Brora – 1972 Connoisseurs Choice Bottled 1997 Gordon & MacPhail (70cl, 40%)

A Highland single malt from Brora, distilled in 1972 and bottled in 1997 by independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail in its Connoisseurs Choice label. It comes at 40% in a 70cl bottle, after roughly a quarter of a century in cask. The colour is gold. The nose offers vanilla and butterscotch with almonds and walnuts. On the palate it turns sooty and ashy, with cinnamon, a medicinal touch of iodine and a salty side recalling smoked almonds. The finish is long, salty and smoky, with a slightly sour edge of raw cider and almonds lingering in the aftertaste.