I’m back to knocking down a sample from our Scottish Distillery team: Royal Brackla 12. This sample was provided to the group by @Generously_Paul. Royal Brackla was founded in 1812 and is currently owned by Dewars & Sons. In 1833, they were issued a royal warrant by King William IV and remain as one of only three ever issued the decree (Royal Lochnagar and Glenury Royal). They produce around 3.5 million liters per year and they primarily supply Dewars blends. The Highland 12 year old, single malt is deep gold in color, creates lots of legs and leaves behind large droplets because it’s bottled at the legal minimum of 40% ABV. The nose is heavy on tropical fruit, apples, citrus and muddled mint. There’s some lighter oak notes in the background, as well. The palate suffers from a thin mouthfeel and doesn’t offer much depth. There’s tropical notes, orchard fruits and a little vanilla sweetness. The oak is restrained on the palate just like the nose. The finish is mostly oak, but it’s short and weak. This one begs to be bumped up in the ABV department. Overall, this is another one that happily belongs in blends. I’m not sure it deserves a single malt release, especially at 40%. The royal decree is mostly a gimmick to sell more bottles, while they should focus more on adding depth and complexity IMO. Glad to tick this one off the list, but I’m not a big fan. 3 stars. Cheers.