Top indie Brackla


December 26, 2024

WF’s Little Duos, today top indie Brackla

I know, we tasted Brackla not long ago, but many indies are clean and not too smothered by some improbable wine, like the, er, well, you know which ones I mean. When you apply finishings across your entire range, it’s still extremely worrying, in my opinion. Anyway, moving on since, indeed, there are excellent young Brackla among the Indies at the moment.

Royal Brackla 9 yo 2014/2023 (48%, The Single Malts of Scotland, Reserve Casks, Parcel No.12)

Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: little to no cask influence, an abundance of citrus fruits, freshly picked apples and pears, hints of liquorice and gentian, then raw cake batter, IPA-style beer, and honeysuckle reminiscent of a Sauvignon Blanc… Yes, it’s almost a Sauvignon Blanc. Impeccable nose, fresh, honest, and straightforward. Mouth: another dangerously drinkable malt that ought to carry a warning label. A superb medley of peppermint, lime, banana cake, and a splash of Jamaican rum (actually just a few drops). The first person to say ‘mojito’ will be reported to the Drinks Police. Finish: long, very fruity yet highly refreshing, with that persistent mojito vibe (hoist with my own petard) before bergamots step in to restore order. Unstoppable. Comments: perfectly chiselled, a very serious contender for December’s Bang-For-Your-Buck bottle.
SGP:651 - 88 points.

Royal Brackla 2007/2024 (51.7%, Cask Six & Liquid Art, 161 bottles)

At least we can be fairly certain the label—perhaps slightly unsettling—was designed neither with the help of ChatGPT nor Elon Musk’s Grok. One can imagine the brief to the designer: ‘1. down a bottle, 2. do a label’. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: I adore these notes of… well… let’s say olive oil and flat-leaf parsley financier, followed by fully ripe orchard fruits. With water: all the building blocks of whisky emerge—malted barley flour, yeasts, even water itself. And plenty of apples. Mouth (neat): yet another palate that proves it’s a sin to mask such a lovely distillate, even if this one is less emphatically fruity than the 2014. Hints of cherry stems, touches of blackcurrant, and a suggestion of tomato leaves. I suspect water will bring order to these molecules. With water: absolutely, water is essential, revealing a delightful combination of liquorice wood, pears, apples, and white peaches. The tomato leaves? Gone, gone, gone, honey. Finish: medium length, with a return of the grist. Comments: the 2014 was immediate, while this one demands more effort on your part.
SGP:561 - 87 points.

One more, this just in…

Royal Brackla 2015/2024 ‘BeeSquadUA’ (46%, WhiskyUA Kyiv, 1st fill sherry, cask #304266, 358 bottles)

This very bottling promotes the use and funding of drones for the Ukrainian Army. Drones are inexpensive, can combat weapons worth millions of dollars, and often replace human soldiers, thus saving countless lives in a conflict as terrifying as the one ongoing in Ukraine for nearly three years. Colour: deep gold. Nose: a beautiful malt–sherry fusion, extremely well-balanced, without the slightest sense of layering or artificiality. Notes of squash, carrots, fresh walnuts, celery, apples, tangerines, beeswax, and marzipan… It’s really very pretty. Mouth: the sherry’s nutty character takes over now, along with tea, herbal infusions, chocolate, and coffee, a touch of mustard, leafy tones, a hint of seawater, even dried seaweed, perhaps a splash of Worcester sauce, and a bit of sesame paste… Finish: fairly long, with no marked changes. An extremely fine dry sherry style. Comments: Peace!
SGP:451 - 88 points.

To purchase a bottle or a pallet of this very fine Brackla and thus help towards achieving a just peace in Ukraine—rather than contributing to the funding of a new jet or Lamborghini SUV (well, perhaps more likely a Range Rover in the current climate) for the CEO of some multinational drinks konzern visit the WhiskyUA website. They have already raised over €110K.

Check the index of all Brackla we've tasted so far