As you may know, one my favourite drams so far is a 30yo Brora 1976 by Douglas Laing. It goes without saying that I’m on the lookout for similar bottles. This is one of them, although 1981 is usually a lesser year than 1976 for the distillery. Like the other one, this sherry cask is released in the Old & Rare Platinum series of Douglas Laing, and there are just 93 bottles!
Brora 28 yo 1981 (57,4%,
Douglas Laing Old & Rare Platinum 2009, 93 bottles)
Brora 28 yo 1981 (57,4%,Nose: starts rather prickly and sharp. Wet dogs, leaves, drying hay, walnuts… A vegetal kind of farminess this time, no sheep involved… Anything but sweet, although this changes over time with some dried fruits, ginger ale and even coconut shining through. There’s also a Karuizawa kind of gunpowder, quite uncommon. Complex yet different from the 1970’s style. Gets more grassy with water, and it shows hints of tobacco.
Mouth: again very vegetal, with leaves and sharp peat. Lemon balm. Hints of tobacco. Very herbal and grassy now. A lot less subtle than how I remember the 1976. When water is added, there’s wax to be found.
Finish: long, on sharp peat and some pepper. Hints of gunpowder again.
This Brora is not as brilliant as its older brother, but it’s still excellent with a few unique touches. A bit too austere for me to get a higher score, but maybe you like this type of Brora more than I do. One problem: it’s around € 450 which I find quite hefty – the official Brora 30 yo’s are better value.
Score: 91/100