A couple of months ago I reviewed the entry level expression from Royal Brackla distillery which is part of the Last Great Malts series from Bacardi. It’s time to move up in the line up and review the higher level expressions from this new line up.

Today we’ll check the mid level expression, the Royal Brackla 16 Year old and the next post will review the high-end offering, the Royal Brackla 21 Year Old.

Looking back at my review of the 12 Year Old one, it seems that I liked it as it sports a unique profile of dry, lightly fruity, a bit herbal and a touch of sherry impact. What does the 16 YO has in store for us?

Royal Brackla 16 Year Old (40%, £69.95/€85.90)

Nose: Starts with floral note of violets and a springtime meadow grass, flint and limestone, white chocolate, honey, pears and a lots of apricots. It’s very dry, getting sweeter and fruitier over time, green melon, green apples and unripe mango.

Palate: Dry, not so flinty and stone-y (which is good), green and golden apples, fruity with apricots and green melon, honey, a dash of cinnamon and a touch of menthol and white pepper.

Finish: Short Medium length, dry, lingering white pepper, honey and touches of sweet green fruit and flowers.

Thoughts: The Royal Brackla 16 Year Old walks in the footprints that the 12 has set. It boasts a similar profile but this time it’s rounder and carry a deeper fruitiness. The drawbacks are the low ABV (same complaint as in the 12yo) and the extra dryness I felt here comparing to the 12 YO. It’s a good dram but I think that the price should be  £10 less than the ongoing price because of the low ABV.

(Official sample by Bacardi)