Oh! Brora … Mythical distillery to say the least which shone and still shines with its high-quality official bottlings. We start, on whiskyandco, by the 10th annual edition (yes, that’s how we roll) released in 2011…
Nose: we feel a beautiful power with austerity as a plan. We’ve got a lot of dry straw, camphor, thujas and lemon juice. The cold stone emerges with force and a hint of earthy smoke (tobacco leaves) joins the party. The maritime feature increases and pecan pie appears. The barn is still well-represented with an animal personality (horse, leather). We also smell peach, pie pastry, …. The white fish gets in with herbs (dill, borage, bay laurel, cut-grass, mint). It dazzles our nose and this is a thousand times more pleasurable to inhale than to read. All seems logical and in harmony, a well set-up sequencing. The opening brings a lot of gray pepper, ginger and some toasted and buttered brioche. The water makes it more intermingled with this highlighted lemony feature (juice still very present) and an alteration of the farm component.
Mouth : We’ve got a wonderful texture, with an important breadth without alcoholic sensation. We begin with peach but quickly the heat develops with these barn notes perfectly balanced. They escort a fabulous mineral-lemon/yuzu juice duo and pecan nut before turning to the dry fish, enriched in iodine. It’s austere but at the same time nothing goes out of the frame. Clean, really clean.
The water brings the lemon, anew, and a smoked part which wasn’t so pronounced until then. The profile is still that much sharp. A splendid realization. Long live the precision.
Finish : long with a big persistence on the dry fish, the lemon, the pepper and a retro-olfaction on smoke, dry fish, cut-grass but also mint.
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