Royal Brackla 27 Years Old 1976 (Connoisseurs Choice)

Gordon & MacPhail selected this Royal Brackla, a 27 year old release from 1976 and bottled at 46%. Founded in 1812 on the Earl of Cawdor's estate near Nairn, Royal Brackla is the King's Own Whisky. 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. Maturation in a sherry cask laid dried fruit over the elegant malt. Past seventeen years the spirit turns honeyed and full while keeping its elegance. Patient maturation turns the orchard fruit towards honey and dried fruit. The royal warrant set Brackla apart in the early days of legal whisky. Few Highland malts wear their history as openly as this one. The spirit was long destined for blends before its single malt revival. Royal Brackla was the first Scotch whisky ever to be granted a royal warrant.

At 46% it is supple and fruity. The Oloroso brings dried fruit, fig and a nutty depth, and 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. The finish runs honeyed, spiced and soft. This is Royal Brackla's refined Highland style.