Royal Brackla 2006 Oloroso Sherry Finish

Royal Brackla 2006 Oloroso Sherry Finish, 11 YO, 55.8 %

Royal Brackla 2006 Oloroso Sherry Finish

This is the second release from new independen bottler Selected Malts from Sweden. This is a whisky distilled at Royal Brackla Distillery.

The Royal Brackla 2006 Oloroso Sherry Finish was initially matured for 10 years in a hogshead, then it received a six month finish in two 128 litre quarter casks seasoned with Oloroso sherry. It was distilled on 2006-12-04, and bottled on 2018-03-14 with a total outturn of 397 bottles.

You can buy the Royal Brackla 2006 Oloroso Sherry Finish in Sweden at the decent price of SEK 738 (7772602).

Nose: Sweet and certainly with a distinct sherry influence on the nose. This is not a sherry bomb, as the first release from Selected Malts (the Dufftown 2008 PX Finish), but still - the finishing has made a clear impact. There's a soft alcohol bite at first, just a nibble really. Fine balance between maltiness and the dried fruits. I suspect the initial hogshead was not a particularly active cask. With added time I get vanilla, red berries and it takes on a more earthy and robust character. The nose does change several times as time passes. It is quite a complex dram.

Taste: Whoa! I just got sucker punched. This dram comes with a kick. Quite the spicy arrival there - peppers, chili, and more general "oaky spiciness". Medium to full body. Almost creamy in character. With honey glazed, dried fruits and vanilla.

Finish: Medium long finish. It gets drier and drier on the finish; and that's not just me getting thirsty and wanting another sip. A fine balance between dried fruits, vanilla, mild nuttiness and honey.

Comments: A solid dram, and fun to experience relatively young Royal Brackla. I don't see this very often.

Score (85/100)

Sláinte! - Thomas