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Four proper 25 ml Scottish pours, not a token sips.
"HIGHER GROUND" UNCHARTED WHISKY CO. BRAEVAL 10 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
A Study in Sherry
Two Braevals. Two Weeks Apart. Two Very Different Sherry Casks.
This release and our Whispering Waters Braeval 9.97 Year were distilled at Scotland's highest distillery just 14 days apart, both in October 2014. Both spent their entire lives in first-fill sherry casks, from new make to bottle, at true cask strength.
The only variable is which sherry was in the cask before the whisky. This one: first-fill Oloroso. Dry, nutty, savoury. The other: first-fill Pedro Ximénez. Deep, sweet, jammy. Same spirit, same water, same pot stills, same maturation length. Two different worlds in the glass.
Braeval sits in the village of Chapeltown, near Ballindalloch, at the highest elevation of any working distillery in Scotland. Founded in 1973 as Braes of Glenlivet and renamed Braeval in 1994 to avoid confusion with its famous neighbor, it has spent most of its life feeding blends, most notably Chivas Regal. Single malt releases are rare. Single cask first-fill sherry releases are rarer still.
Braeval's tall, slender pot stills produce a light, refined, almost delicate spirit. Full maturation in first-fill Oloroso for a decade is the kind of cask partnership that transforms a distillate rather than just coloring it. Bottled at 55.0%. Single cask. 612 bottles. Natural colour. Non-chill filtered.
Whispering Waters
Braeval 9.97 Year · 1st Fill PX
- Distilled October 28, 2014
- Bottled October 14, 2024
- Full 1st Fill Pedro Ximénez maturation
- 60.2% ABV · 306 bottles
The sweet side: dark jammy fruits, cherry chocolate, stewed blackberries, honeyed dates. PX at full volume.
Uncharted Whisky Co.
Braeval 10 Year · 1st Fill Oloroso
- Distilled October 14, 2014
- Bottled April 2025
- Full 1st Fill Oloroso maturation
- 55.0% ABV · 612 bottles
The dry side: butterscotch, sticky toffee pudding, cinnamon pastry, spice cupboard finish. Oloroso at full volume.
Distillery profile, Braeval
- Founded in 1973 as Braes of Glenlivet, renamed Braeval in 1994 to avoid confusion with its famous neighbor.
- Sits in Chapeltown, near Ballindalloch, at the highest elevation of any working distillery in Scotland.
- Owned by Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard) and produces primarily for blends, most notably Chivas Regal.
- Uses tall, slender pot stills that produce a light, clean, refined spirit. Perfect canvas for an active cask.
Cask profile, 1st fill Oloroso sherry
Oloroso is the dry, oxidatively aged style of sherry. The flor (the protective yeast layer that defines fino and manzanilla) is killed early with fortification, and the wine spends years in contact with air inside the cask. That oxidation builds the nutty, leathery, savoury depth Oloroso is known for.
A first-fill Oloroso barrique holding a delicate Speyside distillate for ten full years is the kind of cask partnership that reshapes a whisky. The dry, nutty side of sherry meets Braeval's bright orchard-fruit character and lands somewhere between dessert and dinner. Not a sherry bomb in the sticky-sweet sense. A sherry bomb with teeth.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Uncharted Whisky Co. |
| Release name | "Higher Ground" |
| Whisky style | Single malt Scotch whisky |
| Region | Speyside, Scotland |
| Distillery | Braeval |
| Age | 10 years |
| ABV | 55.0% (true cask strength) |
| Volume | 700 ml |
| Maturation | 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Barriques (full maturation) |
| Cask reference | UC048 |
| Distillation date | October 14, 2014 |
| Bottling date | April 2025 |
| Outturn | 612 bottles |
| Non-chill filtered | Yes |
| Natural colour | Yes |
The Whiskey Lab's Quality Commitments
- Single Cask: Ensuring a unique profile for each release.
- True Cask Strength: Delivered with the full intensity of flavor.
- Natural Colour & Non-Chill Filtered: Preserving the authentic character and purity of the whisky.
