Brora 1977 37 Year (2015 Special Release)

It’s been ages since I gave something 5 stars. I had this blind…so, the 5 stars are truly unbiased. Before we begin…. One of my theories ( I have a lot) is that we as a human race initially survived because we were able to have fermented foods. Now, before you write me off as a nut job, hear me out. Imagine the first humans. It’s just them, and a bunch of wild animals that are stronger, faster, and meaner. Yes, we’re way smarter. But, the very first humans probably had to use more survival skills than smarts. Now, come winter, how are these humans going to survive? Hunting will be a challenge and infrequent. I think a good portion of their diet, in between hunting, had to be fruits…which probably were spoiled or a bit rotten at this point in the season. Rotten fruit is fermented, and a byproduct is alcohol. So, our early ancestor’s ability to survive was in great part due to their ability to have fermented foods, and alcohol. Unlike some of their bigger competition back then. That brings us to today. My wife can’t have alcohol at all. She’s severely allergic to it. Thankfully, her lack of that enzyme (alcohol dehydrogenase) wasn’t an issue for our ancestors. But, where she comes in for today is my asking her to pour me a sample blind. @ScotchingHard was extremely generous to send several unicorn samples….each and every one are hard to find, above my paycheck samples. So, how do I choose? I ask the alcohol allergic wife to randomly pick a sample, and pour it into a glencairn. If it’s over 43%, I ask her to add a few drops water. I’m so glad she bypassed that evolutionary necessity for alcohol dehydrogenase…because that means I can have all these unicorns to myself. Aroma of this is freakin hard to pin down. It starts fruity, then a bit farm-y. Some peat. Clearly, this doesn’t want you to rush things through , but rather sit back and savor it. At first sip…it’s too complex. Fruits like apricots, but a hint of smoke. A bit later, the peat makes an appearance. It’s now full onslaught of peaches and peat. Wow…this is absolutely amazing. I’m guessing it’s a well aged Laphroaig. Or a blend of Laphroaig and Clyneish. But, it doesn’t have that medicinal peat…instead more of a smoky peat. Maybe a mix of Lagavulin, Laphroaig, and Clynelish. An extremely well aged blend of those three…but I know @ScotchingHard didn’t send any top shelf Compass Box style blends….they were all single malts. Now the palette changes again after it’s sitting out …more waxy and smoky, less fruity. This is my WHISKEY OF THE YEAR 2021. I don’t even know what it is, but it’s the single most complex whiskey I’ve had in years. Just to set a baseline, I took the best whiskey I had on my shelf that’s already open—-an Amrut ex-rye single cask, to compare against this. This blew the Amrut out. No comparison. Okay…after 60 minutes of cherishing this slowly, while reading this week’s Barron’s, I finally asked my wife what did she pour. BRORA 37YR. I sincerely want to thank @ScotchingHard …it’s really rare for anyone to share a pour of this unicorn. It’s way above my pay grade, and something I’d never purchase at this price (years ago, I had one pour of a Brora, but that I was able to afford —was about 10-15 years ago). Fitting Christmas pour…hands down an amazing whiskey. It’s hard to justify the $1200 price tag, but if ever an opportunity presents itself, this is a bucket-list pour.

On my deathbed, I will drop a snow globe and whisper “Brora.” The best, most complex Scotch ever distilled is 1970s Brora. That’s not up for debate. If you don’t agree, you’ve either never had 1970s Brora, or you should just quit drinking whisky. Kidding aside, this official 2015 bottling of 37 year old Brora (distilled 1977) is the most expensive bottle of whisky I have ever bought at $1500. I have had several other Broras, usually in the setting of 1 ounce pours at well-stocked whisky bars on my birthday or some other special occasion. From those experiences, this was my favorite bottle of Brora that I could actually obtain. In case you’re wondering, my favorite Brora that I've tried - and best whisky that I've tried - is unobtainable for me: a 1972 Brora from the Diageo Rare Malts series, which is now selling on the secondary market for well over $10,000. Every whisky enthusiast will have a price point ceiling, which tends to grow upwards, above which he or she will not spend more for a single bottle. That point for me is right around what it costs for this bottle of Brora, which is sadly also the only Brora that I own. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: I was paranoid it might be counterfeit. The price I bought it for was somewhat suspicious because all the other stores had this bottle for $1700-1800. The foil seal was also a little loose. The first pour did not instantly blow me away, contrary to my birthday memories. I did not get any peat. Brora knowledge: Late 70s Brora was decently peated, as it was supposed to be a replacement for Caol Ila, which ran into a shortage, in blends. But I could also tell that this was a very good, and expensive whisky. There were luscious tropical fruit, rich beeswax, and cacao notes that can only come with a good spirit that’s been patiently aged. It made no sense for me that a counterfeiter would fill a bottle with liquid that still should amount to hundreds of dollars. So, I started letting the dram breath for extended periods, and then the magic happened. GETTING TO KNOW A WHISKY: I have never had a drink change so much in the glass as this Brora. Whereas it begins vibrant and fruity; over time, the peat just uncoils like a python. The fruits give way to dank, farm, tar, and premium saltines. The initial fruitiness remains, but in the background, with grilled pineapple, mango, and cantaloupe. The finish is gingery and with an elegant cigar smokiness. The mouthfeel and linger on the finish are light beer compared to the 1972 Brora, but it’s motor oil when compared to your standard modern Scotch. There are levels to this shit, and I feel very fortunate to be able to drink at this level; which is close to the penthouse, but it’s not the penthouse. The best time to enjoy this after pouring, is after allowing the whisky to sit in a covered Glencairn for 60-90 minutes. This allows for the greatest balance of flavors. If you let this sit out for longer, the peat does get stronger. And it’s a lovely, full-bodied and nuanced peat. Like if peat was a fruit, this would be overripe peat; like if a block of peat could grow mold, this would be fuzzy peat. And that is a definite experience worth having, but I also feel that when the peat takes over, the sweet fruitiness is no longer there, and the whisky loses its balance. BUT HOW DOES IT DO IN A BLIND TASTING? Brora is probably not going to win any blind tastings. In the only blind tasting I have included this in, it came in third place: 1. Laphroaig 18 year old (2016 official bottling at 48.0%) 2. Caol Ila 31 year old (2015 Signatory bottling at 47.0%) 3. Brora 37 year old (2015 official bottling at 50.4%) 4. Talisker 1985 Maritime Edition (2013 official bottling at 56.1%) 5. Laphroaig 19 year old (2015 Cadenhead bottling at 54.0%) 6. Laphroaig 32 year old (2015 official bottling at 46.7%) And I recently praised the Laphroaig 18 in a review for being the cheapest, most unassuming pour winning in the above epic line up. However, unblinded, against the Brora, Laphroaig 18 can go fuck itself. The weakness of blind tastings is that it does not favor the nuanced, chimeric scotches that you can sit down with for hours, like a Brora. As these bottles are getting scarcer, I can only hope I find another bottle at a similar price. If you can only splurge on a bottle of whisky once a year, or every few years, make it a pre-1980 Brora every time. With my tongue firm in my own cheek (because this Brora is so delicious), in the $1000+ category, this is the best value for money. Score: **** (So good, it made Laphroaig 18 fuck itself) How much does a bottle cost?: ~$2000 on secondary. Maybe slightly more. How much do I think a bottle is worth?: $2000, or the entire Tullibardine distillery.

Best whisky i ever tasted so far