Tasting a 19 yo Brora matured in sherry casks is the best way to start a new week. This was bottled in 2001 by Ian MacLeod for the Chieftain’s series. Enough said. If you still do not know it, Brora is our favorite distillery, so we’re a bit excited. The colour is amber.
N: that typical Brora dirty note of stable we immensely love is here. It’s not overwhelmed by the sherry and it curiously takes the form of a shy note of soffritto, slightly meaty… There ara also a gentle hint of wax and a delicate, stealthy smokiness, increasing with time. The nose is definetely open and some ripe fruits stand out: apples, apricots and charamelized orange, with notes of molasses and brown sugar. A lovely biscuity side is also recognizable. The winey side is discrete, perfectly integrated with hints of strawberries and red fruits. It’s a warm, dense nose, the flavors follow one another in constant evolution. Dates? Slowly, the nervous peat becomes more intense. Classy.
P: rather surprising, after the nose. The waxy, dirty side is almost disappeared, leaving room for an unstoppable fruitiness. The result is a round and smooth palate, with the ex sherry casks playing the main role, without losing the elegance (it’s not a sherry monster!). Some red fruit jam traces, lots of oranges and apricots, dried plums and even banana. The sweetness is completed by some toffee (a creepy idea: banoffee pie!). Licorice and a sweet smokiness, like pipe’s tobacco. Nutmeg at the end.
F: a nice taste of warm hay is back, taking us to that famous stable. Spiced wood (nutmeg), caramel and a deep fruity soul. Pipe’s smoke again.
It seems quite different from Broras we’ve been tasting during the last years, but it’s always a fine example of pleasantness and elegance. A super-complex whisky, fruity, a miracle of balance between sherry casks influence and its particular maltiness, slightly smoky. Round, evolving, intense, drinkable, charming… Ok, it’s not the most Brorish between the Broras, however it’s 92/100.
Recommended soundtrack: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Jubilee Street.