Royal Brackla 11 Years Old 2007 Rare Casks (A & G Selection)

Bottled by A & G Selection, this Royal Brackla, an 11 year old Highland malt from 2007 and bottled at 55.4%. The outturn was 309 bottles. Royal Brackla was opened in 1812 near Nairn, on the Cawdor Estate; it was crowned the first Royal distillery by William IV in 1833. Water for the make is drawn from the Cawdor Burn.

The spirit was run through lamp glass spirit stills for a clean, fruity spirit, to build a fragrant, orchard fruit character. Ex-Bourbon casks held the spirit, soft oak that lets the fruit lead. Still young, the malt is clean and fruity with a soft spice. The clean, fruity new make takes wood gracefully across long maturation. Tall copper stills and a long fermentation give an elegant, fragrant spirit. The distillery lies near Nairn, at the edge of the Highlands above Inverness. Owned today by John Dewar and Sons, part of Bacardi, it remains a quiet Highland name.

Undiluted at 55.4%, it is layered. Green apple and a fragrant lift sit alongside soft vanilla and honey from the cask. It is clean and elegant, the fragrant spirit shining through. Orchard fruit and honey draw out the close. This is a Highland malt with a royal past.