Brora

Very nice smoke hints, part of a complex whole, rather difficult to describe, but with amongst other nice things, some animal notes characterize the nose. In the palate, a nice smoke impression, complex too, but a bit shy, which seems to hide some secrets this bottle wants to keep for a next tasting.... After adding a drop of water, some nice woody notes appear on a malty background. Hints of leather are part of the scene as well. A nice finish, but shorter than expected for a bottle of that price. An impression of alcohol hinders a bit at the end too. Probably this bottle needs some aeration to be able to develop all its qualities.

At the second tasting, this whisky revealed really all of its qualities. The nose is wonderfully smoky with some animal hints (meat) and some hints of walnuts, the whole being perfectly balanced. In the palate, a extraordinary feeling of happiness, due to the great complexity of the taste, covering the whole spectrum of possible tastes. Clearly salted notes with hints of meat juice followed by more spicy touches, but within a quite sugared register. A fantastic trip in the magical universe of taste. A very nice and very long finish, where liquorice hints are clearly present, mixed with leather notes amongst many others. Aeration was very good for this bottle.

Nice oily peat and floral notes characterize the nose. Some sea whiffs, seaweed and salt but little or no smoke, Beautiful farm hints, meat and leather. In the palate, this same peaty impression with some acidity behind it, dry bitter fruits, very rich taste palette perfectly melted in the dominating peat. :eat juice. Amazing density. The finish is particularly long and pleasant, essentially marked by the same notes as the nose and mouth were. A very homogenous whisky. A very spectacular one as well.

The nose is clearly marked by pleasant farmy hints, wet hay, and discrete hay.
The palate is half way between slightly acid hints and both smoky and slightly woody notes. A touch of peat.
The finish is slightly acids with a touch of light bitterness which enhances the pleasure.
This bottle has been opened for many months and it looks like it suffered from oxidation. The whisky remains pleasant, but seems to be far away from its quality when the bottle was first opened.

A vegetal nose, pleasantly marked by spices (pepper) with dry hay notes and nice hints of fruit on the background. Exotic fruits, coconut together with pear and banana notes. Hints of smoke. Great complexity, just a great nose. The mouth also is complex, expressive with first a mix of slightly acid notes, spices and fine wood and than an evolution on meaty impressions. The lingering finish is spicy, very pleasant but with a clear alcohol marked character. Woody hints too.

This bottle will make us think back nostalgically tothis great distillery, unfortunately closed for good. This malt is just pleasure. A peaty malt from Highlands with just enough smoke. A great balance. A pleasant finish. The impression of pleasure remains for long minutes in the palate, and despite its price due to its rarity, this malt has its place in each good whisky collection..

The second tasting did not change the conclusions of the first one. A wonderful whisky from the Highlands, with all the characteristics of one from Islay, with some more peaty and smoky subtlety.

The nose detects peat mixed with some clear animal, leather flavours and may be also some old oak hints on the background. In the palate, it is rather oily, full of character and a subtle mix of citrus fruits and peat seams to dominate, with however a small regret about the percentage of alcohol which seems to give a kind of water-character to this whisky. A very nice finish, with some oily peat characteristics. This remains a very nice bottle.

The Brora distillery is still present in the Highland landscape, even if it is closed since more than 20 years. It is currently used as a warehouse for the new Clynelish distillery.
Whisky from the Brora distillery are more and more difficult to find (20 years after its closing), and the prices are growing. The malt is characterised by its peaty taste, which is rather uncommon for whiskies from the scottish continent. This Signatory edition is really nice, even if it is too expensive.

At the second tasting, the nose detected a strange mix of sweet freshness and some medicinal character. Some cut grass mixed with some peat. In the palate, sweetness quickly gives way to some slight acidity, but without any aggression. Some far hints of smoke, mixed with a discrete presence of sherry announce a rather long and very pleasant finish.

The nose, mix of honey, smoky peat and fresh cut grass is quite amazing. The mouth recognizes the same combination of peat and smoke, surrounding a honeyish smoothness with some remote citrus hints and is not really convincing, especially if one knows other productions of this distillery. The finish, in the same notes, is quite long.

A very nice nose, perfectly complex, from ripe fruit to clear animal notes, meat or new leather through interesting sherry hints, the whole being really sweet, with a kind of acidity at the end. In the palate, the first impression is rather dry, followed by slightly acid and fruity notes at the time, not marked by the strenght of the alcohol, and at the end a touch of peat. A warm and relatively long finish, where sherry notes are present together with some fruity hints, a bit hidden behind the strength of the alcohol, which was paradoxically absent in the mouth.

Discrete fruity hints mixed to smoky and slightly woody notes developing gently on fresh citrus motes make this nose more than pleasant. And then some sherry notes follow in order to enhance the pleasure.
In the palate, a nice taste between ripe fruit, plum and refined wood, quite a strong (but not hindering) alcohol impression and finally a touch op peat.
A very long and fresh finish, rather complex where the slightly acid notes complete the woody and peaty impression which seems to dominate this finish.

The nose is overrun by a strong salty and smoky wave. Despite the power of this wave, a great complexity and an exceptional spicy and peppery delicacy on a discrete woody background. In the palate, just perfection. Very slight acid notes quickly make room to very pleasant salty, peppery and spicy notes. A great freshness, despite the high degree of alcohol. An exceptionally long and pleasant finish. A very great and unusual sophistication! Really an unbelievable wonder. It is very hard not to give the absolute top quotation to this fantastic bottle.

A very expressive nose, somewhere between salt, pepper and peat smoke, but even much more. A hint of plum, liquorice and a remote impression of hay. A great balance of fragrances. In the palate, the first impression is a bit of dryness, but very soon a pleasant mix of peat with a hint of sweet citrus fruit (tangerine) appears, followed by some discrete woody hints, slightly dominated by pepper and spices, giving it an unusual complexity. A remarkable balance too, where all the impressions are clearly present, but where none of them clearly dominates the other ones. The finish is exceptionally long, and again characterized by this remarkable balance between fine and discrete wood, smoke and very discrete hints of citrus as well.

The nose is amazingly balanced and rich. Delicate but powerful peat, very fine smoky aromas (smoked ham) and no aggressiveness at all. The impression in the palate is immediately very complex. A mix of dry peat and citrus fruits with just a little acidity, but an unequaled taste richness quite contrasting with the austerity of peat. Despite its great age, wood did not contaminate the taste of this great whisky. The finish is long and delicate. Nice memories of smoke, peat and some hints of citrus and of alcohol coming gently back to the palate.

A nice presence of peat at the first nosing, meaty impressions, quite marked hints of fruit and touches of vanilla. Sherry notes as well, and after some aeration, some malty notes, the whole being nicely complex. In the mouth, a pleasant bitterness developing on slightly acid notes. First some nutty taste, followed by some developments on more something more acid, citrus?. Or even something in the mood of haring in vinegar with clear smoky hints. A very nice and complex mouth. A lingering and contrasted finish, from bitter unripe walnut notes to malty sweetness through memories of smoke.

The nose is clearly floral, with a quite balanced mix of acid notes ant a nearly malty sweetness. A kind of complexity... without any exageration. The mouth is less expressive than the nose was, giving an impression of "weakness", despite the percentage of alcohol which should give a more expressive result. Some chocalate notes, mixed with some touches, between acidity and biterness. The palate is rather flat, which is surprising for a Brora of that age. However, some pepper hints. The finish is nice, long and somewhere between bitter chocolate and sweet malt. A nice whishy, however rather surprising for a Brora...

A first quite farmy nose, stable, wet hay, undergrowth followed by nice peaty notes. A rich and quite complex nose.
The mouth is clearly peated too and is less interesting than the nose was. But soon some slightly woody notes appear.
The finish is warm and from medium length, marked by the peaty notes the nose detected earlier.

The first nose is amazingly marked by clear cheese notes... Then it develops on farmy hints, wet hay and some peaty touches on the background. Quite an intense, nearly entrancing nose. The mouth is simply great. A marvelous mix of peat, smoke and wood. Spices too. Quite complex, pleasantly contrasted even if it remains on a rather uniform taste palette (in matching tones). The finish is even nice. Lingering and completing perfectly the mouth impressions.