Cadenhead's Royal Brackla 16yo

The Maker

Cadenhead’s is a name known by most whisky nerds. Founded in 1842 it is the oldest independent bottler in Scotland, and as such might well be the oldest independent whisky bottler in the world. It began life in Aberdeen under a different name and the ownership of George Duncan, as it was not until the 1850s that William Cadenhead (Duncan’s brother-in-law) entered the business. Once Duncan died the name was changed and from there the business grew in success. The company passed through several generations until it fell under the management of Ann Oliver. By all accounts Oliver lacked the required knowledge and experience of the whisky industry and ended up running up a lot of stock and debt, alongside dwindling sales. The solution was to auction the largely unknown and undervalued stock at Christie’s in 1972. This saw the debts cleared and a hefty profit returned.

It seems that Oliver chose this to be a good time to retire and promptly sold Cadenhead’s to J. & A, Mitchell and Co, the now renowned owners of Campbeltown’s Springbank and Glengyle [Kilkerran] distilleries. The Mitchell’s relocated Cadenhead’s to Campbeltown and have maintained its operations and reputation ever since. Now, alongside the Campbeltown shop, they also hold premises on Canongate in Edinburgh, and near Oxford Street in central London. All of which are well worth a visit if you are ever in the area.

As with most independent bottlers there is not a whole lot to say that makes them different from one another. They all seek to produce the highest quality spirits from long nurtured distillery relationships that translate into well known and liked product lines that are harder to get hold of the further from Scotland you live. Cadenhead’s is not much different in that regard, but the physical shops and relationship with the ever coveted Springbank stable have perhaps pushed them a little above their rivals in recent years. Certainly they have earnt their reputation as one of the most dependable when it comes to quality.

The Expression

This bottle is from Cadenhead's Whisky Shop exclusives range. While the label refers to the Campbeltown shop I got this from the store in London. According to the staff there this range is the product of shop staff being able to choose between a number of casks in terms of which they like best. It is then bottled up at cask strength and made available to their three stores. Given this such bottles tend to be comparatively rare, with apparently just 300 bottles produced.

This bottle is from Royal Brackla distillery in the Highlands. I would classify Royal Brackla as an underrated gem given that it produces a rather distinct whisky in terms of sourness, but with a savoury undertone that untimely becomes a sweetness on the finish. It is an odd thing to describe in such terms, but can be rather distinctive and complex when tasted alongside other Highland malts.

Established in 1812, the 'royal' was added to Brackla in 1833 when it became the first distillery to obtain a royal warrant from the then King William IV. For a period after it became known as the 'King's Own' whisky, but considering he died four years latter that perhaps is not the mark of quality they intended.

Over the past two centuries Royal Brackla has passed between several owners and has closed many times due to lack of sales and even to become an airfield during the second world war. Throughout much of that time it has primarily been used for blends, with Diageo briefly also including it in their much heralded Flora and Fauna series.

In 1998 the ownership passed to Bacardi who have looked after it ever since. 2019 saw the relaunch of the brand's core range which includes an 18yo edition finished in Palo Cortado sherry casks. That seems especially relevant to this Cadenhead's release which is itself finished for four years in palo cortado after 12 years in ex-bourbon hogsheads. That makes 16 years maturation in total and a cask strength of 53.7% compared to the core range's 46%. As is always the case with Cadenhead's this is non-coloured and has not been chill-filtered. It cost me £75 ($101UD) when Royal Brackla want a remarkable £151 ($202UD) for their weaker 18yo version. Perhaps that gives a good sense of the added value available from independent bottlers like Cadenhead's.

The Neck Pour

Light cereal notes on the nose. This is followed by barley sugar and a sharp sweetness of Sherry. These notes are followed by vanilla, a thick cream, and a hint or leather and almond.

On the palate there is a slight sourness to it. Almost a light fizz loaded with citrus. This is followed by wine gums and more barley sugar. At the moment I am not getting the sweeter sherry notes of palo cortado which normally sits in the middle of the sherry sweetness range. Instead it is very dry, and closer to a manzanilla. On the finish there is a good dose of vanilla char. This is a positive start. There is a lot going on here and I get the sense that it is going to give a lot more with the benefit of time.

The Body

Four months on from opening there is an additional note of liquorish on the nose. The dry sherry still dominates, but with spices like nutmeg coming in to support the citrus and creamy vanilla. There is also now a nutty bitterness as the almond becomes more toasted with the char. As a result the nose has gone from good to very good!

The palate is still sour, a bit like a cooking apple. This seems to be a signature distillery characteristic that could very easily divide the room, but I rather like it. This element aligns easily with the citrus notes to make a rather sharp and light whisky that is a bit different to others on the market. The rest of the palate is much the same, but I am sensing a shift towards the sweeter end with hints of salted caramel starting to show through.

Final Thoughts

It has taken me about nine months to finish this bottle and I have been enjoying it more and more as it has gone on. As expected it has become a bit sweeter with time and moving into the range I normally associate with palo cortado. There is something about palo cortado which really works for me as I am yet to encounter a whisky matured in such as cask that I did not like. But I can also appreciate how it might alienate many drinkers. It seems to be a case of knowing what you like before buying.

As a result of all this I am really sad to see this bottle end. It has left me wanting more from Royal Brackla given that it remains somewhat overlooked by the mainstream. Based on the prices of the core range I suspect that is going to be firmly in the realms of the independent bottlers for the foreseeable.