Brora 34 years 1970 - 2004 Old & Rare Platinum Selection

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Bottler Douglas Laing

Distillery / brand Brora

Range Old & Rare Platinum Selection

Country Scotland

Region Highlands

Content Size 0.7 liter

Alc/vol 56.9%

Age 34 years

Distilled 1970

Bottled 2004

Number of bottles 157

Flavour Profiles Lightly to medium peated

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€ 4.999,95

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Brora 34 Years 1970 – 2004 – Douglas Laing Old & Rare Platinum Selection

An icon among legendary Islay-style Highlanders: this Brora 34 Years from 1970, bottled in 2004 by Douglas Laing for their revered Old & Rare Platinum Selection, is the kind of whisky that renders even seasoned connoisseurs silent. Only 157 bottles were filled at an impressive 56.9% ABV. At this age, such vitality is astonishing. This rare release was awarded 92 points by Serge Valentin (WhiskyFun) — and rightly so. It’s a textbook display of complexity, elegance, power, and old-school distillery magic.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Elegant and initially reserved, it blossoms in the glass. Beeswax, old books, almond, sea breeze and a whiff of iodine. Nut oils, fresh mint, linoleum, aged apples and an echo of an old sherry cellar. With time, incense, dried herbs (thyme, rosemary), turpentine and toasted cedar emerge. Slightly medicinal, warmly earthy – a nose to get lost in.

Palate

Powerful yet silky: walnut, marzipan, grape skin, camphor and herbal tea. Subtle layers of honey, lemon peel, green tea and soft smoke. There are hints of beeswax, light tar, olive oil, grilled herbs and wet stones. The alcohol is perfectly integrated – supporting, not overwhelming.

Finish

Long, complex and almost meditative: waxy smoke, honey, aged peat, matcha, salty minerals and subtle notes of tar and mustard seed. A finish that keeps evolving for minutes – layered, aromatic and profound.

Douglas Laing

Douglas Laing & Co. is one of the most respected independent bottlers in the whisky world. With a history dating back to 1948 and a commitment to quality and craftsmanship, the company continues to offer whiskies of exceptional quality. Their broad portfolio, which includes both single cask and small batch releases, makes Douglas Laing a favourite among whisky collectors and enthusiasts worldwide. Whether it is a rare XOP bottling or a characterful blended malt like Big Peat, Douglas Laing offers a unique and authentic whisky experience.

History

Douglas Laing & Co. was founded in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing in Glasgow, Scotland. The company began as a dealer and blender of whisky, but soon focused on selecting and bottling single cask and small batch whiskies.

Douglas Laing has always remained a family business, with the knowledge and passion for whisky passed from generation to generation. After Fred Douglas Laing, the company was run by his son, Fred Laing Jr, and later Fred's daughter Cara Laing and her husband Chris Leggat also joined the company.

Please note

This bottle was bottled a long time ago. Please be careful when opening. The closure may have deteriorated. The item is sold as photographed and described. We do not accept any liability for the condition of the closure.

Brora Distillery stands in the coastal village of Brora in Sutherland, directly beside Clynelish. It was founded in 1819 by the Marquess of Stafford under the name Clynelish. Ainslie & Heilbron and John Risk acquired the business in 1896; through its connection with John Walker & Sons, it joined the Distillers Company Limited in 1925. A larger modern Clynelish distillery was built beside the original site in 1967. The old plant closed briefly, but resumed production in 1969 under the name Brora.

Brora was given a new role producing heavily peated malt for blends, partly because of shortages of Islay whisky and the reconstruction of Caol Ila. Peat levels were gradually reduced from 1973 and the distillery produced several styles before closing in 1983. Its remaining casks later gave Brora cult status. Diageo began a meticulous restoration in 2018. The stillhouse was rebuilt stone by stone and the two original copper stills were refurbished. Spirit flowed again in May 2021 after 38 years. With capacity of around 800,000 litres a year, Brora deliberately remains one of Diageo’s smallest distilleries.

Douglas Laing is an independent, family-owned Scotch whisky company founded in Glasgow in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing. He began as a blender and merchant, building his own inventory of casks sourced from a wide range of distilleries. Those early relationships formed the foundation of a business that is now managed by the third generation of the Laing family.

The company brings together two important disciplines. Carefully selected single cask malt and grain whiskies are released through ranges such as Old Particular and Xtra Old Particular. Douglas Laing also creates blended malts designed to express the character of Scotland’s whisky regions. Its Remarkable Regional Malts include well-known names such as Big Peat, Scallywag, Timorous Beastie, Rock Island, The Epicurean and The Gauldrons.

The whiskies are presented with a strong emphasis on character and authenticity, generally without added colouring or chill filtration. Following the acquisition of Strathearn Distillery in 2019, Douglas Laing also expanded from blending and bottling into distilling. In this way, the family company combines a long history of cask ownership with a distinctive and modern approach to Scotch whisky.