BRORA Reborn
Brora. Just uttering that single word is capable of sending shivers down the spine of most rare whisky fans. Established in 1819, Clynelish Distillery was originally created to utilise excess barley from local farmers, most of whom had been evicted from their land during the notorious Highland Clearances by the Marquis of Stafford. Such is his infamy, his statue, the ‘Mannie’ placed atop a local Sutherland hill, Ben Bhraggie, still gets vandalised to this day. (I was told locally that someone once strapped a World War Two hand grenade to it.)
The name Brora, from both the town and a distillery perspective, is very dear to me on a personal level, not least because my little boy learned to swim in the pool at the Royal Marine Hotel in Brora. While living nearby, I remember taking friends and customers to Clynelish, then having a nosy round the old Brora site. I often wondered if, one day, the pigeon poo–covered stills would ever see the life of steam again.
I remember catching up with Nick Morgan, formerly Diageo’s single malts global marketing director and, latterly, head of whisky outreach, many years ago and asking if he thought Brora would ever open again. His response was the classic adage “never say never” (for Nick is too wise to say “neverever”), but he admitted that it was unlikely. And yet, here we are – Brora is back.
Who knew that on Tuesday 8 June 2021, I’d be looking at freshly lacquered stills and sharing a dram with a bunch of passionate people who have breathed life into Brora Distillery once more. So, rather than tell Brora’s story solely in
