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After 38
years of silence Brora distillery has
reopened and has gone back into
production of what was once known as one
of the peatiest Highland single malts.
Brora
distillery which last produced whisky
back in 1983 when it was closed during a
downturn in the popularity of whisky has
now reopened and has gone back into
production.
The peaty single malt produced at Brora,
once said to be the peatiest single malt
whisky in the Highlands, acquired itself
an iconic status amongst whisky drinkers
and collectors during its 38 years of
silence, so much so and with the
continuing growth in popularity of peaty
whiskies today, owners Diageo were
inspired to invest millions to reopen
the distillery, painstakingly restoring the original buildings, which
date back almost two centuries to 1819,
and bring the site back to life as a
working distillery.
More important than the look of the
distillery, Diageo's skilled
coppersmiths have refurbished the
original Brora two classic copper pot
stills and going forward the restored
distillery will now safeguard a
sustainable future for Brora, with the
installation of a biomass boiler powered
by sustainably sourced wood chips from
Northern Scotland.
 Ewan Andrew President, Supply &
Procurement said: "This is a new dawn
for Brora – a distillery that is a
beautiful new jewel in the crown of our
portfolio in Scotland. I am particularly
proud that Brora will be a carbon
neutral distillery entirely powered by
on-site renewable energy. This marks a
major milestone on our journey to invest
in Scotland, its rural communities and
the future of Scotch whisky."
Brora Master Distiller Stewart Bowman,
who is a native to the Sutherland town
and whose father was the last exciseman
at the distillery, officially marked the
launch by opening the Brora wildcat
gates and filling the first cask of
Brora spirit in more than 38 years.
Stewart said: "In 1983, my father wrote
in an old distillery ledger
‘Commencement of Brora Distillery silent
season (undetermined period)’. Growing
up in the village we often wondered
whether Brora would ever return, but
today we filled the first cask. It is
with great pride that I can now say to
my father, the Brora community, and all
the ‘old hands’ that worked at Brora and
helped to craft a legendary whisky, that
the stills are alive and we are making
Brora spirit once again."
With a 800,000 litres of spirit each
year production capacity Brora is among
Diageo's smallest distilleries and I am
pleased to say will be welcoming
visitors in small numbers on a
by-appointment basis, bookable via
Brora.com from July. Visits to the
distillery will include tastings of rare
Brora releases, including a new
distillery exclusive bottling only
available at Brora’s newly restored
home: The Brora Distillery Collection:
Hidden Beneath, a Brora 1982 39 Year
Old.
Of course it will still be some years
before whisky fans will be able to taste
any new spirit from Brora but meanwhile
if your pockets are deep enough you will find a bottle or two of the
highly rated peaty Highland malt whisky
which was produced in the old Brora
distillery up until 1983 available to buy from
specialist online whisky retailers such
as
The Whisky Exchange and
Master of Malt
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