Brora 35 Year Old 11th Release bottled 2012

It's been a while since I've had any Brora, and I didn't really want to open up my one bottle of the stuff, so, here we are! I couldn't get a bottle of this release (and at the prices it was hitting... even if I had the opportunity, well, I might have anyway) - so I bought a sample from Master of Malt. Good decisions, I've made a few. This was the best one in a long time.

Nose: Subtle honey, wood, smoke, and a gentle waxiness rise from the glass. Pepper and ashy coastal salt. A lightly rinsed clam shell. Coal. For all these heavier elements and tones, this is highly refined. Angels sang somewhere. There's a brutal quality to it with the ash, coal, smoke, and salt, but the power, at 48.1%, is just so perfect. Nothing is out of step.

Palate: Silky, with hints of pepper and smoke. Lemon rind (sans sweetness) and crystallized fruit nibs. Honey to wood on the midpalate. Toast and ash after that. Strength is fabulous and just what one would want.

Finish: Long and slightly drying. I just can't think of a better end to this bottle. I may well not eat for the rest of the day because I don't want anything to reduce this. Just awesome. An 'A' all the way. 95.

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