7 October 2015 Ruben Royal Brackla

Royal Brackla 21 Year Old

Name: Royal Brackla 21 Year Old
Brand: Royal Brackla
Rating: 3.5 (2 reviews)

This is the oldest member of the revamped Royal Brackla core range: 12 Year Old, 16 Year Old and 21 Year Old.

Royal Brackla 21 yo (40%, OB 2015)

Nose: nice, subtle aromas. Candle wax and leather, with oak polish and exotic spices (ginseng, clove). Green tea. Eucalyptus and menthol. Orange and apple peels, damsons, very light grassy notes. Great old-style elegance and waxiness.

Mouth: subtle and quite waxy again, vaguely fruity (lime, bergamot). Star anise. Something of dried mango. Becomes darker, maltier and more chocolaty towards the end. Vanilla. Straw. Hints of old wood – it feels old-fashioned and older than 21yo actually.

Finish: okay length given the low strength, still quite malty but drier and earthier.

This is a very fine dram, mature yet delicate. On the other hand it feels a bit underpowered and too expensive for what it is. Around € 250.

Score: 87/100

4Comments

Add yours

1

Ricardo on 7 October 2015 at 07:34

Thankfully 40% is becoming the exception rather than the rule. Royal Brackla shot themselves in the foot with 40%. I can’t help thinking that at 46% or 48 % they might have had a real winner.
2

WhiskyNotes on 7 October 2015 at 08:32

Very true, alhough the 21yo has quite some oak-driven flavours which would become stronger too.
3

kallaskander on 7 October 2015 at 11:50

Hi there,

I remember that Bacardi said all the Last Great Malts would carry an age statement. Which is true.
I thought they promised they would all be natural colour and non chill-filtered and therefore at 46%…. but I can not find the source anymore where this was mentioned. Could have been a rumour, though I picked up somewhere.
Seems they better would have done it that way.
Even if this would have meant even higher prices – which I imagine nobody would have paid as no one I know pays for 12 or 13 year old Craigellachies Aultmores or Royal Bracklas what they ask anyway.

I had hoped Bacardi would get this Last Great Malts scheme right but they messed it up as was to be expected.

Greetings
kallaskander
4

Oliver Philp on 5 December 2016 at 17:50

@kallaskander I took delivery of this malt today, acquired at a silly price from a well known online retailer (I expect to see many on the auction sites soon!). It was 2C outside but the contents weren’t in any way cloudy so I fear your suspicions are confirmed.

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Royal Brackla 21 yo (40%, OB 2015)

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