TRI CARRAGH - BRAEVAL 16 YEAR - 2ND FILL RED WINE OCTAVE
A high-strength Speyside finished in an unusual cask: a 2nd fill red wine octave that previously held peated whisky. Seven months in that octave at the end of a 16 year primary maturation, bottled at a remarkable 62.7% cask strength. Just 92 bottles in the world.
Braeval is a workhorse Speyside distillery rarely seen as a single malt, but at The Whiskey Lab this is our 3rd release from them. When Tri Carragh selects a Braeval at this age, this strength, and this finish, they are choosing it for the conversation it will start.
About Tri Carragh
Tri Carragh is Gaelic for "three pillars," a nod to the three core ingredients that make whisky: water, barley, and yeast. The independent bottler selects single casks one at a time, choosing each one for the conversation it will start. Every release is small. Every release is final. When the bottles are gone, that cask is gone.
This release is part of Tri Carragh's quarterly outturn and was selected by The Whiskey Lab for import to the United States.
Distillery profile
- Braeval sits in the Braes of Glenlivet, Speyside, founded in 1973 as Braes of Glenlivet and renamed Braeval in 1994 to avoid confusion with The Glenlivet.
- Owned by Pernod Ricard, Braeval is a major malt component in Chivas Regal alongside its Speyside siblings Strathisla, Longmorn, and Miltonduff.
- The distillery sits at 355 metres above sea level, the highest in Scotland, which gives the spirit a clean, slow-maturing character.
- Rarely seen as an independent bottling. When it appears, it tends to be from carefully selected casks like this one.
Cask profile
The cask is a 2nd fill red wine octave, an unusually small cask format. Octaves hold roughly 50 litres, less than a third of a barrel. The smaller size means more wood contact per litre of spirit, accelerating the influence of the cask in any finishing window.
This particular octave previously held peated whisky in a red wine cask, meaning the wood carries traces of both red wine fruit and a whisper of peat. Seven months was enough at that surface-area-to-volume ratio. The Braeval picked up the wine influence and a subtle smoky lift without becoming a peated whisky.
Bottled at 62.7% cask strength, non-chill filtered, natural colour. 92 bottles total.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Tri Carragh |
| Whisky style | Single malt Scotch whisky |
| Region | Speyside |
| Distillery | Braeval |
| Age | 16 years |
| ABV | 62.7% |
| Volume | 700 ml |
| Cask type | 2nd Fill Red Wine Octave |
| Cask size | Octave |
| Additional info | 7 months in an ex peated red wine cask |
| Distillation date | 2 February 2010 |
| Outturn | 92 bottles |
| Release | Tri Carragh Release 10 |
| Cask strength | Yes |
| Non-chill filtered | Yes |
| Natural colour | Yes |
The Whiskey Lab's Quality Commitments
- Single Cask & Small Batch: Ensuring a unique profile for each release.
- Natural Colour & Non-Chill Filtered: Preserving the authentic character and purity of the whisky.
- Honest Storytelling: Every cask profile, every tasting note, written by people who actually tasted the whisky.
