{"product_id":"brora-38-year-old-diageo-special-release-15-limited-edition-highland-single-malt-scotch-whisky-2016-70cl","title":"Brora 38 Year Old Diageo Special Release #15 Limited Edition Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2016) 70cl","description":"\u003ch2\u003eBrora 38 Year Old Diageo Special Release #15 Limited Edition Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2016) 70cl\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1 of 2984 bottles released Diageo from old stocks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is bottle number 137\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product-main__description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Diageo Special Releases 2016 bottling of whisky from cult-closed distillery Brora. This is a classic dram from the distillery, balancing fruit, smoke and a softly farmyard-tinged character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are bottles that demand your attention the moment they appear, and the Brora 38 Year Old — the 15th annual release from Diageo's Special Releases programme in 2016 — is unquestionably one of them. At 38 years of age and bottled at a considered 48.6% ABV, this is a Highland whisky that has spent nearly four decades maturing, and that kind of patience commands respect. I've had the privilege of sitting with this dram on more than one occasion, and each time it reinforces something I believe firmly: age alone doesn't make a whisky great, but when the spirit has the backbone to carry those years, the result can be remarkable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrora occupies a singular position in the whisky world. As a Highland expression of this age and pedigree, the 15th Release sits within a series that has built a formidable reputation among collectors and serious drinkers alike. At 48.6%, it strikes a balance that I find particularly appealing — enough strength to carry the depth you'd expect from nearly four decades in oak, without the cask overwhelming the spirit. This is not a whisky that shouts. It is one that speaks with the quiet authority that only genuine maturity can provide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTASTING NOTES\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cnav class=\"product-navigation\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNose:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e a truly unique mix of warm peaches and yellow plums, mixed with lots of oily notes, leather and light farmy touches (not the sheep stables, but hay, leafy notes and wet dogs). Something dusty \/ musty as well, in the best way possible. Also grilled pineapple and lightly smoked meat in the background. Slight vanilla notes. Lemongrass. Camphor. Autumnal whisky at its best.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePalate:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e slightly sharper than expected, with very light peat and less light ashes but mostly oily notes again and a salty edge. Leather. Candle wax. Bitter almonds and a good dose of old oak. A little chamomile and mint. Newspaper paper! Liquorice. Quite earthy again, but there’s a combination of dark chocolate and light floral notes that keeps it in check.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/nav\u003e\u003cnav class=\"product-navigation\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/nav\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout Brora\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOriginally known as Clynelish, Brora has become a cult whisky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bottlings which we now see come from Brora’s last flaring. This was a time when the distillery was run specifically to fill in perceived holes in DCL’s inventory. As a result you will find Broras which are immensely oily and smoky, as well as some in which there is the merest exhalation of peat. The waxy, oily, marine\/mineral characters seen in Clynelish are however always present, but in magnified form. Rather than the orange oil of Clynelish, here there is more lemon acidity. There was, sadly, a small run of bottlings with a butyric character, so be aware.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDiageo releases an annual – and limited – bottling as part of its Special Release programme. With growing interest in smoky whiskies – and closed distilleries – Brora has become a cult malt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrora – or as it was originally known, Clynelish – is one of Scotland’s Clearance distilleries [see also\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/scotchwhisky.com\/whiskypedia\/1896\/talisker\/\"\u003eTalisker\u003c\/a\u003e]. It was built in 1819 by the Marquis of Stafford (later the Duke of Sutherland) who with his wife and her factors [estate managers] enacted some of the most brutal forced evictions in the Highlands, as part of an economic experiment which saw 15,000 farmers from their estate alone, moved off their land and resettled either on the coast, or sent to Canada and Australia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThose who ended up in the new settlement at Brora were put to work in the Duke’s new business enterprises, one of which was distilling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt took some time for the distillery to find its feet, passing through a number of lessees until George Lawson took charge. He and his sons would run the plant from 1846 to 1896 when they sold it to the Glasgow blender James Ainslie and his business partner John Risk who rebuilt the site that year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAinslie himself went bust in 1912 when Risk and DCL took shares in the firm, John Walker \u0026amp; Sons following in 1916. Risk was bought out in 1925, when Walker joined DCL and the latter took complete control in 1930.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt wasn’t until after the Second World War that the distillery began to increase capacity significantly as a result of demand for blends increasing. By 1967, this had reached such a height that it was decided that it would be easier to build a new and larger distillery – initially known as Clynelish 2 – alongside the original buildings than try to expand them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe old distillery closed for a year, but reopened in 1969 and was in production, though not always at full capacity, until it closed in 1983.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1975, after a change in legislation banning two distilleries from being called the same, its name was changed to Brora. During 1972 to 1974 when DCL’s Caol Ila was being rebuilt, production of heavily peated malt was switched here. Also, during periods of drought on Islay, the production of DCL’s heavily peated requirements was switched to the far north east. This could explain why although Brora’s peating levels in general dropped after 1977, there are occasional heavily smoky expressions from the 1980s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe distillery was closed finally in 1983, and although rumours surfaced occasionally about it reopening they seemed little more than wishful thinking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, in October 2017 Diageo revealed plans to reopen both Brora and Port Ellen distilleries, which also closed in 1983. Subject to planning permission, the two sites are expected to be operational once more by 2020.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e48.6% ABV\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e70cl\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brora","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53686160359762,"sku":"BRORA28DSR152016","price":3349.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1052\/9737\/9666\/files\/Brora38YearOldDiageoSpecialRelease_15LimitedEditionHighlandSingleMaltScotchWhisky_2016_70cl.jpg?v=1780965421","url":"https:\/\/whiskysituation.co.uk\/products\/brora-38-year-old-diageo-special-release-15-limited-edition-highland-single-malt-scotch-whisky-2016-70cl","provider":"Whisky Situation","version":"1.0","type":"link"}