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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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June 25, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos: today,
Braeval aka Braes of Glenlivet |
In our ongoing series of minor names with major potential, we continue championing those obscure, overlooked, unglamorous yet thoroughly deserving distilleries. To be fair, that description applies to quite a few of the distilleries built or expanded during the 1960s and 1970s, apart from a handful of stars such as Caol Ila or Clynelish. |
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In short, these are places where the beauty tends to be found more in the glass than in the landscape, although Braeval is in fact a charming distillery with its unusual mansard roofs. (Photograph Chivas Brothers) |
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Braeval 9 yo 2016/2026 (60.5%, Spirit of Scotland, Jas. Gordon, refill bourbon barrel, cask #205570, 239 bottles) 
Indeed, this is G&M, well spotted. It could be very MOTR, though we are not entirely certain... Colour: gold. Nose: it is MOTR. Middle of the Road. Ripe apples, barley, lemon zest and baker’s yeast. With water: fresh hay, cut flowers and pancakes. Mouth (neat): fresh, very sharp, almost acerbic, certainly very herbal and even somewhat bitter. At this strength it could strip the enamel from your teeth, so do be careful... With water: much better now, lemons and green apples begin to emerge, it still scrubs away rather energetically but this time we are happy to go along with it. Finish: long and herbal, with some curious touches of lavender. A little barley syrup brings a welcome touch of fun to the aftertaste. Comments: this little Braeval is almost Rousseauian, in the sense that it places you directly in contact with the state of nature.
SGP:451 - 82 points. |
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Braeval 16 yo 2010/2026 (62.7%, Tri Carragh, 2nd fill red wine octave, 92 bottles) 
Careful now, this surprising baby spent seven months in an ‘ex-peated red wine cask’. If you happen to know of a peated red wine cask, please do introduce me to it... Colour: pale gold. Nose: it is rather like contemporary painting, sometimes the most improbable combinations work best. I am not suggesting we are faced with a Brora 1972, but I do rather enjoy these fruity and herbal aromas pulling in slightly different directions, and especially the highly fermentary character. With water: absolutely no change. Porridge. Mouth (neat): fairly oily, very much on candied citrus fruits and chilli, alongside capers and olives. None of this seems entirely normal, which may simply be the result of a frankly elevated strength. Only one way to find out... With water: ah, now this becomes rather easier, a cleaner fruitiness emerges, although the pepper and yeasts still retain a degree of control. The capers too, above all. Finish: long and herbal, with those olive and caper notes still very much present. Comments: perhaps alongside a beef carpaccio? It is genuinely, surprisingly good. I mean this Braeval, although a carpaccio is rather to our liking as well.
SGP:461 - 83 points. |
Right, let’s see if we can find a third (and final) one that’s, say, a touch less muscular... |
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Braeval 36 yo 1989/2025 (51.6%, WhiskyLand, refill hogshead, 143 bottles) 
Ah, I had thought that when this baby was distilled the distillery was still called Braes of Glenlivet rather than Braeval. Yet another subject to discuss with Angus and his gang (the true Peaky Blinders, really) at our next gathering, so we might as well prepare ourselves... Colour: full gold. Nose: there are coastal and smoky touches here, perhaps an ex-Islay cask? In any case, this is not especially Braevalian, but we are certainly not complaining, as the notes of passion fruit and mango that come along are genuinely lovely. Beautiful camphor too, along with bandages, gauze and liver tonic. With water: are we quite sure this is not Highland Park? Because, in truth, this nose is eminently Highland-Parkian. Mouth (neat): fir liqueur, verbena, pink pepper, mango and delicate peat. With water: very handsome indeed, only a slightly assertive oakiness might cost it half a point, or less. We are splitting hairs. Finish: magnificent, although I no longer understand anything. Pepper, lemon, wax and samphire... Comments: rather magnificent indeed, although it comes across more like a blended malt, with a small coastal and peaty component folded into the mix. But that is merely my opinion... Hey, and 36 years old nonetheless...
SGP:562 - 90 points. |
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