Brora 1976 / 30 Year Old

Nose: Lovely heathery-tinged malt aromas, also very fruity with mandarins and blackberry & apple pie jumping out. Big oak. Some slightly briny notes.  Cocoa tones develop along with a hint of honey and cloves.  Faint whiff of smoke eventually.

Palate:  A continuation of the nose, but with the sudden addition of some lively pepper and spices.  A serious amount of drying oak developing in the mid-palate along with some lovely woodsmoke and peaty notes.  Medium-bodied, but with impressive flavour intensity.

Finish:  Long and lingering with the oak gradually taking over from the fading spices.

Comment:  On the pricey side, but a must for serious Brora fans.  Bottled just in time - the balance is quite delicate and the oak is on the verge of completely taking over.

"Distinctly coastal, maritime and oceanic on the nose, full of summer holidays by the sea, (even walking by the harbour with a vanilla ice cream cone).  The mid weighted body carries a palate that explodes with iodine, peat and a dessicating saltiness - with a lingering phenolic character and an allusion to vanilla'd sweetness.  The late palate continues to run into the finish; both being extremely carbonic with coal dust, damp fires and all manner of phenolic qualities."

[This tasting note is reproduced from the Certificate of Authenticity accompanying this malt]