WHISPERING WATERS BRAEVAL 9.97 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
A Study in Sherry
Two Braevals. Two Weeks Apart. Two Very Different Sherry Casks.
This release and our Uncharted Whisky Co. "Higher Ground" Braeval 10 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 Pedro Ximénez. Deep, sweet, jammy. The other: first-fill Oloroso. Dry, nutty, savoury. Same spirit, same water, same pot stills, same maturation length. Two different worlds in the glass.
The 9.97 years is a knowing wink. Bottled 14 days shy of its tenth birthday, this cask had to be labeled as 9 years old by Scotch Whisky Association rules, which require age statements to round down to the nearest whole year. We put the real number on the front. 9.97 years of first-fill PX maturation, to the day.
Braeval sits in the village of Chapeltown, near Ballindalloch, at the highest elevation of any working distillery in Scotland. Its tall, slender pot stills produce a light, refined spirit that is almost always swallowed into blends like Chivas Regal. Single cask first-fill sherry releases are rare. Bottled at 60.2%. Single cask. 306 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 Pedro Ximénez sherry
PX is the sweetest wine in Spain. The grapes are harvested and laid out in the sun to raisin before pressing, concentrating sugar to levels most other wines cannot approach. The resulting sherry is syrupy, dark, and intensely sweet, carrying notes of dried fig, date, raisin, and dark chocolate.
A first-fill PX cask holding a delicate Speyside distillate for nearly ten full years does not politely contribute. It takes over. What comes out is a whisky with jammy dark fruit, cherry chocolate, stewed berries, and a dense oak backbone. Braeval's bright, clean spirit is still underneath, but it speaks with a PX accent now.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Whispering Waters |
| Whisky style | Single malt Scotch whisky |
| Region | Speyside, Scotland |
| Distillery | Braeval |
| Age on label | 9 years |
| Actual age | 9.97 years (14 days shy of 10) |
| ABV | 60.2% (true cask strength) |
| Volume | 700 ml |
| Maturation | 1st Fill Pedro Ximénez Sherry Cask (full maturation) |
| Distillation date | October 28, 2014 |
| Bottling date | October 14, 2024 |
| Outturn | 306 bottles |
| Non-chill filtered | Yes |
| Natural colour | Yes |
The Whiskey Lab's Quality Commitments
- Single Cask & Small Batch: 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.
