Royal Brackla 15 Years Old 2008 Cask #304720 (BB&R)

Berry Bros & Rudd selected this Royal Brackla, a 15 year old Highland malt from 2008, drawn from cask 304720 and bottled at 52.6%. Just 298 bottles were filled. Royal Brackla was opened in 1812 on the Earl of Cawdor's estate near Nairn; the King's Own Whisky earned its royal warrant in 1833. Cawdor Castle, said to inspire Shakespeare's Macbeth, stands on the same estate.

The spirit was made in copper pot stills after a long fermentation, for a fruity, honeyed make of real finesse. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light honeyed sweetness. By this age the orchard fruit rounds into honey and a fuller spice. Patient maturation turns the orchard fruit towards honey and dried fruit. Royal Brackla was the first Scotch whisky ever to be granted a royal warrant. The distillery sits on the Cawdor Estate, whose castle is tied to the legend of Macbeth. Captain William Fraser, an army man returned from India, built the distillery in 1812.

At its natural 52.6% it is concentrated. Vanilla and a light cream from the barrel, with pear, honey and a warm spice. The texture is smooth and rounded, the fruit lifted by honey. Dried fruit and oak spice see out a long finish. This is Royal Brackla's refined Highland style.