Earlier this summer, the Scotch Whisky Masters revealed its 2024 results of the best liquids the category has to offer. It’s an annual blind tasting competition, which includes an expert panel comprised of some of the most trusted palates in the UK. Those judges had plenty to mull over and offered up quite a lengthy list of merit-worthy offerings. In fact, a whopping 30 expressions in total attained the highest honor of “Master,” across all sub-styles of the spirit: blended, blended malt, blended grain, single grain, single malt.
Today we’re going to focus on that last sub-style. Just because it’s the high value whisky that connoisseurs love. And we’re actually going to do a deep dive on one single malt producer in particular, that could be considered the biggest winner of them all: Royal Brackla.
The 212-year-old distillery hauled home two separate Master medals for highland single malts, aged between 19 and 30 years: a 21-year-old whisky, finished in a combination of Oloroso, Palo Cortado and Pedro Ximénez barrels; and a 25-year-old that finishes exclusively in PX.
The former is a 92-proof belter that hums with a choir of cinnamon, cocoa, and maple syrup. Dare we say, a real breakfast dram? The latter is bottled at the same ABV but goes way deeper on the rich and robust dark fruit. Think dried figs, raisins and leather. Both releases are exceptionally satin-like in mouthfeel, coating the mouth and retreating from the palate in mercifully slow fashion.
Although it’s exported in relatively limited quantity, you should have no problems finding Royal Brackla on US shelves at or around $600 a bottle. Its older sibling, however, is much harder to find here. It’s the most recent addition to the distillery’s core lineup and for now is primarily positioned for British markets, where it retails for £1,025.
Other big winners from the 2024 Scotch Whisky Masters include The GlenAllachie, which hauled home a Master for its peat-smoked Meikle Toir Sherry expression; Kilchoman, which dominated the non-age-statement Islay category; and Royal Brackla’s parent organization, John Dewar & Sons. In addition to the accolades acquired by Royal Brackla, the Bacardi-owned scotch company took home Masters for Aultmore’s Oloroso Sherry Cask 12 Years Old and for a 13 Year Old expression from Speyside maltmaker, Craigellachie.
American consumers, for their part, shouldn’t be too surprised by such a breadth of masterful entries—especially in the single malt categories. According to the latest numbers from the Distilled Spirits Council, the US scotch whisky market is as robust as ever. In 2023 growing demand fueled a 140% increase in super premium single malt sales.
The only thing shocking thing for us is that Royal Brackla isn’t more of a household name amongst American-based scotch drinkers. The distillery’s signature style is rich and fruity due, in part, to its lengthy fermentation times. Those elements are often elongated through the generous use of sherry cooperage. Ultimately, it’s precisely the sort of flavor profile that so many aficionados adore. If you’ve been sleeping on Royal Brackla, let these results serve as a wakeup call.
View of ground floor of bonded warehouse, containing 6,000 casks of whisky, Royal Brackla … [+]