It’s Brora & Clynelish week! And we are to be offering up the Brora 1972 22 Year Old Rare Malts Selection for sale on our online shop.
Brora has gained something of a cult status since its closure in 1983, and Brora bottles are now highly-sought after among collectors.
History of the Rare Malts Selection
The Rare Malts Selection was created in 1995 with the aim of showcasing single malts from mothballed or lesser-known Diageo distilleries. Brora closed its doors in 1983, but the growing popularity of the single malt made it the perfect candidate for this series.
Most of the bottles in the series contain whisky that was distilled in the late 1960s, the 1970s, or the 1980s, and each whisky was aged for at least 18 years. The success of the Rare Malts Selection led to the creation of Diageo’s annual Special Releases range, of which Brora bottlings were an integral part. Brora bottlings will no longer appear in the Special Releases range, perhaps due to the imminent reopening of Brora in 2021.
Brora: Short But Sweet
Brora distillery was only active from 1969 to 1983 (well, under the Brora name – it had been running since 1819 under the Clynelish name), but in that short period of time it produced some stunning whiskies that are incredibly sought-after today.
Brora was the result of the resurrection of the old Clynelish distillery, known as Clynelish B, meaning that all Brora whiskies, on some level, are not Brora at all.
The old Clynelish distillery was mothballed briefly in 1968, before reopening as Clynelish B, and eventually becoming Brora in 1969. The stills and the methods of distillation remained as they were when the distillery was named Clynelish, meaning that it is more than just a name that links these two distilleries. However, this is soon set to change.
Brora’s Second Coming
In 2017 Diageo announced plans to completely refurbish and reopen Brora distillery. By the end of the renovation the distillery will look completely different to its counterpart across the road, boasting an updated aesthetic and a new visitor’s centre.
The news of this reopening was music to the ears of whisky fans around the world. Covid-19 has caused delays in construction, but Brora is set to reopen its doors sometime in 2021.
