Braeval battle between bourbon and sherry casks
Sometimes you never drink Breaval, and for us this is already the second blog about this Speyside distillery in the first half of 2026! Well, technically we tasted a Braes of Glenlivet earlier this year, but the name of the distillery changed to Braeval in 1994. Anyway, we got our hands on an interesting duo from Dutch enthusiasts, so we decided to do battle! Almost identical whiskies, but matured in a different variant cask.
Braeval 2014 – A French Connection, bottled at 57,2 % abv by Kintra
First things first: This whisky was distilled on 30 September 2014 and bottled on 4 November 2024, making this a 10 years old Braeval, matured in a first fill bourbon cask # 9900218 producing 259 bottles. Bottled for Le Renard in The Netherlands.
Upon Sipping: Very vanilla-forward, with a creamy texture compromising over date sour milk and slight whiffs of cheese. Then it turns more wooded, with sawdust flying around in the Twin Peaks Packard Sawmill. Just saying there is some forest mintiness involved here. Fans of Twin Peaks will get me. It bounces back and forth between these characteristics. Slightly sweaty ‘La vache qui rit’. Some wood smoke cannot be missed either. Rather complex! The arrival on the palate is quite plankish, lots of bitter herbs, very unusual. What do we have here? I was really expecting some run of the mill (ha!) straight shooting Speyside generalist. Nothing of the sort! This is certainly a left-field whisky. With a dash of water, I am actually reminded of some European whiskies, like Danish Thy or the Finnish Kyro, maybe even the odd bourbon. The wood taste is too strong on the palate after adding water, but you are truly drinking something unique. Sadly, also a tinge of raw wash. Maybe between the cracks of maturation, some immaturity was carried all the way past the 10 years line. With enough time, eventually it will turn a tad more fruity, with some yellow apples.
Word to the Wise: What an incredible odd-ball. Highly entertaining, but not good in all places. This is however an incredibly interesting whisky to sample. It will certainly surprise you!
Score: 82 points.
Braeval 2014 – A Spanish Connection, bottled at 57,8 % abv by Kintra
First things first: This whisky was distilled on 28 October 2014 and bottled on 6 November 2024, making this a 10 years old Braeval, matured in a first fill PX cask # 9900411 producing 313 bottles. Bottled for Le Renard in The Netherlands.
Upon Sipping: Shiver me timbers! Another creamy variant, with lots of caramel, wood smoke and pecan nuts. A slight hint of gunpowder rises on the horizon. On the palate, the heavy lifting is done by the cask, which contains a lot of that sulphur marker, with dry rubber and dusty coal. It is not exactly like mixing gunpowder in a glass of water and then drinking it, but this is what I imagine such a thing would taste like. I rather low-key enjoy it. Does this make me a masochist? I think this Braeval will be a hit on the monthly gathering of the rubber fetishists club. It improves towards a more sweeter character with water, but the finish remains a torrid affair.
Word to the Wise: This style of whisky used to be very popular among people who actually liked their malt to taste like a rubber and gunpowder perversion. It is a great selection, but you really need to be cautious and check if this is your style. (I am not the biggest fan.) One has to admit, drinking these Braeval whiskies side by side is very interesting. The rather funky spirit DNA shines through in both samples.
Score: 83 points.