Whisky Focus - The Royal Brackla 35 Year Old Travel Retail Exclusive

The John Dewar & Sons (Bacardi) owned Royal Brackla distillery although having celebrated its 200th anniversary year in 2012-2013 is still a single malt distillery from which whisky drinkers see very little in the way of original distillery bottlings as almost the entire output from the distillery is used in the owners blends, particularly Dewars.

Although the 200th anniversary year has now passed an anniversary bottle was was scheduled to be released this year and this Royal Brackla 35 year old is it. The travel retail exclusive Royal Brackla 35 year old Highland single malt is a limited edition of just 100 70cl bottles which is now available from the DFS store at Singapore Changi Airport, the first to get allocation of the rare whisky.

This is certainly amongst some of the more remarkable whisky launches in Travel Retail, targeted at high end whisky connoisseur’s who desire to discover and covet a rare single malt. Retailing at US$15,000, leading luxury travel retailer DFS leads the world with an exclusive allocation of the first retail bottles from this unique collection – stunningly presented to reflect its remarkable history and royal connections.

The Royal Brackla Distillery was founded in 1812 by Cpt. William Fraser Cawdor, Nairn Northern Highlands of Scotland. The distillery is now celebrating two centuries of whisky making with this rare 35 year old limited edition which was hand-selected by the current Master Blender, Stephanie McLeod. An exceptional commemorative piece to mark the 200th anniversary of the founding of The Royal Brackla distillery.

Bottled at 49% ABV and un-chillfiltered, Royal Brackla tell me that the rich, complex and luxuriously smooth signature character of the whisky is complemented by the delicate oak tones imbued by the finishing in sherry casks. The finishing in sherry casks produces the delightful sherry notes so much appreciated by King William IV, shown from historic records to have been a keen sherry drinker and connoisseur.

Through this royal appreciation, The Royal Brackla enjoys the unique historical distinction of being the first Scotch whisky ever granted a royal warrant, bestowed by King William IV in 1833. The king’s personal appreciation of the liquid inspired Royal Brackla whisky to be known as ‘the King’s Own Whisky’ and ‘the Drink Divine’.

To celebrate this honour, the bottle design takes inspiration from the symbols of royalty: the crown holding the bottle; the orb represented by the sphere of the bottle; and the sceptre, symbolized by the crystal stopper.

Both the bottle and the luxurious presentation box each carry The Royal Brackla master crest, inspired by King William IV’s monogram. Through his distinguished naval career, King William IV was known as ‘the Sailor King’ and this theme is reflected in the design of The Royal Brackla. The crest and filigree pattern on the crown are inspired by the emblem and detailing of the swords awarded to the king’s officers. This is carried trough to the braided pillars of the burgundy presentation box, created in the style of a sword grip.

Lastly, each bottle is etched with the commemorative dates ‘1812-2012’ and individually numbered in the limited edition of 100.

The Royal Brackla is available now at DFS stores at Singapore Changi Airport.
 

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