The original Brora distillery dates back to 1819 when it was built by the Duke of Sutherland in connection with the Highland clearances.  It was then known as Clynelish, and was completely rebuilt in 1898. Through various changes in ownership it eventually became the property of Distillers Company Limited (now Diageo).  A new malt whisky distillery was built in 1968 alongside the existing one, which was known for a period as Clynelish ‘B’, whilst the new unit became simply Clynelish. However, following legislation prohibiting two distilleries having the same name, Clynelish ‘B’ became Brora in 1975. The latter became part of the cull of malt whisky distilleries in 1983 and never went back into production Nevertheless, it has become something of a legend with a strong following amongst collectors and investors alike, which is reflected in the steady price appreciation of both official and independent bottlings. Here we have examples of both. We have an extensive inventory of rare Brora’s and will add them to the selection as we go along. The distillery’s coastal location has greatly influenced the character of the whisky in terms of both taste and bouquet.

Brora is rated as the 4th most collectable label in Lew Bryson’s excellent book “Tasting Whiskey”. The recent announcement by Diageo of their intention to bring Brora back into production can only enhance the value of surviving bottlings of the original Brora and perhaps even more so once the new Brora’s are eventually made available which will be some years hence.

In order to get the full picture please see the entry for Clynelish under Single Malt Gems .