Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending my first tasting on Twitter, orchestrated by @TweetTastings, Steve Rush @TheWhiskyWire, and The Whisky Cellar @WhiskyCellar, together with a fantastic selection of people from the whisky community. The lineup consisted of five different whiskies, but this particular post is about one of them, the star of the evening for me, namely the Royal Brackla 2013. From a little bit of research, I found that cask 14 yielded 160 bottles, most of which has already sold out.
The initial note when nosing this dark, delicious whisky is jam. Strawberry jam to be precise. It is so jammy! Then delicious dark fruits, prunes, and raisins. It smells syrupy, luscious, autumnal, and cozy. I am also getting an undertone of something green, maybe eucalyptus, though without the cooling mint. Behind that, a somewhat earthy note, and also a bit a botanically brewed cola. It also feels a bit dusty, taking me right back to walking into Trinity Library in Dublin last summer. It is definitely making me long for sitting by the fire, snuggled up in a knitted sweater, sipping this with my eyes closed. I am also picking up something fresh in there, resembling the summery freshness of watermelon or even cucumber, without actually being either of those. Other than that, I find the nose quite rich and definitely meaty.
On the palate, it is definitely making me picture sitting in an old library surrounded by dusty old books, with a crackling fire in front of me. It’s meaty, it is nutty, it is just the right amount of sweet. I am also getting some sort of wood polish, tobacco, and leather notes.
The finish is long, warm, comforting, and constantly evolving. It has those tobacco notes, coffee grounds, dark chocolate, and rich oak, with a hint of sweet vermouth to finish it off. This Royal Brackla is truly singing to me, and it is exactly like a comforting embrace when all you need is someone telling you it will all be alright.
Oloroso Quarter Cask
ABV: 56.8 %
Country: Scotland
Independently bottled by The Whisky Cellar, read more about their Private Cellars Selection Single Cask Release over at Inside the Cask.
This sounds delicious! I love those darker earthy notes in whisky, and when you describe it the way you do I can feel the smell of old books from when I was a child!