A Bygone Era: The Golden Age of Brora

Old Clynelish Whiskey bottled for Lord Beaverbrook 1946

The original Clynelish distillery was built by the Duke of Sutherland in 1819. Prized by blenders, the distillery found itself in the hands of DCL in 1925 when they acquired shareholders, Ainslie & Heilbron and John Walker & Sons. The distillery remains an important part of Diageo blends to this day, however nowadays it is produced at a new Clynelish, opened by DCL in 1967. The original distillery was briefly run in tandem with new one, known as Clynelish B (and the new one Clynelish A), until being closed down in early 1968. Although operating under the same name, the original Clynelish has a distinct profile, particularly prior to its modernisation in the 1960s. Its single malt is increasingly revered, not least due to its re-opening in 1969 as Brora distillery. Having closed again in 1983, the distillery became legendary in the years that followed, with both original Clynelish and Brora becoming huge collector's items. In 2017 it was announced that Diageo planned to re-open this formerly lost gem.

A spectacularly rare bottle, this Clynelish \"whiskey\" was bottled in 1946 for the 1st Lord Beaverbrook. Real name, William Maxwell Aitken, Beaverbrook was a Canadian-born politician of Scottish descent, who served as in various ministerial positions within Winston Churchill's wartime cabinet between 1940 and 1945. One of these positions was as Minister of War Production. Clynelish distillery, as a vital component of blends for several whisky companies, was granted a special dispensation from Lord Beaverbrook to continue production during this years, one of only a handful to receive permission alongside the likes of Macallan and Mortlach.

Bottled in 1946, this bottling is believed to have been produced specially for Lord Beaverbrook as a thank-you from the distillery. Closed for much of the 1930s, it is generally assumed that this will contain incredibly rare 1920s-distilled spirit.

This is one of only a handful of bottles known to still exist.