Brora 37 Years is the oldest Brora ever released in the Diageo Special Releases, which might be an obvious statement. What might not be so obvious though is that 1978, the year this was distilled, was the last year that Brora utilized its floor maltings. From ’79 till its closure in 1993 it outsourced its malt production to one of the big malting facilities like many distilleries at the time began to do and like almost all of the distilleries do today; making this the last true Brora to encapsulate the distillery character in its entirety.
Brora 37 Years Info
Region: Highland, Scotland
Distiller: Brora (Clynelish #1)
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: Hogshead
Age: 37 Years
ABV: 50.4%
Cask Strength | Natural Color
Bottles: 2,976
Price: $2,300
Brora 37 Years Review
EYE
Golden hay
NOSE
Fruit, saline, lemon curd, meringue, toffee, nuts and a light spice accompanied by dried fruit and smoke. It’s a nice bright aroma.
PALATE
Full an warming it’s layered with crisp notes of fruit, lemon curd, creme brûlée, toasted grain, smoke and light bit of dried apricots all strung together in perfect balance.
FINISH
Long and peaty with notes of fruit, saline and malt intertwined.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Wonderfully balanced and full bodied with a mildly oily feel.
OVERALL
Brora 37 Years has the kind of lovely bright aroma, crisp balanced palate and long meandering finish that puts a smile on my face. In every way it was a fantastic single malt. If it were a bit more complex it might have been a stronger competitor for my favorite whisky of the night, but unfortunately for the Brora 37, the Port Ellen blew it away. Though both were almost unanimously loved by all the LA Whiskey Society guys that night.
Being a stellar whisky from a dead distillery I don’t actually have too big of an issue with the $2,300 price tag. Yes that’s an obscenely big number, but when you consider that an annual release from an active distillery fetches that on the secondary market (Pappy 23) it’s not terrible given the current whisky market as a whole. I certainly won’t be picking one up anytime soon but compared to the $4,000 Port Ellen it’s almost a bargain…
SCORE: 93-97/100 (A, not consumed at home)