Thanks to Diageo for the picture.
| ABV |
51.9% |
|---|---|
| Aging |
Ex-Bourbon Barrels; 34 Years |
| Recipe |
100% Malted Barley |
| Distiller | Brora (Brora, Scotland) |
You wonder how much Brora is still left - this is the youngest Brora in some years, distilled the year before the distillery closed. This year, Diageo started plans to re-open the distillery, which will come with much fanfare and likely expensive price tags in the future - but good news, nonetheless. Let's hope the quality matches some of the best Brora years...
Review (2017)
Batch: 2017 Special Releases, 1982
Bottling Code: N/A
Bottling Date: 2017
Lots of creamy fruit on the nose, and tropical too. Jackfruit, kiwi, mango, toffee, slight woody smoke, soot, apples, gooseberries, blueberries, leather, light earthiness, almonds, lemons, rose petals, and growing waxiness – almost meaty. Immensely complex. Waxiness grows. The palate is much more smoke forward than the nose, with vanilla, butterscotch, limestone, straw, and lemon surrounding it. The tropical fruits still remain central, with spice, smoke, and the sweet vanilla/butterscotch/custard filling in the gaps. The finish is smoky, but bright with lots of fruit – apple, kiwi, white pepper, oak, and spicy tobacco. Dry, woody, and smoky with time. The old notes are terrific.
Not nearly the smoky, fruity Brora I tried last year- but this is still fantastic.
Very Highly Recommended (18% of all whiskies I’ve reviewed to date get this recommendation or higher).
Value: Low. Coming in at over 2000$ in most places, even the best of whiskies aren’t high value.