Review #623 - Single Cask Nation Royal Brackla 9 Year Single Cask
Royal Brackla, a Bacardi/Dewar's distillery, has its own core range of single malts, but it primarily produces whisky for the Dewar's blends. The distillery also sells some casks to independent bottlers - here's one from Single Cask Nation, a US-based bottler that primarily works within the Scotch realm.
This single cask was matured for a total of 9 years; in an unusual move, the bottle actually lists a second fill ex-bourbon hogshead as the 'finishing cask' on the label, which begs the question - what was the first cask? Was it another ex-bourbon barrel of less provenance, or did this actually start in a first-fill barrel, and it needed to be moved to a second fill version to avoid too much oak impact? We aren't sure, but the tasting notes may give us a clue.
Single Cask Nation Royal Brackla 9 Year Single Cask
Scotland/Highland - Single Malt
Price: USD 94 (2025)
Age Statement: 9 Years
Strength: 59.2% ABV
Cask Makeup: Second fill ex-bourbon hogshead finish
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; cask 193123, distilled July 2014, bottled July 2024; 263 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 70% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Crisp and malty - accents of hay, light fruit like pear and apple. It leans just a bit sweet, and there are some sugary notes, almost like vanilla icing on cake.
Palate: The mouthfeel is thick - it's quite warm and spirity, with a strong malty backbone. Oats, honey, and golden apple are met by pear and some wood spice; it's still distillate-forward, without too much oak influence.
Finish: Cinnamon and honey, soft oak, but plenty of spirity notes - this is leaning toward spirit instead of cask. Wood sugars, a hint of a tannin and some youth linger; it's a medium-long finish with the heat.
Final Note: This bottling definitely focuses more on the distillate as opposed to the casks - quite warm and spirity, with plenty of malty flavor still intact. There is some soft oak influence and wood spice, especially cinnamon, and we do get some subtle light fruits. While this wasn't our favorite Royal Brackla, it was interesting to see another side of the distillery, as most of the Brackla bottles we've tried in the past have been heavily influenced by sherry.
Value-wise, this bottle is okay; Single Cask Nation bottles can sometimes be a bit expensive in our area when compared to their age statements, but we do also get a natural, cask strength whisky with real character, which helps the value proposition.
Our Average Rating: 6.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.72
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Royal Brackla reviews:
Review #353 - Signatory Vintage Royal Brackla 11 Year Single Cask
Review #133 - Royal Brackla 12 Year
Check out our other Single Cask Nation reviews:
Review #546 - Single Cask Nation Ben Nevis 11 Year Single Cask
Review #544 - Single Cask Nation Glen Moray 13 Year Single Cask
