Braes of Glenlivet was founded in 1973 by the Chivas and Glenlivet Group. Lying in the prime pastures of the Livet Glen, at the heart of Speyside, the young distillery sits in close proximity to The Glenlivet. To avoid confusion, the distillery dropped the Glenlivet suffix in 1994 to become Braeval. During the 1970s the still capacity was increased dramatically, with a final still added, to total six in 1978.
At an altitude of 350m, Braeval stands as the highest distillery in Scotland. Braeval was built on a mountain ridge, sharing its water source, the Pitilie Burn, with the highland based Aberfeldy. No official bottlings have been released, but there are two Braeval whiskies available as part of Aberko Ltd’s Deerstalker range. The distillery closed in October of 2002, following Pernod Ricard’s acquisition of Chivas Brothers the previous year.
After renovation and refurbishment the distillery was reopened in July of 2008 – a year when Chivas reopened several silent distilleries in their portfolio. A thoroughly modern distillery, despite its old-fashioned, classic aesthetics, Braeval can be operated by just one worker, though nonetheless the capacity is quite substantial at 3.8m litres per annum.
Colour: Bright gold. This is an inference based on the first-fill bourbon barrel maturation and the appearance shown in reviewed bottle imagery and references.
Nose: Apples, pears and toffee lead, with vanilla, ginger, white pepper and a touch of tropical fruit sweetness. This is based on reviewed tasting notes for this exact release.
Palate: Full-bodied and spicy, with creamy vanilla, toasted oak, sweet syrupy fruit and warming ginger character. This is based on reviewed tasting notes for this exact release.
Finish: Medium-long, mellow and softly oaky, with fading fruit and lingering spice. This is based on reviewed tasting notes for this exact release.
Colour: Deep gold. This is an inference based on its 21 years of maturation in a hogshead and the style of mature Speyside single malt shown in reviewed bottle imagery.
Nose: Toffee, sweet fruit and a dusting of powdered ginger. This is taken directly from the published product description for the release.
Palate: Honey, Christmas cake, cloves, cinnamon and sweet fruit layered over a rich cask-strength Speyside core. This is based on reviewed retailer tasting notes for this release, supported by the official listing’s toffee, fruit and ginger profile.
Finish: Long, warming and spice-led, with lingering sweet fruit and ginger warmth. This is an inference based on the reviewed tasting descriptions, cask-strength bottling and mature single-cask profile.
