Brora reopened in 2021 after more than 40 years of silence. While the stills might not have been running between 1983 and 2021 the existing stock of Brora whisky that was quietly maturing in warehouses across Scotland continued to be released. Via official series and independent bottlers, the renown of Brora as a single malt started to spread. One seemingly innocuous release in 1995 would go on to become one of the the highest rated Brora releases on Serge Valentin’s renowned scotch review site Whiskyfun.
The Rare Malts Selection
Diageo’s Rare Malts Selection was introduced reluctantly by the drinks giant in 1995. Diageo at the time was almost solely focused on the blended whisky market the Rare Malts Selection reflected that. While it’s become an icon of its era, the series tends to feel like it was a way to shift a few casks rather than a serious attempt to embrace the single malt market, which was still very much in its infancy at the time.
Diageo’s attitude to single malts in the 1990s is summed up well in a section of the book Independent Scotch by David Stirk: “I also remember having a few drinks with part of the marketing team from Diageo. […] I recall boldly stating to one of them that if they were to let me loose in their warehouses I would guarantee a £1 million profit in the first year. The reply was something along the lines of ‘Diageo is a blending company. The Company turns over £13 billion each year, the trouble you would cause in search of your £1 million profit would not be worth the hassle. And Diageo will never bottle single cask whiskies.'”
They did, of course, go on to bottle and single cask whiskies under several different series, and single malt scotch has become a high value part of Diageo’s turnover. Rare Malts was introduced in 1995 as a series of single cask releases from across Diageo’s huge portfolio of open and closed distilleries. Many of them have gone on to become cult classics worth thousands, but many bottles from smaller and lesser known distilleries can still be picked up for a few hundred dollars.
Brora 1972 22 Year old
There are at least three versions of the Brora 1972 22 Year old Rare Malts Selection, each distinguished by their ABV. There are other Rare Malts Selections from Brora as well, ranging from a 20 year old that you can pick up from around $900 to a 24 year old that’s around $1,200. However 1972 is somewhat of a renowned year for Brora and so it’s these early vintages that command the most.
The most expensive of the three 1972 Brora Rare Malts is the 60.02% ABV bottles. Interestingly, this is likely because they appear slightly less frequently at auction compared to the other two. However if you want to try the highest rated Brora on Whiskyfun you can also save yourself a few thousand dollars.
The Brora 1972 22 year old 58.7% ABV Rare Cask Selection has a mind blowing 97 points on Whiskyfun. Correct us if you’ve found something higher, but we think that’s the highest rated Brora on the site—it might well be one of the highest ratings we’ve seen full stop.
Signup now to make sure you don't miss out on the latest whiskey news and deals.
By Signing up, you accept and agree to our Terms of Services and you acknowledge our Privacy Statement. The Whiskey Wash is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Any 1972 vintage from Brora tends to be well received by critics, and if you are willing to experiment with independent bottlings you can get your hands on a bottle from around $2,800. If you’d rather stick with official releases then there are actually two bottles of Brora 1972 22 Year old Rare Malts 58.7% available now on the Whiskey Wash Shop. (Plus these are around $2,600 cheaper than elsewhere at retail right now!)
Latest On The Whiskey Wash
Latest News