Time to get serious with the reviews again. My focus this week: Diageo’s Special Releases. This is my favorite of the bunch.
Brora, 30 year old, 53.2%, $400
This whisky has all the good aspects of a very mature whisky (depth, complexity) without all the bad ones (excessive oak, one-dimensional). Very clean, but oily in texture, with honeyed vanilla, caramel, citrus (tangerine, orange, lemon), nectarine, olive brine, black pepper, ginger, cut grass, mustard seed, and just the hint of teasing smoke. Briny, spicy finish. Wonderful! (And becoming increasingly rare.)
Advanced Malt Advocate magazine rating: 95
Update: As I mentioned below in one of my comments below, I have a small amount of this year’s 30 year old, the previous 30 year old and the previous 25 year old. I just lined them up and am tasting them now as I am typing.
My thoughts? An interesting comparison. I’m getting more caramel and toffee sweetness with the 25 year old, more brine and youthful zest with the previous 30 year old, but I really think that the new 30 year old is the complete package. Well rounded, very elegant and very clean!
Truely a classic! Perhaps I was too stingy with my rating? But then again, you know how tough I am from 95 and upwards.
Wow! I’m myself a fan of Clynelish, and just by imagining the flavors described made me very jealous of John’s job. Anyways, someone has to do it… right?
Being a recent graduate but a true lover of Single Malts, I find these reviews to be interesting. However I think it would be great if you could review some scotchs in the under $100 category as I simply can not budget in a $400 bottle of pure deliciousness!
Thank you
In all seriousness (don’t mean to be a smartass), how can a typical mature whisky be both complex (a positive) and one-dimensional (a negative)?
@GS Doesnt the review say it IS complex and NOT one-dimensional
Macdeffe
If only I had $400, or knew a place to get a sample. That sounds fantastic!
I was really extremely impressed by the last Brora 30, but not quite as much by the more recent 25. Which one would you most compare it to?
How would you compare it to Clynelish OB?
Sounds wonderful, but from the price I don’t think I will ever get to try Brora.
I ended up buying the 2007 bottling knowing that the 2009 release would be more expensive. I expect by the time it makes it through the distribution system here in the States, that Brora will be over $500.
Luckily I’ve had the chance to try a few of the previous releases, and they’ve all been excellent – as I am sure this one is also – but the price tag here in Denmark is up even higher than in the US. Here the Annual release Broras go for app. 600$!!
I have a few indie Broras in the cupboard (not opened), but from notes none of them is even close to the majestic 30yo’s. Oh – and I do have a 2nd release also saved for at very special occasion.
Brora is a fantastic whisky and sure is a distillery that will be missed.
I had a tiny sample of this. Note here:
http://www.whiskywhiskywhisky.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=2702
Shame I can’t afford a whole bottle as it’s wonderful stuff. I’m not surprised you gave it 95, John!
And where would an interested party find a bottle like that?
UK: http://bit.ly/7YpZrN – not sure about anywhere else.
Toby, you have to tell us what country you live in. Then we can guide you.
butephoto: yes, my sample is (was) tiny too.
Red, let me see if I have any of the previous years’ samples. If I do, I’ll try to taste them side-by-side. In the meantime, maybe someone else out there can offer a comparison of this release with previous ones?
Lawschooldrunk: Broras have varied from being very similar to Clynelish to being heavily peated and quite smoky. (I have a Rare Malts version from–I think–1972 that was like this.) It’s my understanding that for a while they cranked up the peating levels at Brora to help fill a void of Islay whisky. The whisky I reviewed above has only a teasing of smoke.
I’ve tasted it as well: http://bit.ly/56xsfW
While I think it’s delicious, I was still slightly disappointed because it’s all too fruity and in a certain way more Clynelish than Brora to me. I prefer the mildly peated, farmy (“dirty”) versions of previous years.
Whiskynotes, yes, I agree this one is more “Clynelish” in personality. If you’re looking for one of those more rustic, peaty expressions, this one is not for you.
GS, I think that Steffen answered your question.
Oliker, I have, and will, do reviews of whiskies less than $100.
I am glad to see your review of this one. That is a dram I would love to own.
Photos are always a nice touch. This one was on the smallish side.
There aren’t very many scores of 95 from Malt Advocate, so this must be tasty.
That it isn’t priced for a thousand dollars or two like other brands at 30 years of age, is surprising.
I just might save up for this one. Nice job Diageo, it appears.
H. Diaz, I pulled the image from Diageo’s website. Yes, they are usually larger than this. I’ll see if I can get a better image.
And you’re right. I get stingy from 95 and above.
John, do you know how many vintages of the 30 YO Brora have been produced – I know of at least two and I have the most recent one before the one reviewed – If you can compare them side by side that would really help provide some perspective on this most recent release.
BJ, I am going to dig around tonight (while I get those Ledaig samples organized) and see if I can find any leftover earlier releases to compare to.
I enjoyed a beyond-tasting generous pour of this from under the table at an event maybe two months ago. It was enough to walk around and savor for a while, and I think John’s review is excellent. Unfortunately, I can’t speak to the comparative question from Red, but unsurprisingly I wish it were otherwise!
I will say that after this whisky I didn’t know what to have next at the tasting, because it was beyond everything else available. A lovely rep suggested I have the spider left in the Blue Label bottle, which came to at least two fingers (more than she anticipated, to which she smiled and said, “If anyone asks, you added water”). No one asked, so no pressure to lie. But, having Blue Label right after this Brora, it was immediately clear to me that the Brora was superior. Admittedly, that’s just me, but I thought the character and depth was really outstanding.
You know, I didn’t comment on your post related to whiskey New Years resolutions, but I didn’t want to complain about the price of whiskey, but it is so prohibitive to enjoy great Scotches at this price. I would have loved to try some because it sounds great.
Red, BJ: I have a small amount of this year’s 30, the previous 30 year old and the previous 25. I just lined them up and am tasting them now as I am typing.
My thoughts? An interesting comparison. I’m getting more caramel and toffee sweetness with the 25 year old, more brine and youthful zest with the previous 30 year old, but I really think that the new 30 year old is the complete package. Well rounded, very elegant and very clean! Truely a classic! Perhaps I was too stingy with my rating? But then again, you know how tough I am from 95 and upwards.
Thanks, John.
For that money, it’s not worth taking a chance on a Brora because I dislike clynelish OB 14yo.
I’d rather go with a sure thing for my palate.
My understanding is that the more heavily-peated Broras were meant to fill in as blend material while Caol Ila was being refurbished. Otherwise, Brora is as much Clynelish as any whisky of that era is what it is (if that makes sense…I hope it does). All of the Scottish distilleries have undergone changes over the years, whether incrementally, or being totally rebuilt, as Caol Ila and Clynelish were. The peculiar thing with the latter is that the ne and old plants operated side-by-side for several years, which is the only reason that we know the older plant by a different name. That oddity of history has led to Brora gaining the same sort of cachet that defunct plants like Port Ellen and Rosebank have, despite the fact that the distillery in Brora has never closed and continues to produce very fine whisky.
If you must have “Brora”, there are still bottlings about priced more reasonably than this, although the pool seems to be drying up rapidly, more so than even Port Ellen. I’m happy to have a D Laing Old & Rare 26yo and a Rare Malts 24yo in reserve, but I expect that’s it for me. But I’ve also just finished a SMWS Clynelish that was tops, and I look forward to many more under that name.
[...] 30 year old Brora (Diageo 2009 Special Release) is expensive, but John Hansell gives it extremely high [...]
LSD: Wise decision.
Mr TH. Good perspective. There are other Brora options with the Indie bottlers at a lesser price. As always, try to taste before you buy. But I don’t recall ever having a “bad” Brora.
And, as we have mentioned, you can get Clynelish whiskies (especially younger ones)at lower prices.
But, having said all this, if you want a mature distillery bottled Brora in the lowly peated style and can afford it, this one is an excellent choice. It’s one of the best malt whiskies I have tasted this year.
what is your opinions on the diego distillers editions that have been hitting the shelves and flying off them eaqually fast?
@MrTH – you’re right that Brora was being used a filler for Caol Ila in the 70′s.
To my knowledge this stopped around 1980, although a few peated batches was produced after that. From 1980 until closure in spring 1983, the peating levels dropped significantly although more than traces still can found in several single casks/bottlings.
As John quite rightly points out, most Broras are good, although i’ve tried a couple that seemed a little ‘thin’ compared to the rest of the stuff iv’e tried – although none ‘thin’ bottlings i’ve tried have been OB’s
Also just got a hold a Rare Malt Clynelish 1974 23yo – a bit pricy, but hey..
I’ll have to stand by an earlier statement the whisky from Clynelish/Brora in the early 70′s is liquid gold, so I coughed up the money – Looking very much forward to this one 
On another note… I visited Clynelish/Brora in August 09′ and after nagging the tour guide for half the tour, he then agreed to show me the old Brora stillroom… and guys!! The stills are still in there!! and not remoed at sold on to some distillery in China as rumors had it.
Imagine the reopening of Brora and spirit off the old stills again – could be totally cult, and maybe even a good business?? But then again, the plant is Diageo owned, and so probably not very likely
But what an adventure that could be? or is that just me?
Hi John and all,
.
There are quite some mistakes about Brora in some books or web sites. I do not think it was relaunched because of Caol Ila being refurbished as Brora started to redistill in 1969 whilst Caol Ila was silent between 1972 and 1974 if I’m not mistaken. Actually there had been a severe drought on Islay in 1968 and the Johnnie Walker people were hence lacking ‘Islay type’ whiskies while the brand was skyrocketing (especially Black, that’s quite peaty). Some DCL people wanted to build a new distillery on Islay but others were looking for a distillery on the mainland to convert it to peaty whisky as it would have been cheaper and more convenient (as several other distilleries did a few years later, like several Seagram distilleries or Tobermory/Ledaig on Mull). They finally decided to restart the old Clynelish instead (it had been mothballed two years before) and called it ‘Brora’. As they say, the rest is history. Should you be interested in precise dates and so on, I think I have everything somewhere on a hard drive
John, it sounds as though this year’s Brora 30 release is very consistent with the flavor profile and peating trajectory of the Broras produced between the early 1970s through the early 1980s.
LSD, your whisky life is not complete until you have tasted a first rate Brora, the 14 yo Clynelish you describe is from a completely different distillery. I can’t vouch for this Brora, but out of the 25 or so Broras I have tasted only one was not up to snuff.
B.J. Reed, the current Brora release is in a line of 30 yos that started in 2002, although unfortunately none was allocated to the US until about 3 years ago. Before this line of releases, there were various releases under the UDV Rare Malts line between 1995-2003, all excellent. The peat monster Broras are found most consistently between the distillation years of 1972-1974, by 1975, some Brora batches were discernibly less peated (the 1975 Rare Malt bottles come to mind). In spite of this, you still find relatively peaty Broras up until the bitter end, when the distillery was closed in 1983. IMO, 1972 was the Annum Mirabilis for Brora – if you can get your hands on any of the 1972 Rare Malts Brora, go for it. I found one on a high shelf in an out of the way charcuterie shop in Tuscany a few years and it was one of the best malts I have ever tasted. The 1972 bottling for the PLOWED Society/Douglas Laing was very memorable as well. I have not tasted any Brora distilled earlier than 1971, for which Douglas Laing/Old Malt Cask released several terrific bottlings around 10 years ago, but I would love to based on the high praise given to Brora (then called Clynelish before the construction of the present modern distillery) by David Daiches in his book, Scotch Whisky: Its Past and Present (1969).
I have found a few old pages that I built back in 2005 and put them online for your information. I remember I wasn’t 100% pleased with them so never published them but well, here you go. But warning: anorak matters! (remember, not updated since five years)
http://bit.ly/7v3xwB
@LSD: Brora is quite a different product from the modern Clynelish distillery. I don’t like the Clynelish 14 YO, but I love Brora
@BJ Reed, there are no Vintages per see, but Diageo released a 30 YO annual release every year since 2002, except 2008, when they released the 25 YO.
@ Serge, by the way, at “http://www.whiskyfun.com/brorahistory.html”, it is still written : “latest update: Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:39:17 GMT Please note that this page will be entirely updated within the coming weeks” Is this one of your resolution for 2010
?
To come back to John tasting note, this was not specified, but I presume it was the 2009 bottling.
I just had a first dram last month and I should taste it again more seriously soon, but I really enjoyed it too. Not a cheap whisky, but $400 for a 30 YO from a closed distillery with stocks closed to zero, this is still quite cheap compared to other malts and the price you will have to pay in a few years from noe.
@brian mcgregor
For the special releases, this is indeed the case. Compared to other companies, they are good value whiskies. I am trying to get a sample of the Mannochmore, but all the other special releases for 2009 were really good.
The only products flying the shelves not that quickly are the manager’s choice.
@ Patrick, oh gosh, you’re right about the Brora pages. I had big plans (of which I’ve posted a part – see link above) and the next move had to be meeting with ex-workers and manager but I could never do it. A shame and a pity! Maybe one day…
I have not tasted the most recent (2009) release of Brora 30yo but I have tried a few previous releases from the 2004-2007 period. Quite simply they were the best whiskies I have ever tried, the only thing that comes close for me is THE Talisker 20yo for it’s intensity and complexity. Other indy Broras I have tasted have been great but not near the 30yo OB.
The most recent Brora 30yo I tried was the 2007 release at a Diageo Special Release masterclass last year and it blew the rest of the line-up away, including a 30yo Oban and 32yo Glen Ord, for me anyway.
@leither, you mean the 32 YO oban and the 30 YO Glen Ord
@Serge: I was not aware of these plans. Maybe we can something together like writing a book ?
Excellent comments! Especially from Serge, Todd, and BigMac. Very informative! Thanks for taking the time to provide the information.
@ Todd, I await any Brora sample!
John Said: It’s one of the best malt whiskies I have tasted this year.
We’ll that doesn’t mean much for 2010, right
?
I hope to taste it soon. I have a 2004 version on stock but am still too ‘scared’ to open it.
Grtz,
EMalt
I tried all the official Brora 30 ARs and I must confirm, that the recent version is excellent but very clynelish-like, whilst the former versions from 2002 to 2007 were all much more peaty and farmyardy.
@Emalt: The 2004 vintage is my favourite of this series. Don’t be scared and don’t let this exquisite experience wait for you in that bottle for too long
BigMac – I visited in 2001 and saw those stills – Its a shame that it is just a shell right now but beautiful to look at!
Todd, Patrick – Thanks for the detail on the history of the 30 YO – I have to check and see which year/vintage I have – Now a vertical tasting of the 30 YO’s since 2002 would be fun
Thanks for the info all. I am still trying to put it all together. Maybe another dram!
The new Brora has made it through US distribution, we have had it in NE for about 8 weeks now. Should be easy to find under $400.
A fantastic dram! I let it get over-shadowed temporarily by my love for PE, but it’s a new year.
We’ll tip the bottle for tonight’s Cask Strength tasting. I agree with John that this year’s release is the most well-balanced we’ve seen. A much better proportion of the toffee to the brine. Reminds me of my favorite dark chocolate, sea salt truffles!
This whisky should be available in Calgary Canada within the next few months for those North of the 49th paralell. I believe Talisker 30 and Port Ellen 30 are arriving at the same time. Theywere supposed to be here months ago but it sounds like they are worth the wait! It will be in the CDN$450-500 range.
For any of you who make it up to Clynelish Distillery in the town of Brora there is a slim chance they will let you in to see the old Brora Stills. You just have to charm the guides!
Slainte!
Andrew Ferguson
Monique was true to her promise and we tasted it last night – Excellent balance as both John and Monique indicated – I have to open my 2007 and then do a comparison.
Recent trip to Austria resulted in find of 2002 30 year. Not familiar with the taste of Brora yet. How special should a relationship be with a person before I share?