Brora 9th Release 30 Years Old 54.3% NV

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (91)

NederMany people had thought that the quality of the Brora 30s would dwindle year after year as they would move away from the magical vintages from the early 1970s. I was among those people and I’m sorry to say that up to last year, we were proven wrong. Maybe that will change? Colour: straw. Nose: right, this isn’t as peaty as the 30yo used to be and we’re rather closer to the 25yo from two years ago, with something that’s rather ‘Talisker’ in the nose. It’s not explosive, rather delicately marine, seaweedy, almondy and buttery, with light vanilla notes and just hints of patchouli and various dried flowers. It’s got something slightly ‘old-world’. Faint farminess arising after a while, together with a little more peat. With water: as expected, more farmy, seaweedy, slightly grassy. Almond oil. Mouth (neat): this is more like an early-1970s Brora, with a good deal of peat, lemon and salt plus some obvious medicinal notes, antiseptic, wood smoke, kippers… It’s still unusually ‘unbig’ at 54% vol. and rather more lemony than others but quality’s very high here, no doubt about that, even if it’s not quite a ‘2004’ in my opinion. With water: ah yes, it’s all there now, with the salt, these oily notes, ‘a feeling of petrol’, more almonds, that famous waxiness, smoked salmon ( from river Brora of course), lemon… All perfect now. There must be some older casks in the vatting, and not just one. Finish: long, salty, sooty, smoky, paraffiny, with hints of green olives and anchovies in the aftertaste – or is that only brine? Comments: it’s funny how water revived the ‘Broraness’ in this Brora that’s rather less fruity than last year’s version in my opinion. I think Diageo should add a free miniature of Gleneagles water with each bottle. lands

Words of Whisky (93)

Color Yellow gold

Nose
Immediately a plethora of aromas reveal themselves. Citrus, apples, wax, caramel, honey. Especially the citrus is wonderful. And a very subtle hint of peat is always in the background. Although it mellows out after a while, dissappearing almost completely. Farm notes are also present in the form of dried grass. It also has a nutty and malty quality. Some spices appear: nutmeg and cloves. This is one of the best balanced noses I've ever had the pleasure of smelling.

Taste
A very salty and coastal start. The palate also has more peat than the nose suggests, but remains very subtle and is not overpowering at all. Minerals. And then the sherry influence surfaces with honeyed rice waffles, grapes and a dry mouthfeel. Next up are pepper, mint, artichoke, white fruit. The oily and waxy quality of this Brora is great.

Finish
Malty, peat, honey. Also ash, tobacco, leather and mint. An endless, medium-dry finish.

Comments
There are some wonderful aromas and flavors in this Brora. All very complex and satisfying. But the best thing about it is the unbelievable balance between the sherry and ex-bourbon casks used for this vatting. A great job selecting casks for this beauty.