Brora 1981 Signatory Vintage Single Cask 18 yo

 

 

 

46°

Distillery : Brora - Highlands

Wine Treated Bourbon Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By Signatory Vintage 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 1999

Peated around 7 ppm

Limited informations on this bottling carried out in 1999 by Signatory Vintage. We just know that there were 350 bottles. Specially crafted for La Maison du Whisky, it is intended for the French market. At the time, the distillery, which closed in 1983, was little known. The bottles got lost in nature. It was not until 10 to 15 years later that, with demand having exploded, the last copies sold at exorbitant prices. It should be noted that in 1981, Brora only used very little peat.

 

Let's Taste It : 

First nose, camphor. Very medicinal. Ether, disinfectant. And even detergent. Quite strong iodine. Little by little, white fruits take off. Varnished wood. Finally, it becomes very sweet, both earthy and greedy. Dry earth, white chocolate. Astringent peat. Coarse salt, minty freshness. Slices of apricot. After a while, nice balance, very pleasant. Citrus fruits, sesame, mate. On the palate, light fruits and explosive spices, cumin, paprika, heather, ferns, it's a little foresty. Salty and lemony. Olive oil. Ointment. Finishes slightly bitter, incense, paraffin, quite long, powerful, woody, sparkling.

 

In Short, 

For my first experience with Brora, I'd have to say that it wasn't conclusive... On the nose, which was initially very unbalanced, and on the palate, which was slightly watery, I found objective flaws. However, the complexity, originality and even radical nature of the product made me raise my rating, The nose really has a strong personality, and although I didn't like it very much, I think it can delight connoisseurs. The highly oily palate is interesting, and the finish is good. In fact, I found some similarities with Clynelish, the fairly strong spices, the minty touch and the ointment. I'm not crazy about it, but at least it's interesting and quite pleasant. I'm looking forward to the legendary bottlings, of which I have a few samples here and there.
Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Idles - MTT 420 RR