Royal Brackla 17 Years Old 1999 (Connoisseurs Choice)

This Royal Brackla was from the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, a 17 year old release from 1999 and bottled at 46%. Opened in 1812 in Nairnshire, by Cawdor Castle, Royal Brackla is the King's Own Whisky. 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. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, gentle American oak beneath the fruit. Beyond seventeen years the malt grows deep and rounded, dried fruit and oak spice over honey. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the honeyed, fruity core over time. The King's Own Whisky has carried its royal connection for nearly two centuries. Unpeated and fruit led, the spirit takes sherry and wine casks gracefully. The Cawdor Estate has grown barley and made spirit for two centuries. A long, cool maturation rounds the fruit into honey and dried fruit.

Reduced to 46%, it is mellow. Honey, apple and a soft spice sit alongside honeyed oak sweetness underneath. A baked apple and a warm spice lift it. It finishes clean, elegant and fruity. This is a sherried, fruity dram from the far north.