Royal Brackla 1976 Review

Country: Scotland 

Regio: Northern Highlands/Speyside

Brand: Royal Brackla 1976 (Silver Seal)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 36 Years

ABV: 51.9 %

Date: 01/11/2013

Colour: Light Amber/Copper

Nose: Very Elegant Sherry. I'm sure this Royal Brackla matured in a good quality Ex-Oloroso Cask. The Sherry is accompanied by a light and pleasant Smoke/Peat/Earth combo, Malt, Nuts and Dried Fruits, Dark Chocolate, light Oak and Vanilla, light Spices, Floral tones (Heather), Citrus Peel, ripe Melon and hints of Cheese, Raw Meat and Leather. Very nicely balanced and surprisingly lively for its age. No Sulphur here! The Alcohol is completely integrated. The Nose is not really complex but elegant and discrete with a wonderful combination of Sherry and Peat.

Palate: Was I expecting too much? It's still a very nice Single Malt but the real magic of the Nose has gone. On the Palate I find light Smoke and Peat, light Sherry, Vanilla, Honey, light Licorice, Menthol, Citrus, Pepper, hints of Melon and Pineapple and a sprinkle of Salt. 

Finish: Middle Long and Dry with Smoke/Peat, slightly Bitter Orange Marmalade, Pepper, Honey, Menthol, Dried Fruits and Nuts. After a while light Ashes and Raw Meat appear.

I added a bit of Water and the Nose gets more Fruit, Malt and Peat. On the Palate Licorice and Pepper move to the front. You can certainly experiment with some added Water but my advise is to sip this Royal Brackla neat.

Rating: 88

Nose: 23 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 22

General Remarks: This Single Barrel Royal Brackla is the oldest and most expensive Single Malt I've tasted so far. It was distilled in 1976 and bottled in 2012 at Cask Strength by Silver Seal Whisky Company/Whisky Antique SRL , an Independent Bottler based in Formigine (MO), Italy and founded in 1979. Natural Colour and Non Chill-Filtered. It won't be very easy to find and costs around 500 US Dollars.

The Royal Brackla Distillery was built in 1812 by Wiliam Fraser. In 1833 Brackla became the first Distillery that was granted a Royal Warrant by order of King William IV. The other still existing Distillery is of course Royal Lochnagar. Royal Brackla changed hands various times and was closed during World War II and between 1964/1966 and 1985/1991. Nowadays it is owned by John Dewar & Sons Ltd, part of the Bacardi Group.

Drinking Experience Neat: Very Good

Conclusion: What a pity I only had a 2 cl sample of this Royal Brackla. Because that's probably too little to fully and fairly judge this well-crafted Single Malt. For Nosing it's okay of course and I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect. It's not a complex Nose and the individual components are quickly determined. But what a pleasure to enjoy the balance of these Aromas without the interference of Alcohol or Sulphur. Sherry and Peat form a discrete but exciting marriage. On the Palate and in the Finish it's still a very nice Single Malt but here I miss both the excitement and the balance that I enjoyed so much on the Nose. There's no way I would normally spend 500 US Dollars or more on one bottle of Whisky. But if Palate and Finish would have been as great as the Nose, I might have started to save really hard!    

Jan van den Ende                                                           November 2013