• Brora 2008 25 Years Old 7th Release
  • Brora 2008 25 Years Old 7th Release
  • Brora 2008 25 Years Old 7th Release
  • Brora 2008 25 Years Old 7th Release

Brora 2008 25 Years Old 7th Release

$2,150 AUD

56.3% 70cl

This was the first ever official bottling of a 25 year-old malt from the long departed Brora distillery. Bottled for the 2008 Special Releases from Diageo after a string of 30 year olds in previous years. Named as The Whisky Bible’s Scotch of the Year in its category for two years in succession.

This is bottle no 1521 of 3,000.

Tasting Notes

Colour: pale gold.

Nose: this is more delicate than the 1983, which suggests an earlier vintage(s). The smoke is sort of shier but also more elegant, the whole being more complex for sure. At random we get notes of fresh bitter almonds (quite a lot), white wine (Sauvignon), wet leaves and mushrooms (a walk through the trees, really), cloves and ginger, smoked tea (lapsang souchong)… Gets then a little fruitier (ripe apples and pears), grassier and even a tad mustardy.

With water: gets a bit farmier (wet hay) and maritime as well (drying kelp on the beach), with also hints of fresh mint.

Mouth (neat): starts unexpectedly fruity (granny smith) but it’s soon to get rather smokier, with big notes of fresh walnuts and crystallised lemon zests together with hints of liquorice, horseradish and green pepper. Gets then grassier and “pleasantly acrid”, if you see what I mean.

With water: it’s here that it gets closer to the 30yo’s, with the kind of ‘majestic austerity’ that we like so much in most Broras. It is to be wondered if they didn’t sort of ‘dope’ this one with one or two casks of older spirit. Just a wild guess!

Finish: long, grassy, smokier now, with these very idiosyncratic notes of mustard and salt in the aftertaste.    (Whisky Fun – Serge Valentin)  

The recent reopening of Brora by Diageo can only enhance the value of surviving bottlings of the original Brora and perhaps even more so once the new Broras are eventually made available which will be some years hence.

This product is located in Australia.

 

Distillery

Brora Distillery

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 .

Other Brora Whiskies