Brora 21 Year (1981) Signatory Vintage

Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Brora

Bottler: Signatory Vintage

Region: Highland

Age: 21 year. Distilled on the 15th of December, 1981. Bottled on the 30th of July, 2003.

ABV: 46.00%

Cask Type: Ex-Sherry

Cask Number: 1586

Price: Pour courtesy of /u/KissMeElon, bottle originally from Dundee Dell in Omaha, NE which has sadly since closed.

Color: 0.3, Pale Gold. Non-Chill Filtered.

Nose: It’s fruity with a load of lemon up front. It’s tangy, light, and almost tropical with pineapples, grapefruit, pomelo, and the tiniest hint of dragon fruit joining the lemon. There’s a little bit of waxiness as well.

Palate: Much like the nose, it’s quite light. Chocolate malt and fresh mineral water are the main notes with a light earthiness. With two drops of water, it seems to spring to life. You get a waxy sugary note that reminds me of the tops of shelly senbei quite a bit. Mixed fruits pop in as well with papaya being a bit of a stand out.

Finish: Medium to short in length. Malted milk biscuits with just a dash of peat is what lingers the most. A little bit of waxy lemon remains as well.

Conclusion: /u/KissMeElon graciously shared a few of his bottles from the old Dundee Dell (a dive bar originally ran by a scotch enthusiast that has since closed and due to reopen under new owners) in Omaha, including the last of this Brora. This is the second Brora I’ve had a pleasure to try and a great demonstration of how similar it can be to it’s sibling Clynelish. The nose is light and waxy with citrus and tropical fruits. The palate is quite nice and balanced, especially with the waxy sugary notes and bits of earthiness. The finish is the only real hint of any peat being in this whisky, with a little bit lingering. While I wish a little more of that peat was there, it is a fairly tasty whisky on the whole.

Final Score: 85.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

Published by zSolaris

Unknown's avatar

Home is where the corn is! Or at least that's what I told the wife before moving her from sunny Southern California to the Midwest anyway. She doesn't share my love of scotch, the drink, but has been incredibly supportive of my little wander down the rabbit hole. We do both share a love of Scotch, our dog, though (she named him, I swear!). He's the cutie in the profile pic.

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