Royal Brackla Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Upping the value in the Sherry-matured stakes. "Excellent" - whiskyfun.com

As part of its program to make single malts available from all five of its distilleries, Bacardi subsidiary, John Dewar & Sons has been releasing a bunch of Brackla age statements since 2015. With a house style that's pedestrian and fruity, this edition offers something unexpected in the form of an Oloroso sherry cask finish. Even more importantly, it's bottled at 46% without chill filtration (the regular stuff weighs in at 40%). Here's just one of many positive customer comments about this whisky online: "... it blows away anything I've tasted from Macallan and at higher cost...probably shouldn't say all this as it might go up in price..."

Give Brackla twenty minutes to breathe and you'll definitely find similarities to Macallan Sherry Oak 12, or even Glengoyne 18YO, but it delivers more concentration and mouthfeel due to a higher abv and zero-filtration. The flavour focus falls firmly on fruity-nutty Oloroso, so less American oak intrudes to dumb-down the experience. Allspice and cocoa are capped off by tantalising suggestions of dry Guyanese rum, while the overall balance is near perfect. A hidden gem from an obscure distillery beckons...

Double Gold - Single Malt Scotch - to 12 Yrs - 2022, San Francisco World Spirits Competition

Gold - Distillers' Single Malts 12 years and under - 2022, International Spirits Challenge

Other reviews... Nutty on the nose, with peanut brittle, then buttered pecan and vanilla-almond ice creams. There are nice fruity notes as well, like baked red apples and Bosc pears, plus cinnamon, fresh challah, orange peel, and dried leaves. Creamy and smooth on the palate, with melted milk chocolate, tiramisu, crème brûlée, and light pepper spice. Espresso and cream highlight a lengthy and excellent finish. 91 points - whiskyadvocate.com

...Apparently and unless I'm wrong once more, this is the new-new label, even more retro than before. This baby was finished in oloroso wood while the presentation tube would make it clear that it should display 'spice, cherries and demerara'. I believe the mistake they did with the previous rendition (round blue label) was to bottle it at 40% vol. Colour: amber. Nose: and voilà, butterscotch, praline, roasted chestnuts, chocolate (creamy Lindt's), nougat and cappuccino. No one can be against this, even if this smart treatment may have erased a part of the Distillery character. I do find gooseberries in the background, having said that. Mouth: I could copy-and-paste what I have jotted down about the nose. Milk chocolate, roasted nuts, marmalade, toffee… St. Oloroso, pray for us. Finish: rather long, very good. Coffee drops and, there, since I'm in a good mood, Demerara sugar. Seriously, Demerara sugar. Comments: amen. Excellent. 86 points - whiskyfun.com