Cuvée presentation
Small batch Brora, distilled in 1982 and bottled in 2010 by Gordon & MacPhail. The company was founded in Elgin in 1895 by James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail, initially operating, as was common at the time, as a grocer and wine merchant. John Alexander MacPhail retired in 1915 and John Urquhart joined the business as a new partner. His son George followed in 1933, a few years after James Gordon was killed in a car accident. The company worked with several major Speyside distilleries, building up substantial stocks and bottling whisky under licence for many of them, including Glen Grant, Linkwood, Mortlach, Macallan and Glenlivet. Business flourished in the 1970s, with distributors in several countries and casks sold to a number of Italian bottlers, many of whose selections have since acquired legendary status. Today, Gordon & MacPhail remains under the stewardship of the Urquhart family and operates from its original premises. One of the most iconic names in independent bottling, it holds vast stocks of whisky, including exceptionally old casks that are difficult to match elsewhere. Gordon & MacPhail oversees maturation from start to finish and has also owned Benromach distillery since 1993.
The distillery Brora
Scotland, Northern Highlands. Distillery closed. Owner: Diageo
In the midst of the 1980s economic crisis, further accentuated by several decades of overproduction, Brora, like many Scottish distilleries, was forced to close on 17 March 1983. Founded in 1819 by the Marquess of Stafford in the village of Brora (Sutherland), it was originally named Clynelish. Swept up in the euphoria of the period following the end of WWII, the owners decided to increase its production capacity in 1967, building a new cutting edge production unit on the same site, dubbed Clynelish #2. To prevent confusion between the two distilleries, the historic site was renamed Brora in 1969 and its malt adopted a very peaty profile up until the late 1970s. For purists and “taste historians”, the 50s and 60s versions of Clynelish #1 (Clynelish 12 Year old Ainslie & Heilbron Distillers, Spring Cap, Clynelish 24 Year Old Cadenhead, Clynelish 28 Year old 1965 Signatory Vintage) have become so impossible to find that most would never even hope to experience them. The peated versions from the 1970s and more specifically those from 1972 (Brora 22 Year Old Rare Malts Selection 60.02% and Brora Old Map Label Connoisseurs Choice Gordon & MacPhail) are still available and an absolute must-have for any self-respecting enthusiast or collector.
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