Bacardi Ltd. relaunches Royal Brackla

Bacardi Ltd. is to relaunch its Royal Brackla single malts, with a mission statement of creating the finest sherry-finished whisky in the world. The range will be available in global travel retail. 

The new range of Royal Brackla consists of Royal Brackla 12 Years Old finished in Oloroso sherry casks, Royal Brackla 18 Years Old finished in Palo Cortado Sherry casks and Royal Brackla 21 Years Old finished in Oloroso, Palo Cortado and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.

The relaunch features the repositioned liquid alongside a revamped and updated bottle and packaging design that celebrates the distillery founder Captain William Fraser, with cues to the distillery character and traditional distilling techniques.

The packaging was designed by specialists Stranger & Stranger. On the bottle is a stylish embossing, now widely associated with the agency, while the secondary packaging features straight-forward tasting notes on the front and in-depth ones on the reverse. The layers of design effects taking cues from the brand story is impressive and executed to good effect.

Founded in 1812 and granted a Royal Warrant by King William IV in 1833, Royal Brackla is known as The King's Own Whisky. Staying true to tradition, the new range has no caramel colouring added and is non-chill-filtered.

The refined range features increased prominence for the age statement, with every bottle guaranteeing a specific interaction with the wood. This includes a move in emphasis from 16 Years Old to 18 Years Old and an accentuation on the finishing across the range.

Ian Taylor, Bacardi malts director says: "The shift in age statements adds both an extra layer to the flavour of these malts, while the specific ages add quality to the gifting element of single malts in travel retail."

After trialling different sherries to give an extra layer of luxury to these whiskies, malt master Stephanie MacLeod, has chosen three types for finishing Royal Brackla. Every expression in the new range is finished in first fill sherry casks, sourced directly from Spain. The Drinks Report understands that the door is not closed to further experiments in the future. 

The new Royal Brackla range will be bottled at 46% ABV in response to consumer demand and will makes its global debut in May 2020 with China Duty Free Group luxury airport stores in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Gaurav Joshi, regional director Asia Pacific Bacardi Global Travel comments on the launch with China Duty Free Group: “China is such an exciting market for our single malt whiskies. The Chinese whisky connoisseur is discerning and makes purchase decisions driven by a taste for refinement and the opportunity to make unique purchases such as with Royal Brackla. It is a privilege to partner with China Duty Free Group to present our most special single malt to their customers in the elegant surroundings of their stores including the new flagship location at Beijing T3.” 

Royal Brackla 12 Years Old, matured in American oak — a combination of first-fill, refill and rechar — before being finished in Oloroso sherry casks. RRP: US$79.99 (1litre)

Royal Brackla 18 Years Old is also a combination of first-fill, refill and rechar American oak casks, before finished in Palo Cortado casks. RRP: US$154.99 (70cl)

Royal Brackla 21 Years Old is finished in a blend of PX, Oloroso and Palo Cortado sherry casks. RRP US$279.99 (70cl)

4 October 2019 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, editor