Product Description
THE BARTENDER’S BOOK
The Brora 35 Year Old 13th Release, bottled in 2014 as part of Diageo’s Special Releases, is a distinguished Highland single malt Scotch whisky. Distilled in 1978 at the now-silent Brora distillery, it was matured for 35 years in a combination of refill American and European oak casks and bottled at a natural cask strength of 48.6% ABV. This limited release comprised 2,964 bottles, each exemplifying Brora’s signature lightly peated character, complemented by notes of coastal salinity, smoke, and dried fruits, culminating in a long, warming finish. The 13th Release is highly prized by collectors and connoisseurs alike, standing as a testament to Brora’s storied legacy.
TASTING NOTES
Taste is more than flavor. It is the full conversation between glass, nose, mouth, and memory. Here, we break each spirit into four parts:
AROMA
Waxy malt, orchard fruit, orange peel, honey, grape, hessian, hemp, light ozone, discreet peat, old tar, apple, and soft smoke.
PALATE
Honey, wax, ginger, citrus, orchard fruit, heather, pepper, mild smoke, old oak, and touches of tropical fruit, including mango, pineapple, and coconut.
FINISH
Long, elegant, lightly smoky, and drying, with black pepper, aniseed, dark chocolate, citrus peel, old oak, and lingering fruit tannin.
TEXTURE
Waxy, polished, medium-weight, and mature, with enough natural strength to keep the profile lively without making it aggressive.
This 13th Release shows Brora in a refined late-stage form: wax, honey, orchard fruit, citrus, old oak, restrained smoke, and gentle peat. It is not one of the most feral Broras; it is more about maturity, balance, and quiet complexity.
STRAIGHT TALK
This is a serious official Brora release with real collector standing, but it is not the most extreme or farmyard-heavy Brora profile. Its appeal is age, polish, official Special Releases status, and the classic waxy Brora signature. The limitation is that some Brora collectors prefer the more explosive early-1970s peat monsters. Whiskybase shows a strong public score of 91.46/100 from 129 ratings, placing it firmly in respected territory.
Availability Note:
This is a limited 2014 official Special Release from closed-distillery-era Brora stock. With 2,964 bottles released, it is scarce, though less microscopic than single-cask Brora bottlings. Normal retail availability should not be expected; it belongs mainly to specialist retail, auction, and collector-market channels.
THE MIX
The flavor logic here sits around wax, orchard fruit, citrus, honey, heather, pepper, mild smoke, old oak, and subtle tropical fruit. It is polished rather than brutal, so the affinities should lean elegant, gently smoky, fruit-driven, waxy, and lightly spiced.
Citrus:
Orange peel, lemon zest, grapefruit peel, yuzu, bitter orange
Fruit:
Ripe apple, pear, grape, mango, pineapple, yellow plum, apricot
Spice / Herbs:
Black pepper, ginger, heather, bay leaf, thyme, aniseed, dried sage
Sweet / Dessert Notes:
Honey, dark chocolate, coconut, vanilla, shortbread, almond biscuit, light toffee
Savory / Food Pairings:
Smoked trout, roast chicken, grilled mushrooms, aged Comté, mushroom tart, roasted leeks, charred root vegetables
Jazz Chef angle:
This is Brora in a tailored coat: wax, honey, orchard fruit, old oak, and quiet smoke, with Highland weather still clinging to the hem.
A DISTILLER’S TALE
Brora’s modern legend comes from its closure in 1983, which made all pre-closure stock finite. Diageo’s Special Releases gave collectors a structured way to encounter remaining Brora inventory. The 13th Release, bottled in 2014 from 1978 stock, shows a mature, waxy, fruit-led side of the distillery rather than the aggressive peat-and-farmyard face found in some earlier-vintage Broras.
MY TAKE
Public perception is strong and respectful. It has the official Brora name, a 35-year age statement, Diageo Special Releases pedigree, and a high community score. It is not usually framed as the most mythic Brora, but it is clearly treated as a serious, collectible, high-quality expression.
The Jazz Chef take: this is Brora after the storm has passed, still smoky, still waxy, but now speaking in fruit, honey, oak, and old Highland restraint.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.