Royal Brackla – 2011/2025 13 Year Old Tawny Port Finish (70cl, 56.9%)

A 13-year-old Royal Brackla single malt, distilled in 2011 and bottled in 2025, in a 70cl bottle at 56.9% ABV. The distillery stands close to the Culloden battlefield and Cawdor Castle in the Highlands. The whisky was matured in a refill barrel, then finished for over two years in a first-fill ex-tawny port cask, which added walnut, dried cherry and chocolate nut notes to a fruity, honeyed and spicy distillate. The nose opens with toffee fudge and rum and raisin fudge, moving to red-wine reduction, caramelised nuts and a dusty bookshelf note. The palate brings milk chocolate, glazed cherries and gingery oak, and the long finish has oak tannins, white pepper and chocolate praline.