 had going for it. A bigger mouthfeel does bring out the pepper a bit more but it still does not overawe. That slightly sour woody taste as the lingering finish does make a bit said, though, especially with the strong start this scotch had going for it.
Kate – Like balloons when you first open the package on the nose. It’s a dram that hits you with sweetness and oak and pepper all at once, and at the right level. The elements are not completely harmonious. A very oily mouthfeel. This has what I dislike about typical Highland malts but I really love the flavor. It has almost a molasses quality to the sweetness. There’s something that happens between 15 and 17 years in whiskies that I don’t find myself loving. I’d love to write a dissertation about what chemically happens to have these results. It’s like their puberty years, awkward as hell before becoming interesting adults.
Bill – This is like listening to Arvo Pärt. It’s dissonant but you like it, but you’re not sure why you do. Sawdust and dry on the finish.
It’s dissonant but you like it, but you’re not sure why you do.
Henry – As a huge fan of the Royal Brackla 12 year, the Royal Brackla 16 was a bit of a disappointment. The nose is brilliant. Sweetness and hints of floral perfume on a core of mandarin orange blossom and honey. On the palate, peat smoke enters with a punch, with astringent black pepper and overbearing tannins creating discord with the dreamy beauty of the nose. A bitter woody finish lingers like campfire char.
Ben – It’s like trying to cut through something with a dull knife. That frustration between the nose and the palate. then it dries up, makes you feel like there’s a desert left. If it’s desert, then the nose is your memory of eating and drinking. It doesn’t taste like cherries but it has that sweetness to it.
