REOPENED CLASSIC LOST DISTILLERIES

 BRORA AND PORT ELLEN PROGRESS

Resetting a closed distillery to make whisky requires playing the long game. While new make in oak barrels may be called Scotch whisky only after three years of maturation, the most sought-after whiskies lie in wood barrels in dormant distilleries for far longer, usually decades, like Strathisla, Glenturret, Glendronach, Caperdonich, Ardbeg, Brora and Port Ellen.

Brora Distillery: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Brora – or as it was originally known, Clynelish – is one of Scotland’s Clearance distilleries like Talisker. It was built in 1819 by the Marquis of Stafford (later the Duke of Sutherland) who with his wife and her estate managers forced some of the most brutal evictions of 15,000 farmers from their estates in the Highlands and resettled either on the coast, or sent to Canada and Australia. They remain controversial for their role in the Highland Clearances for their singular apathy for the hoi polloi, their parsimony and their focussed pursuit of wealth, firstly for award of a Dukedom and secondly, for personal gains at any cost.

Those who ended up in the new settlement at Brora were put to work in the Duke’s new business enterprises, one of which was distilling. It took some time for the distillery to find its feet, passing through a number of lessees until George Lawson took charge. He and his sons would run the plant from 1846 to 1896 when they sold it to the Glasgow blender James Ainslie and his business partner John Risk who rebuilt the site that year.

Ainslie himself went bust in 1912 when Risk and DCL took shares in the firm, John Walker & Sons following in 1916. Risk was bought out in 1925, when Walker joined DCL and the latter took complete control in 1930. It wasn’t until after WW II that the distillery began to increase capacity significantly as a result of demand for blends increasing. By 1967, this had reached such a height that it was decided that it would be easier to build a new and larger distillery – initially known as Clynelish 2 – alongside the original buildings than try to expand them.

The old distillery closed for a year, but reopened in 1969 and was in production, though not always at full capacity, until it closed in 1983. In 1975, after a change in legislation banning two distilleries from being called the same, its name was changed to Brora. During 1972 to 1974 when DCL’s Caol Ila was being rebuilt, production of heavily peated malt was switched here. Also, during periods of drought on Islay, the production of DCL’s heavily peated requirements was switched to the far north east. This could explain why although Brora’s peating levels in general dropped after 1977, there are occasional heavily smoky expressions from the 1980s.

The distillery was closed finally in 1983, and although rumours surfaced occasionally about it reopening they seemed little more than wishful thinking. However, in October 2017 Diageo revealed plans to reopen Brora distillery, which reopened its shutters in post-pandemic 2021.

The bottlings which we now see come from Brora’s last flaring. As a result of the time when the distillery was run specifically to fill in holes in DCL’s inventory you will find Broras which are immensely oily and smoky, as well as some in which there is the merest exhalation of peat. The waxy, oily, marine/mineral characters seen in Clynelish are however always present, but in magnified form. Rather than the orange oil of Clynelish, here there is more lemon acidity. There was, also, a small run of bottlings with a butyric character. Since many of the original buildings were still standing and much of the whisky-making apparatus – including two copper stills – remained in situ, the Diageo team set out to honour the distillery’s heritage by recreating the three key styles of its past.

When the restoration team first walked into the famous Brora whisky distillery three years ago, it appeared as if time had stood still. Production had stopped suddenly in 1983 and workers had simply downed their tools and walked away. The team set about bringing Scotland’s most fabled ghost distillery back from the dead. This week, the resurrection was complete. The first cask was filled and a new era began.

Brora’s legendary reputation is the symbol of Scotch whisky’s great revival over the last decade. It closed in 1983 due to oversupply and underwhelming demand. Unbeknownst to distillers at the time, a large proportion of Brora’s leftover stock would age beautifully. At the same time, demand for aged single malts rose rapidly. As the demand went up and supply went down, the price sky-rocketed. Today, the last remaining bottles from Brora’s original stocks sell for tens of thousands of dollars.

No expense was spared in Diageo’s efforts to recreate every detail of the original distillation process. Diageo transported the original stills hundreds of miles across Scotland to its Abercrombie Coppersmiths to have them refurbished by skilled hands, the original stillhouse was rebuilt brick-by-brick and it also installed a traditional rake and gear mash tun to mimic the exact process from 1983. The rebuild, of course, is only part of the challenge.

On 21st May 2021, the Brora Distillery opened its gates after more than thirty-eight years of closure. Set in the rolling hillsides of Sutherland, northeast Scotland in picturesque courtyards and surroundings, production resumed under the watchful eye of the Master Distiller, Stewart Bowman. Staff filled the first casks of 2021 amidst great fanfare with new make spirit from the stills in July. Thus, a new era has begun as the casks’ contents mature to become premium Brora whisky.

In July 2024, the reopened distillery’s first new-make spirit officially came of age. To celebrate, Brora launched the Eras of Brora tour (£1,800 or US$2,260 for two), which includes the chance to taste the Brora 3-Year-Old from one of the very first casks. The distillery also released 150 bottles of 44-Year-Old Untold Depths, from a single cask of 1977 stock, at an RRP of £10,000 apiece sold only at the distillery.

During the closure four decade long spanned, stocks of the brand’s bottled and cask whiskies appreciated significantly. Some of Brora’s legendary and much sought-after single malt Scotch have achieved cult status among connoisseurs, collectors and investors alike. In 2017, during Brora’s period of dormancy, an original Brora single malt distilled in 1972 – the oldest official bottle of Brora at that time – was bought at auction by an unnamed buyer for £14,500. In 2019 it released a 40-year-old 200th Anniversary Quintessential scotch. This golden, smoky Highland liquor boasted rich flavours of figs and ripe fruit. The bottling ran to 1,819 units which sold for around £4,500 apiece.                                                       

The reawakened 202-year-old distillery looks likely to continue releasing select, much-celebrated vintages. For now, a unique Brora Triptych commemorates the reopening with three different bottling runs of scarce, well-aged single malts from decades-old casks. Brora Triptych

Each of the three superb bottlings represents a distinct era of the distillery. Triptych Elusive Legacy is 48 years old, the oldest single malt scotch ever released by Brora. Triptych Age of Peat is 43 years old, in the classic late 1970s heavily smoked style. It contains 48.6 per cent ABV. The third and youngest bottling is Timeless Original, from casks filled in 1982 and almost as potent. The unique ash wood presentation cases contain three precious half-litre crystal decanters with Glencairn stoppers, filled with luxury Scotch.

Now, it is time for the distillery team to begin work in earnest. Only time will tell whether the efforts have been worthwhile. After the first cask was filled, staff reminded a group of select journalists that the public will not be seeing a bottle of new-era Brora on the shelves for some time yet. There is no plan when it comes to a future release. The whisky will ultimately decide that. Indeed, Diageo has no intention of turning the distillery into a center of mass production. Instead, it will be carefully controlled, building up to a maximum of 800,000 litres a year.  

PORT ELLEN DISTILLERY: AN ISLAY LEGEND REAWAKENS

It was pure serendipity. The magic happened because the whisky was forgotten about and left alone, though memories didn't die. Being in the less active refill casks meant the spirit could shine, and the longer it aged in the Scottish climate, the better it got. With its long pedigree and its seafront location on Islay, it became a place of pilgrimage for salivating maltheads the world over. 

Port Ellen Distillery, situated on the enchanting Isle of Islay, is a story of resilience, rebirth, and the enduring allure of exceptional whisky. Founded in 1825, Port Ellen has experienced periods of closure and revival, ultimately securing its place as a legendary Islay distillery. I have dwelt extensively on this subject in two earlier posts almost two years apart.

Port Ellen was a lost distillery on the island of Islay, as it lay closed for almost 100 years after establishment in 1825. Following its last closure in 1983, parts of it had already been demolished and the overall scheme of things was to keep allied ancillary capacities going as a self-sustaining money-spinner. The associated large-scale malting plant was built later and is still in operation. It supplies almost all distilleries on the island with individually produced malt.

Alexander Ker Mackay, a merchant and entrepreneur, established this distillery, named after the nearby harbour village. It initially struggled to find its footing, with ownership changing hands several times during its journey through time. John Ramsay acquired the distillery In 1836 and created its reputation for producing exceptional whisky. The distillery flourished and its whisky became highly sought after both domestically and abroad.

The early 20th century hurt the distillery as global economic instability and Prohibition in the USA led to reduced demand for Scotch whisky; sadly, the distillery downed shutters in 1930 and was mothballed till 1967. Though purchased by purchased by the Distillers Company Limited (DCL)—later Diageo—it couldn’t cope with the next downturn in the early 1980s when only Blended Scotch managed to keep going, and once again, rolled down the arras. The point of note was, however, crucial in that its remaining stock was left to mature in casks. These whiskies produced during its relatively short period of activity were exceptional and found a cult following among malt whisky enthusiasts.

Excitement ran rife when Diageo announced its reopening circa 2023. Port Ellen's whiskies are revered for their elegant complexity, harmonious balance of peat and fruit, and the distinctive maritime character that is the hallmark of Islay malts. Diageo was shrewd in its tactics; as they noticed a batch approaching ideal maturity, they released special editions, keeping the market on its toes. All these official special expressions, called Annual Releases, were from older casks, ranging from 20 to 35 years old, with an official bottling of almost every single age in between. Independent bottlers fed their appetite as well. Douglas Laing and Gordon & MacPhail have released a vast number of bottlings of the Single Malt at all ages. But the most impressive amount of independent bottlings of Port Ellen has been done by Signatory Vintage, reportedly bottlings of more than 100 casks.

Although it is primarily known for its Single Malt, Port Ellen was also used in a number of Blends, including King of Scot, Big Peat, and King George V.

Port Ellen has launched a set of twin 44-year-old whiskies to celebrate the return of its distillery. Named Port Ellen Gemini, the release is split into a two-bottle set: Gemini Original and Gemini Remnant. Only 274 sets are available and the expressions are the oldest single malt Scotches released directly from Port Ellen. Port Ellen Gemini invites whisky connoisseurs to compare and contrast a twin pair of 1978 Scotch whiskies, shared in its original form and finished expression. The finish is nothing short of historical: an extraordinary remnant cask that cradled three decades of Port Ellen spirit, now restored and revived, a worthy touch to this rare Scotch.

Port Ellen had a fairly modest production capacity, standing at only 1.2 million litres a year. The water used in production is drawn from the Leorin Lochs on Islay. This production had a couple of unique facets, the most noticeable of which was that the distillery’s pot stills were heated by mechanical coal stokers, which then switched to steam heated coils. Due to the enormous volume of peat on the island, most of the water on Islay actually runs a muddy brown, including the water in Leorin Lochs. The presence of peat in the water supposedly helps contribute to the unique flavour of the Islay Whiskies, as Master Blender Rachel Barrie, then of Bowmore, once concluded after a series of experiments.

The distillery had four pot stills; two wash and two spirit. The wash stills had a capacity of 28’000 litres where the two spirit stills were smaller with a capacity of 25’000 litres. All pot stills had a distinctive onion shape, with large, rounded spherical lids and tall vertical necks. Port Ellen is reputed to have been the first distillery to incorporate Septimus Fox’s spirit safe design in the distillation process.

As is characteristic of Islay malts, Port Ellen was incredibly heavily peated. Islay itself is largely composed of peat, as layers upon layers of sphagnum mosses and other vegetation have been rotting away on the Islay for hundreds of years, creating compact black banks of peat. The peat used in the production was sourced from Duich Moss, which lay on Islay itself, completely localising the entire production process. The distillery used traditional malting floors until 1974, at which point the site switched to drum maltings. These drums were a fully automated installation, and resembled washing machines on an operational level.

After the last closure of the distillery, the site was converted to a maltings site. Port Ellen now provides maltings to many of the distilleries on Islay, and further afield. The maltings has been massively successful and has allowed the legacy of the distillery to continue to live on. Port Ellen Maltings is the only commercial maltings facility located along the entire West coast of Scotland, and the only one to use peat in the kilning part of the process. It is the peat and the smoke from it being burnt that gives the barley, and ultimately Islay’s Whiskies, their distinctive smoky flavour.

The warehouses, along with the maltings, survived the closure of the distillery. The distillery has a series of both dunnage and racked warehouses. In addition to holding the remaining casks of Port Ellen, the warehouses are used by a number of Islay distilleries from the proprietor Diageo, particularly Lagavulin and Caol Ila. For the maturation of Port Ellen Whisky itself, the distillery used 80% Bourbon barrels and 20% Sherry casks.

Let us see what the future holds for Port Ellen, given the umpteen new distilleries that have come up this past decade and scheduled for the next lustrum. Will there be an overkill again, coupled with a modernisation of the concept of drinking alcohol for pleasure with scant regard for old habits-or oldtimers' habits, for that matter? Whatever the outcome be, Port Ellen from Islay will buck the trend and survive easily; its output will be lapped up greedily by a waiting populace of malt lovers of all ages!

DIAGEO LUXURY GROUP TO UNITE BRORA AND PORT ELLEN IN LUXURY PORTFOLIO

Diageo announced in Nov 2024 the creation of a new global division that will oversee the Diageo Luxury brands. The Diageo Luxury Group (DLG) will unite brands such as Port Ellen and Brora and brand homes such as Johnnie Walker Princes Street under one portfolio.

The DLG boasts unparalleled access to Diageo’s renowned portfolio, including over 10 million casks from more than 30 distilleries. This treasure trove features rare “ghost” stocks from restored distilleries such as Port Ellen and Brora. Among the highlights is the launched in 2023 12 Casks of Distinction, an exclusive cask ownership program offering access to singular, mature Scotch whisky casks.