Royal Brackla 12 Years Old 2009 Cask #307023 (Signatory)

This Royal Brackla was from the independent bottler Signatory Vintage, aged 12 year old from 2009, drawn from cask 307023 and bottled at 59.1%. A release of 229 bottles. Set in Nairnshire, by Cawdor Castle, Royal Brackla has distilled since 1812. Today the distillery sits in the John Dewar and Sons stable, owned by Bacardi.

Drawn off copper stills with horizontal shell and tube condensers, building the elegant Highland style it is loved for. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, lending honey and vanilla. By this age the orchard fruit rounds into honey and a fuller spice. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the honeyed, fruity core over time. Water for the make is drawn from the Cawdor Burn in the northern Highlands. For generations the malt was a backbone of the Dewar's blends before its single malt revival. It is one of only three distilleries permitted to carry the Royal name in Scotch.

At a full 59.1% it is intense yet elegant. Honey, apple and a soft spice sit alongside honeyed oak sweetness underneath. A baked apple and a warm spice lift it. The close is warm, honey over soft oak. This is a sherried, fruity dram from the far north.