Royal Brackla 19 Years Old 1972 (Connoisseurs Choice)

This Royal Brackla was from the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, aged 19 year old from 1972 and bottled at 40%. Royal Brackla was opened in 1812 near Nairn, on the Cawdor Estate; William IV's 1833 warrant made it the King's Own Whisky. Today the distillery sits in the John Dewar and Sons stable, owned by Bacardi.

The spirit was run through lamp glass spirit stills for a clean, fruity spirit, to build a fragrant, orchard fruit character. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light honeyed sweetness. Beyond seventeen years the malt grows deep and rounded, dried fruit and oak spice over honey. The clean, fruity new make takes wood gracefully across long maturation. Owned today by John Dewar and Sons, part of Bacardi, it remains a quiet Highland name. Fraser shipped his spirit south to England to outpace the local smugglers of his day. The King's Own Whisky has carried its royal connection for nearly two centuries.

Reduced to 40%, it is mellow. Honey, apple and a soft spice sit alongside soft vanilla and honey from the cask. A baked apple and a warm spice lift it. Orchard fruit and honey draw out the close. This is a sherried, fruity dram from the far north.