Brora

Brora stands in the village of the same name on the coast of Sutherland. It was founded in 1819 as Clynelish. When a new Clynelish distillery was built next door in the late 1960s, the old site was renamed Brora.

In the early 1970s Brora made heavily peated spirit for blending, at a time when peated malt was in short supply. These peaty vintages, together with the waxy, coastal character it shares with Clynelish, built its reputation. The distillery closed in 1983 and stayed silent for almost four decades, which is why some older labels still call it silent.

Diageo restored the distillery and its original stills and began distilling again in 2021. New Brora spirit will take many years to mature, so what buyers meet today is old stock from before 1983.

Official bottlings include the Rare Malts Selection, the annual Diageo Special Releases (for example the 25 Year Old of 2008), the Brora Triptych set and the Prima & Ultima series. Independent bottlings are rarer and mostly date from earlier years: Gordon & MacPhail's Connoisseurs Choice, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (cask code 61), Ian Macleod and That Boutique-y Whisky Company. Expect high prices, especially for the 1970s vintages.