A trio of single malts aged 38, 43 and 48 years old have been released from the iconic ‘lost’ Brora Highlands Distillery, in handblown and handcrafted luxury decanters produced by the Scottish, award-winning, Glencairn Crystal Studio.
The Brora Distillery ceased operating in 1983 however the whiskies it produced have become highly sought after, elevating it to cult status amongst whisky collectors. The distillery is set to open again following a three year restoration project by Diageo.
Each limited edition set of the Brora Triptych collection includes three 500ml decanters made from the finest 30% lead crystal. Each decanter is unique as it has been handmade by the talented craftspeople at Glencairn Crystal, and each ‘triptych’ set is unique as it is numbered.
The top half of each stopper is metal and the lower half features a colour depending on which of the three whiskies it holds. The Timeless Original 38 years old whisky has a copper top with a turquoise blue colour below and the Age of Peat 43 years old whisky has a silver top with a dark blue colour below. The Elusive Legacy 48 years old whisky, the oldest public release from the distillery, has a gold polished brass top on an amber stone effect beneath.
Each decanter is hand engraved, infilled and features the Brora emblem of the Scottish Wild Cat (crest of the distillery’s founder, the Duke of Sutherland). The colours used in the lower section of the stoppers are also incorporated into the front design of each decanter.
One of the key challenges was matching the sets of three decanters together. Each decanter is hand blown and as such every decanter can vary slightly. The team at Glencairn Crystal carefully and painstakingly measured each decanter so that each set has matching glass distribution and fill level.
Regarded internationally as one of the finest crystal decanter and glassware manufacturers, Glencairn Crystal is a world expert in pioneering glassware techniques and unrivalled in their skilful craftsmanship.
The Brora Triptych decanter project is the first time that Glencairn Crystal has used a new process to create the three stone patterns on the hand-crafted metal components. This process enables a colour coating to be placed over the metal and opens the door for the Glencairn team to be able to use a whole new spectrum of colours in their decanter design and creation. Over 12 months of analysis and development was carried out before the new process was employed including atmospheric and climate testing.
Kenny Tweeddale, New Product Development Manager at Glencairn Crystal, who headed up the project commented: “It was an honour to produce the decanters for this very special collection of single malt whiskies from such an iconic distillery that closed its doors nearly 40 years ago. It was also an exciting, groundbreaking project for us in that we were able to use a new process for the first time to bring the beautiful colours featured on the decanters to life. We have been delighted with the excellent results and will continue to use this technique for future projects.”
Brora Triptych will be available from mid-May from the distillery upon the site’s completion and will also be sold online via brora.com, and through specialist retailers priced at £30,000.