Royal Brackla 12 Years Old 2011 Cask #9338539 (Duncan Taylor)

From Duncan Taylor comes this Royal Brackla, a 12 year old release from 2011, drawn from cask 9338539 and bottled at 53.2%. A release of 92 bottles. Royal Brackla was built in 1812 by Captain William Fraser on the Cawdor Estate of Macbeth fame, and it was crowned the first Royal distillery by William IV in 1833. The house style leans on sherry wood, fruity and elegant.

It was distilled twice on soft Cawdor Burn water, for a clean, floral spirit with a gentle spice. A sherry cask shaped it, true to the Royal Brackla house style. Past a decade the fruit deepens into honey, dried fruit and a warm spice. Long ageing builds a honeyed weight over the fragrant Highland spirit. A long, cool maturation rounds the fruit into honey and dried fruit. Brackla earned the prefix Royal long before most distilleries had a brand at all.

At a full 53.2% it is intense yet elegant. The Oloroso brings dried fruit, fig and a nutty depth, and a gentle vanilla and coconut from the wood runs under citrus and a floral lift. It is refined and deep, the fruit and oak well matched. A long, honeyed finish carries a fruity lift. This is an elegant Highland malt of real depth.