Brora 1982-2002 - 20 Year Old - Chieftains - Single Cask 1197

The distillery now called Brora was known as Clynelish for most of its working life, producing a remarkable coastal Highland style lightly peated whisky with an acclaimed waxy character. Clynelish’s success led owners DCL to build a second distillery on the site in 1967, which is the Clynelish we know today. 

The original Clynelish closed briefly in 1968, but reopened the following year as Brora to make a more heavily peated malt whisky for blending purposes. Sadly the distillery was later deemed surplus to requirements and was closed in 1983. DCL’s successors Diageo announced plans to reopen Brora in 2017 and after a lengthy restoration distillation recommenced in 2021.

Any Clynelish whiskies pre-dating the 1970s are from the distillery now known as Brora, as are most if not all of the old Ainslie & Heilbron official 12-year-olds that continued into the early 1980s. The most famous modern era Brora bottlings are the 1990s Rare Malts Editions (particularly the 1972 vintages) and the Brora 30-year-olds from Diageo’s Special Releases.

Founded in 1933, Ian Macleod Distillers are rather low profile despite being the 10th-largest Scotch whisky company in the world.  The company is one of the largest suppliers of own-brand whiskies to bulk markets, with a diverse range of proprietary and independent bottling brands including Smokehead, Chieftain’s Choice and Isle of Skye.  The company also produces a variety of gins, vodkas and rums including Edinburgh Gin.

Ian Macleod acquired the Glengoyne distillery and the Langs whisky brands in 2003, changing the company name to Ian Macleod Distillers. Tamdhu distillery was purchased in 2011 and relaunched in 2013, while in October 2017 it was announced that Ian Macleod Distillers had acquired and were rebuilding the lost Lowland distillery Rosebank - a stunning coup that gladdened the hearts of whisky fans the world over. After an extensive refurbishment, production at Rosebank recommenced in summer 2023.