Royal Brackla sits on the Cawdor estate in Nairnshire, closer to the Moray Firth than to the Spey, and is officially classified as a Highland distillery despite its Speyside neighbours. Founded in 1812 by Captain William Fraser, it earned its place in history in 1835 when William IV granted it the first Royal Warrant ever bestowed on a whisky — a distinction Fraser promptly stamped on every bottle and advertisement he could find.
For most of the twentieth century the distillery was a blender's malt, feeding Bisset's, Dewar's and ultimately Bacardi's Dewar's White Label. It was only with the 2015 Last Great Malts relaunch that Royal Brackla stepped forward as a single malt brand in its own right, with a core range built around triple-cask maturation: first-fill bourbon, then Oloroso, then Palo Cortado.
The 18 Year Old takes that approach and lets the sherry do the talking. Matured in ex-bourbon and finished in both Oloroso and Palo Cortado butts, it delivers the kind of dried-fruit density one associates with older sherried Highlanders, but with Brackla's characteristic light orchard fruit still audible underneath. Bottled at 46% and unchillfiltered, it has weight without losing definition.
It is an unflashy whisky that rewards patient drinking. Where younger Bracklas can feel slight, the 18 has the maturity to carry its sherry cask finish without becoming syrupy. For those who know the name only from the back of a Dewar's bottle, it is a fine introduction to the distillery Captain Fraser worked so hard to get noticed.
