Credits: Scotchwhisky.net
For those who are slightly unfamiliar with these two distilleries, Clynelish and Brora have an intertwined relationship that bonds both of them. Clynelish started out in 1819, and things weren't so complicated till 1968 when the owners built a new distillery that was much bigger, and moved the name Clynelish to this new distillery. The old distillery was closed but eventually opened again a year later, this time under the name Brora. Sadly though, Brora shut its doors again in 1983 and has remained that way since.
This hasn't stopped the whiskies that have been created at these distilleries, especially in the 1960s-70s, from getting nothing short of rave reviews from the world's toughest whisky critiques. Brora distillery for example, ranks as one of Serge Valentin's top distilleries, and an expression from Brora got a staggering 97 points from Serge, reflecting the quality some of the whiskies from these distilleries possess.
But I digress, it is about these whiskies here, and so without further ado, here are the whiskies:
Name: Clynelish 24YO (Bottled for Sestante by Cadenheads)
Distillery: Clynelish (Highlands)
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Vintage: 1965
Age Statement: 24YO
Alc/Vol: 49.4%
This Clynelish is very much a legendary bottling, garnering high praise from all who have tried it in the whisky world. As a relative novice, to be able to even taste this is an honour and a spiritual experience. To say it was good doesn't really do it justice, it is arguably one of the best whiskies I've tried! The notes are skim, as I was basically just enjoying it...
Nose: Amazing. A superbly rich nose with notes of milk chocolate, vanilla, berries, cream and other fruits. Hints of raisins and a touch of peat to finish it off, but it is the richness and amazing balance of the nose that wins the day (24)
Taste/Palate: Full on again just like the nose. Notes of fruit, barley, oak and toffee bring up an extremely sweet and rich experience on the palate. There is an interesting smoothness that could be the waxiness that people state this distillery (and Brora) are famous for. Brilliant (24)
Finish: Oaky finish with notes of rich barley. Very lingering and amazingly balance (23)
Overall: Pretty much a brilliant whisky in every sense of the word! Definitely worth trying if one can get his/her hands on it (23) 94/100
Found at: Sadly I don't know any place that sells this.
Now let's move on to a brilliant Brora that started a phenomenon!
Credits: Royal Mile Whiskies
Name: Brora 2002 Edition (1st Edition)
Distillery: Brora (Highlands)
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement: 30YO
Alc/Vol: 52.4%
If one looks around for recent bottlings of now closed Brora, one would notice these very nice looking long thin bottles, all bottled at very healthy ages of 25 or 30 years old. These are owners Diageo's releases of this well-regarded distillery, and yes, due to the fact that stock is diminishing, the prices are very expensive. This expression, though, is the one that started it all way back in 2002. This first edition of releases set the tone for annual releases of the whisky, all of which are highly sought after.
Nose: Green grass, butter, hay, warm leather, spice and cream all hit one full on in an extremely powerful and pungent nose. Amazing stuff! (23)
Taste/Palate: Powerful stuff once again, with notes of spice, grassiness, cream, malt and oak. Hints of aromatic smoke, butter and that typical waxiness as well. (23)
Finish: Full on fresh barley with the grassiness continuing on, as well as the notes of peat that Brora is famous for as well. More importantly though, the finish is extremely long and lingering (22)
Overall: I can see why this whisky started a craze, it is brilliant, balanced and rich in flavours. However it is a powerhouse of a whisky so be forewarned! (23) 91/100
Found at: Auld Alliance
Many thanks to Emmanuel Dron for the whiskies!
