Scottish auction house Whisky Auctioneer will host the first-ever dedicated Brora whisky auction online next week.
Taking place from April 15 to 19, the auction will showcase more than 50 bottles from Brora Distillery, the largest collection to be held in one auction.
The distillery was built in 1819 and operated until 1983. It was known as “Clynelish” up until the opening of the second Clynelish Distillery in 1968, where it was changed to “Brora”.
Brora Distillery shares an intertwined history with Clynelish. A victim of its own success, the owners of the Clynelish Distillery decided to build a secondary distillery next door due to its growing reputation.
This modern distillery was to take the name Clynelish forward, and following a brief period where the distilleries were simply referred to as “Clynelish A” and “Clynelish B”, the original distillery was renamed Brora in 1969.
The whisky from the “lost distillery” in Sutherland in the Highlands has become increasingly sought-after in recent years due to its extreme rarity and unique history.
In the auction whisky fans will find extremely scarce expressions from the Old Clynelish Distillery – now known as Brora – distilled prior to its brief closure in the late sixties and various expressions from the historic 1972 Brora vintage including the 1972 Cask Strength 40-year-old decanter, the oldest Brora ever released at the time.
Joe Wilson, head of auction content at Whisky Auctioneer, said: “Few distilleries manifest more allure than Brora, and certainly none so effortlessly. It’s therefore striking to see an auction dedicated to so many rare Brora bottles.
“Whether you are a whisky collector or lost distillery enthusiast, this is a one of a kind opportunity to get your hands on these special Brora bottles, many of which are rarely seen on the secondary market.
“The Brora auction encapsulates the distillery’s past as it prepares to turn on the stills to its future with the chance to bid on complete collections and rare single malts created prior to the distillery’s halt in production in 1983 – a timely reminder to revisit these legendary malts and that ‘lost distilleries’ are not always lost forever.”
In 2017, owners of the distillery, Diageo, announced the distillery will reopen later this year after three-and-a-half decades of being closed.
Brora Distillery was one of eleven distilleries that closed in the spring of 1983 following the “whisky loch” crisis. Despite closing, the distillery’s legend continued to live on, gaining a cult following of whisky lovers over the decades for its unique profile and strong character malts.
Emmanuel Dron, founder and co-owner of the Auld Alliance and Author of Collecting Scotch Whisky, added: “Brora is a legendary malt, often talked about in whisky circles. Such a revered spirit and so hard to find, devotees from across the world have made visits especially to the Auld Alliance in Singapore simply to have the chance to try the exceptional spirit distilled at Brora.
“This auction allows whisky lovers and lost distillery enthusiasts to get a hold of some of these rare bottles, including even Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s 61.1, the first-ever bottling of Brora single malt.
“With the Brora auction following the announcement that the distillery is to be re-awakened, it provides an opportunity to honour its venerated past, while building excitement towards its future.“
To register to take part visit Whisky Auctioneer