Brora 30 Year Old

Having a blast at the Baxter Inn, Sydney: Brora 30 Year Old in hand

My beautiful girlfriend, Greti, flew me to Sydney to celebrate my forthcoming 30th birthday. Although it was the worst possible weather in Sydney that weekend, we had an absolute blast. We stayed at the Pullman on Hyde Park, went to see the sights, did some shopping (Greti likes shopping as much, if not more, than I like whisky!) and then arrived at the Baxter Inn at around 5:15pm. It was absolutely packed, but Greti eventually pounced on some chairs and off I went to order her a Hemmingway Daiquiri and a special whisky to start off my long week of celebrations. The whisky I chose first was the Brora 30 Year Old followed by a Balvenie Roasted Malt and then an Ardbeg Alligator to finish off the evening. I remember being most intrigued by the nutty (almost roasted chestnut on dark chocolate and sweet sherry) character of the Balvenie Roasted Malt, and while the Ardbeg Alligator was great its snap of alcohol and peat was mostly on par with the other Ardbeg expressions. I also had a pint of Opera Bar Organic Pale Ale while we had lunch at the Sydney Opera House, a lovely crisp beer with lots of attitude. This review will focus on the Brora 30 Year Old, an expression I enjoyed very much but did not quite love.

So, let's kick off DAY 1 of "The Week I Turned 30". shall we...

Spirit Name: Rating:	Brora 30 Year Old, 8th release (Bott 2010) ★★★★★☆
Score:	90/100
ABV:	54.3%
Region:	Highlands, Scotland
Body:	Medium-full
Intensity:	Medium-high
Texture:	Medium
Balance:	Superb
Best served:	Neat
Theme(s):	Soft plumes of smoke and peat are counter-balanced by sweet fruit notes
In a nutshell:	Brora was a distillery that operated between 1819 and 1983, so it has legendary status as its supplies dwindle thanks in part to an Australian whisky blogger celebrating his birthday at the Baxter Inn, Sydney!  Nose: The gentle aroma of peat and smoke struggles to find a commanding voice in the sweet fruity character swirling in the glass.  Taste: The peat and smoke begins to flicker and weaken on the palate, but remains a constant theme that underlies the diverse fruit. Finish: Fading quickly, the flavours present nothing very interesting. When sipping this whisky my reaction was: disappointed but very satisfied. After all, when a whisky has legendary status expectations are extremely high!
Likes:	Lovely fruit notes merge with soft plumes of peat on the nose
Dislikes:	The character seems a little dull and boring
Price:	₤425