Royal Brackla Distillery
Cawdor Estate, Nairn
History: Built in 1812 by Captain William Fraser of Brackla House on the estate of Cawdor Castle, this stunning distillery is one of the oldest in Scotland. The colourful character of the captain combined with a fantastic single malt was a recipe for success which saw Royal Brackla soon becoming known as the “the king's own whisky”. This accolade came from the fact that the spirit produced was selected by King William IV to be his whisky for the Royal Court, which turned Brackla into the benchmark of quality. After the captain died, the distillery was passed in 1852 onto his son, who sold the property around 25 years later. Over the last 135 years the distillery has been rebuilt, closed, reopened and even used as an airfield during the Second World War. It has always been a popular single malt due to its quality and is used in blended Scotch brands, such as Dewar's and Johnnie Walker. Two years ago the distillery's owners, Bacardi, made the exciting decision to relaunch Royal Brackla Single Malt as a standalone brand.
The whisky: I fell in love with this part of the country on my first visit to Speyside several years ago. Brackla whiskies are produced using a a very long fermentation – the process of turning a sugary liquid called wort into wash, which is essentially a strong beer before being distilled. This extra-long fermentation (around 80 hours) gives Brackla a beautiful complexity and fruitiness. The new portfolio consists of three age statements: a 12-years-old, a 16-years- old and and a 21-year-old
Favourite Dram. The 16-year-old is a belter. The whisky itself has been finished in first-fill oloroso sherry casks, giving the single malt a fruity flavour of apples and pears with subtle hints of cinnamon and ginger. If you are more serious about your whiskies then try to seek out some of the independent bottlings of Brackla by companies such as Connoisseurs Choice.
Why Visit? I worked for Bacardi, who own Royal Brackla, for more than two years as a whisky ambassador for their brands. They own five distilleries in Scotland and if I'm honest, Royal Brackla is the one I have always had a soft spot for. The location is breathtaking and the history attached to the brand is truly amazing. It’s fantastic that they have resurrected this brand and also have future plans to open the distillery to the public.
Interesting fact: The founder of Royal Brackla, Captain William Fraser (1767-1846), was a forceful character who was considered arrogant and stubborn. This arrogance and drive enabled Royal Brackla distillery to flourish and become the first distillery to gain a royal warrant in 1835 and grow the brand to one of the most respected single malts of its time. Nearby Inverness was one of the few Scottish ports which was permitted at the time to ship whisky to London. In 1826 the Captain sent his first consignment of 900 gallons of Brackla to the capital, where he had entered into an exclusive agency agreement with an enterprising wine and spirit merchant, Henry Brett. Brackla was soon the best-known whisky in the capital.
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