Diageo GTME is aiming for sales of $1.8m (£1.1m+) from 160 bottles of Brora 40yo single malt set to be sold exclusively through World Duty Free Group UK.

 

Diageo announced the move yesterday, referring to the Brora 40yo 70cl as the most expensive single malt (single cask) ever released by the company.

 

Interestingly, the offer is being made exclusively through World Duty Free Group’s online arm of its World of Whiskies retail brand [click here for more details www.worldofwhiskies.com) and will be available for collection from selected UK World of Whiskies and World Duty Free Group stores from 21 April 2014.

 

The Brora distillery on the Scottish island of Islay was ‘mothballed’ by The Distillers Company (now known as DIageo) in 1983, after the whisky’s signature peatiness had traditionally been used more for blending to make brands like Johnnie Walker.

 

 

A REBORN DISTILLERY…

Since reopening, the distiller has produced a whisky which is less peaty and more characteristically highland malt in style, at the same time that some stock has been maturing in a Scottish warehouse.

 

This single malt’s character today has a natural cask strength of 59.1% and derives from a single cask distilled in 1972. It is also the 40yo Brora ever to be bottled and ‘the oldest and rarest’ expression ever released. Diageo says it has been drawn from what is considered to be the most brilliant of its highly-peated bottlings – the famous 1972 reserve which was put down into cask before the distillery closed.

 

Describing the look of the product, Diageo said: “The exquisite packaging of Brora 40 Year Old reflects the true quality, craftsmanship and luxury credentials of the rare Brora liquid. The decanter is presented in a beautiful wooden case, an interpretation of the closed Brora distillery, skillfully handcrafted by the Queen’s cabinet makers at N.E.J Stevenson Ltd.

 

“The bespoke designers were appointed to craft the case because of their expertise, which is evident in other highly respected creations, such as the unique chests that house the Diamond Jubilee by John Walker & Sons.”

 

The company adds that the whisky itself is housed in an exquisite crystal decanter that bears the golden emblem of the Scottish Wildcat, the legendary guardian of the closed distillery and crest of the distiller’s founder, the Duke of Sutherland. The unique crystal stopper is etched with the number ‘40’ and the decanter has an engraved copper neck detailing the 1972 distillation year.