Aberfeldy
The home of Dewar's World of Whisky.
Royal Brackla
Distillery & brand
High-toned, almost nervously so as new make, Royal Brackla has shed the smoke which was a signature of the dram in Capt Fraser’s day.
Royal Brackla distillery
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The distillery set-up is all about creating and then capturing esters – the fermentation is long, the lyne arms of the stills are angled upwards, the copper conversation a long one, the reflux plentiful.
As well as having this fresh, perfumed fruitiness Brackla also possesses a clean acidity, and it is this which allows it to cut though the powerful flavours given during ageing in ex-Sherry casks, the maturation style chosen by Dewar’s for its single malt releases.
Royal Brackla History
Whisky making has taken place on this site since 1817, when the irascible Captain William Fraser took out a licence for his Brackla distillery – mainly it would seem to put a stop to the rascally moonshiners who were making a fine living in the surrounding lands.
Capt Fraser may have been a deeply unpopular man, but his whisky was well-received. In 1835, it was the first Scotch to be granted a Royal Warrant and the rights to call itself Royal Brackla. This seal of approval from King William IV led to Brackla being known as ‘The King’s Own Whisky’.
The Capt Fraser connection lasted until 1879 and, like so many other 19th-century distilleries, it became closely associated with blending. Andrew Usher, who is recognised as having made the first commercialised blend, was agent for Royal Brackla and became a director in 1887.
It passed into the hands of Mitchell & Leict of Aberdeen, who sold it in 1926 to fellow Aberdonians John Bisset & Co (a subsidiary of Booth’s the gin distiller) and, when that firm was purchased in 1943, it became part of DCL.
The industry giant increased production in 1964, but was forced to close it down between 1985 and 1991 due to an industry surplus. Four years later, it was one of the distilleries sold to Bacardi-Martini when the then newly-created Diageo had to offload Dewar’s and attendant distilleries.
Royal Brackla remained a quiet producer of malt for blending until 2014, when Dewar’s announced that a five-strong range of single malts would be launched in 2015, part of a company-wide programme dubbed The Last Great Malts.
In October 2019, Dewar’s unveiled plans for a revamped Royal Brackla range, comprising 12-, 18- and 21-year-old expressions, bottled at a higher strength of 46% abv and without caramel colouring. The new range was due to be rolled out from spring 2020.
Timeline
- 1817 Brackla distillery is founded by Captain William Fraser
- 1835 The distillery receives a Royal Warrant and prefixes the word 'Royal' to its name
- 1852 Robert Fraser & Co takes over the distillery
- 1898 The distillery is refurbished and registered under the Brackla Distillery Co.
- 1919 Royal Brackla is sold to John Mitchell & James Leict of Aberdeen
- 1926 Mitchell & Leict offloads the distillery to John Bisset & Co
- 1943 Scottish Malt Distillers buys the distillery
- 1965 The distillery is extended and the maltings are decommissioned
- 1970 Two additional stills are installed
- 1985 Royal Brackla falls silent for six years as demand wavers
- 1993 United Distillers releases a 10-year-old Royal Brackla in the Flora & Fauna series
- 1997 The distillery is given a £2m refurbishment
- 1998 The distillery is bought along with the rest of Dewar's by Bacardi-Martini
- 2015 Bacardi releases a three-strong range of Royal Brackla malts
- 2019 The range is revamped to include 12-, 18- and 21-year-old expressions
Royal Brackla Facts
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- Capacity (mlpa) i
- 4
-
- Condenser Type i
- Shell and tube
-
- Fermentation Time i
- 68hrs
-
- Grist Weight (t) i
- 12.5
-
- Heat Source i
- HFO burning boiler providing heat to stainless steel elements
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- Malt Specification i
- Plain malt, 0ppm
-
- Malt Supplier i
- Bairds
-
- Mash Tun Type i
- Lauter
-
- New-make Strength i
- 70%
-
- Spirit Still Charge (l) i
- 23,000
-
- Spirit Still Shape i
- Tall with rising lye pipe
-
- Stills i
- 4
-
- Warehousing i
- Westhorn/Poniel
-
- Wash Still Charge (l) i
- 20,000
-
- Wash Still Shape i
- Tall with rising lye pipe
-
- Washback Size (l) i
- 60,000
-
- Washback Type i
- 6 wood, 2 stainless steel
-
- Washbacks i
- 8
-
- Water Source i
- Natural spring & field drain (process water), Burn & field drain (cooling)
-
- Wort Clarity i
- Clear
-
- Yeast Type i
- Kerry MS1
Owners
Parent company
- Bacardi 1998 - present
Current owner
Previous owners
- Diageo 1997 - 1998
- United Distillers 1986 - 1997
- Distillers Company Limited 1943 - 1986
- John Bisset & Co 1926 - 1943
- John Mitchell and James Leict 1898 - 1926
- Robert Fraser & Co 1852 - 1898
- William Fraser & Co 1812 - 1852
Contact
- Address
-
Royal Brackla Distillery
Cawdor
Nairnshire
IV12 5QY
United Kingdom - Phone
- +44 1667 402002
- Visitor Opening Hours
- Not open to the public
Map
See also
-
Distillery & brand
-
Distillery & brand
Craigellachie
Late 19th century distillery designed by Charles Doig, now owned by John Dewar & Sons.