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A bottle
Brora 1972 44 year old and one of the
worlds rarest whiskies ever to come up
for sale has sold at auction for
£14,500.
The oldest official bottle of Brora
whisky, distilled in 1972, has been sold
at auction by Bonhams in Hong Kong today
(19 May 2017).
The exceptionally rare single bottle,
which has spent 44 years ageing in an
ex-sherry butt in Scotland, was
purchased by an unnamed buyer for
£14,534.
As the only bottle to have been drawn
from the cask, it offers its new owner a
taste of true rarity.
Richard Walker, Global Head of Malts at
Diageo, said: "The 1972 Brora is an
exquisite single malt with unparalleled
history and heritage. It represents the
pinnacle of Diageo’s single malt Scotch
whisky reserves and appeals to
epicureans, collectors and investors
alike.
"Over the last few years we’ve seen a
rapid growth of interest in rare and
collectable whiskies. High-end whisky
collection is undoubtedly a growing
trend and as such we’ve seen an increase
in the auction market for this kind of
rare bottling.
"With connoisseurs all over the world
aspiring to have a 1972 Brora on their
shelves, we decided to give whisky
lovers a rare opportunity to bid for
this one-off bottle. The fact that it
has been sold for over the estimated
price speaks volumes about its allure."
Filled at very high strength, the
44-year-old Brora expression is a rare
survivor from a golden age after the
Brora Distillery closed in 1983, never
to reopen. It is described as “a
massive, brooding and drying old Brora
that is seemingly made of smoke, oak,
pepper, dark fruit all encrusted in
sea-salt then wrapped in seaweed and
oilskins”.
Martin Green, Bonhams Whisky Specialist
in Edinburgh, added: “This was a very
special bottle of whisky – a true one
off - and I am not surprised that it was
contested so fiercely nor that it sold
for such an impressive price.”
The 1972 Brora bottle was taken from a
single cask that is a part of Diageo’s
‘Casks of Distinction’. As part of this
programme, Diageo gives selected private
clients the chance to purchase single
casks that have extraordinary quality
and character. As each cask is entirely
unique, patrons become the sole owners
of some of the rarest whiskies ever to
be released from Diageo’s extensive
collection.
I you were not the winning bidder for the Brora 1972 don't worry there are
still a few Special Release bottlings of
Brora available from
specialist online whisky retailers such
as
Master of
Malt and they wont cost you as much
as £14,500, but they may one day in the
future.
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