Brora 19yo 1981/2000

Brora 19yo 1981/2000

The Bottlers
Single malt - North Highlands
Amber
60.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pear drops, leather, lemon sweets, lemon zest, sea salt, menthol, honey. With water, menthol, cloves, lohan fruit, candied lemons. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Menthol, honey, wet stones, petrol exhaust, lemon sweets, cloves, orange juice, lohan fruit, hints of candied lemons. With water, lemon sweets, cloves, wet stones, candied lemons. 
Finish: Long. Wet stones, pear drops, leather, lemon sweets, honey. 

Comments: 

Cask 1077. Lemony and saline, lots of leather and even some sense of petrol exhaust for smokiness. Quite lovely. Beautiful old menthol and mineral notes too. Always a pleasure to have a Brora.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Brora 30yo 3rd Release (bottled 2004)

Brora 30yo 3rd Release (bottled 2004)

Official bottling 
Single malt - North Highlands 
Golden, hints of copper
56.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: honey, camphor, yoghurt, cinnamon, dark chocolate, winter melon, leather, peat, hints of smoke. With water, cucumbers, roast pork, winter melon, hints of lemon sweets. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, slightly tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Honey, leather, peat, smoke, sea salt, cocoa nibs, charcoal ash, hints of farmyard. With water, lemon sweets, sea salt, smoke, charcoal ash, winter melon. 
Finish: Long. Ginseng, leather, peat, smoke, charcoal ash, hints of cocoa nibs. 

Comments: 

This is magnificent. Sweet, salty, smoky and peaty, it’s almost the archetype of a very old Brora, if there was such a thing. The high cask strength makes for some intense flavours. There’s plenty of herbs in this, and the bitter peatiness fades to an ashy, smoky finish. Quite possibly the best whisky I’ve ever had - up to now. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Brora 30yo 6th Release (bottled 2007)

Brora 30yo 6th Release (bottled 2007)

Official bottling 
Single malt - North Highlands 
Dark gold 
55.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cucumbers, honeydew melons, roast pork, green peppers, leather, peat, smoke, farmyard, hints of dunnage. With water, yoghurt, leather, honey, hints of green peppers. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, tingly, airy. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Peat, smoke, leather, cucumbers, cocoa nibs, lemon sweets, farmyard, hints of roast pork. With water, saltier, lemon sweets, sea salt, smoke, hints of camphor. 
Finish: Long. Dark chocolate, lemon sweets, smoke, leather, hints of roast pork, hints of sea salt. 

Comments: 

Again, there’s this dirtiness of 1970s Brora, lots of meaty undertones this time. It’s saltier, especially with water, but gets still waxy lemon sweets and some chocolate. Lots of faint camphor that seems to take over on the tongue. Utterly delicious.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Brora 32yo 1978/2011 (2011 Special Release)

Brora 32yo 1978/2011 (2011 Special Release)

Official bottling 
Single malt - North Highlands 
Green gold
54.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, lemon sweets, cucumber, leather, smoke, cocoa nibs, hints of farmyard. With water, smoke, bacon, honeydew melons, leather. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, expands, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemon sweets, candle wax, fresh baked bread, toast, honey, rhubarb and custard sweets, sea salt, hints of farmyard. With water, sweeter, cucumber, honey, lemon sweets, chocolate, hints of honeydew melons. 
Finish: Long. Smoke, fresh baked bread, lemon sweets, toast, honey, cocoa nibs. 

Comments: 

This is the last official Brora to be a vintage, I think. The others after this one were vattings of vintages. It’s quite wild, lots of earthy farmyard flavour, chocolate and lemon sweets. The peat is leathery and barely smoky, yielding a savoury briney note that covers some luscious fruit.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Brora 25yo 1972/1997

Brora 25yo 1972/1997

Connoisseur’s Choice, Gordon & Macphail 
Single malt - North Highlands 
Dark gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, farmyard, honeydew melons, lemon sweets, honey, peat, dried pears, dried apricots. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, expands slightly, slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Cocoa nibs, dried pears, honeydew melons, peat, sea salt, coffee, raisins, hints of soy sauce. 
Finish: Long. Cocoa nibs, soy sauce, leather, honey, germolene. 

Comments: 

I’ve never had 1970s Brora until today, and it was an epiphany. I’d never thought of Brora as particularly peaty - it had its slight medicinal notes, but it wasn’t in your face. I now realise that’s because 1980s distillate is quite different from 1970s distillate. This one is leathery and bitter, with the peat on the tip of the tongue rather than buried under fruit. Quite delicious. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Brora 33yo 1982/2015

Brora 33yo 1982/2015

Rare Old, Gordon & Macphail 
Single malt - North Highlands
Pale gold, tinge of green
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon sweets, camphor, wax, sea salt, honey, ink, hints of smoke, hints of raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, slippery, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Lemon sweets, leather, raisins, cocoa nibs, toast, honey, camphor, hints of black pepper. 
Finish: Long. Cocoa nibs, leather, sea salt, watermelon, hints of smoke. 

Comments: 

Lot RO/15/01. I like 80s Brora. The fruit is bright and sometimes intense, and the peat is light and gentle, and quite herbal. There’s some chocolate bitterness and a long briny finish. So far, so familiar. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Brora 27yo 1981/2009

Brora 27yo 1981/2009

Rare Auld, Duncan Taylor 
Single malt - North Highlands 
Sunshine
51.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon sweets, leather, green tea, winter melon, smoke, dried pears, sea salt, tobacco leaf. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, expands slightly, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Lemon sweets, leather, hay, peat, sea salt, orange peel, tobacco leaf, hints of dried apricots, hints of smoke. 

Finish: Long. Leather, green tea, orange peel, hay, sea salt. 

Comments: 

As usual, I get a frisson of excitement when tasting Brora. I never know when the last dram I have of it will be, thought maybe I might taste some of the ‘new’ Brora eventually. Early 80s Brora is sweeter than earlier makes, and this one is no exception. Lots of sweet fruit alongside savoury peat, and a herbal edge to boot. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Brora 19yo 1982/2001

Brora 19yo 1982/2001

Special Bottling, Silver Seal
Single malt - North Highlands
Bronze gold
50% ABV
Half dram

Nose: Papaya, peat, lemon zest, sea salt, honey, hints of smoke, hints of petrol exhaust. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, turns watery, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour. Papaya, dried sour cherries, smoke, sea salt, fresh baked bread, hints of petrol exhaust. 
Finish: Long. Dried sour cherries, lemon zest, coriander, oranges, hints of sea salt. 

Comments: 

Never put water into Brora. Sage advice given to me by a fellow whisky drunk... er, nerd, in a bar a long time ago. I followed it with this one. It's unusual - there's the usual lemony smoke, but there's also papaya and sour cherries, and something like petrol exhaust (Springbank? Are you there?), fading into a herbal, slightly soapy finish. Lovely.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Brora 20yo 1982/2003

Brora 20yo 1982/2003

Chieftains, Ian MacLeod Distillers
Single malt - North Highlands
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Papaya, wet dog, raisins, salt caramel, autumn leaves after rain, hints of smoke. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, sticky, mouth coating, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Papaya, smoke, sea salt, apples, vanilla, fresh baked bread, hints of leather. 
Finish: Medium. Smoke, lemon zest, honey, leather, hints of fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

Cask 1195. It's nice to have a Brora, although it gets harder to find and more expensive to buy with each passing year. This one is unusual, heaps of tropical fruit (not like Brora), some earthy funk on the nose (more like Brora) and some farmyardy wet dog (hmm, not sure) on the nose. On the tongue, this shifts to sweet salty smoky goodness - lots of fruit, cereal and leather. Good stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Brora 34yo 1983/2017 16th Release

Brora 34yo 1983/2017 16th Release

Official bottling
Single malt - North Highlands
Pink gold
51.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, orange peel, roses, sandalwood, malted grains, hints of raspberries. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, turns watery, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Orange peel, peanuts, green tea, malted grains, hints of evaporated milk. 
Finish: Long. Cardamom, orange peel, honey, raspberries, hints of apples. 

Comments: 

What a treat! They must be scraping the bottom of the barrel by now, but Brora remains special stuff. This one is not as good as the 2010 version, but it's still remarkable whisky, nutty and floral, with tons of fruit. Great spicy finish too.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Brora 30 yo 2010 9th Release

Brora 30 yo 2010 9th Release

Official bottling 
Single malt - North Highlands
Amber
54.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, dried cherries, vanilla, chocolate, lemon zest, salt, peat.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, slippery on the tongue.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Raisins, dried cherries, lemon zest, salted caramel, hints of peat.
Finish: Long. Salted caramel, lemon zest, dried cherries, hints of peat.

Comments:

Last chance to try one of the world's great whiskies. The briny citrusy notes that I associate with Brora are all over this, overlaid with delicious chocolate and more than a little peat. Yum yum.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Brora 20 yo 1982/2002

Brora 20 yo 1982/2002

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - North Highlands
Bright gold
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Lemons, leather, peaches, raisins, peat, hints of kiwi fruit.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, cool.
Tasting: Sweet. Lemons, brown paper, peat, rubber bands, leather, peaches, oranges, hints of brass polish.
Finish: Medium. Lemons, brass polish, peaches.

Comments:

This is a pleasant surprise! Very refreshing, yet punchy with peat, leather and loads of fruit. There's a peachy hint that's reminiscent of very ripe nectarines, which goes nicely with a citrus bite. This could be stronger, but it's almost perfect.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Brora 26 yo 1981/2007

Brora 26 yo 1981/2007 Signatory Cask Strength

Cask Strength, Signatory
Single malt - North Highlands
Mahogany
57.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Oranges, sherry, rubber bands, cognac, strawberry, coriander.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thick, oily.
Tasting: Sweet. Oak, vanilla, oranges, raisins, coriander, rubber bands. With water, it gets more fruity - oranges, mainly. Also stronger notes of coriander and some hints of peat.
Finish: Long. Cayenne pepper, black pepper, vanilla.

Comments:

Cask #1520, 391 bottles. A little too much wood in the taste, although the nose was fantastic. Lots of fruit if you look for it, and it's quite peppery and spicy, differentiating it from the very nice aged Glen Grants I've had. It was a little underwhelming though, because of what came before it.

Verdict:

I like this.

Brora 24 yo 1977/2001 Rare Malts

Brora 24 yo 1977/2001 Rare Malts

Rare Malts, official bottling
Single malt - North Highlands
White wine
56.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, peat, cream cheese, honey, figs, orange peel, hint of smoke.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, syrupy, thickens in the mouth.
Tasting: Sweet. Musty cupboard, preserved lemons, oak, peat, dried apricots.
Finish: Long. Warm, cayenne pepper, fig jam.

Comments:

The restaurant dropped an ice cube in my dram before I could tell them no! I managed to fish it out in time though. Good fruit, and when I added water more savoury notes appeared. Great spicy finish. Oh why oh why did they close this distillery?!

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

Brora 20 yo 1974/1995 Rare Malts

Brora 20 yo 1974/1995 Rare Malts

Rare Malts, official bottling
Single malt - North Highlands
Gold
57.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, milk, gingerbread, honey, hint of peat, hint of toast.
Mouthfeel:Medium body, hot, smooth, slightly oily.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Hoppy beer, crystallised lemons, cherries, walnut skins.
Finish: Medium. Spicy, toast, raisins, hint of pineapple.

Comments:

My goodness, this is wonderful. Not Clynelish-ey at all, even though the distilleries were side by side (maybe the toast shows that they are cousins). I like the tangy sour notes - pineapple and lemon mostly, but there are other things going on here too. I have a sneaking suspicion that Diageo closed this distillery to milk profit out of the old stocks...

Verdict:

I like this a lot!