Clynelish

Clynelish & Brora Distilleries: A Whisky Tag Team You’ve Got to Know

Here’s a little whisky history with a twist — because Clynelish and Brora are basically the original dynamic duo of Scotch distilleries.

Clynelish first popped up way back in 1819 and ran the show for a century before a shinier, bigger distillery popped up just across the road — which kept the Clynelish name and all the whisky glory. Meanwhile, the OG distillery got a new identity as Brora, and though it shut down in the early ’80s, it’s currently waking up from a long nap with plans to reopen soon. Those original copper pot stills? They’re getting a spa day (aka refurbishment) to bring back that old-school Brora magic from 200 years ago.

Now, Clynelish might not be the flashiest Scotch on the block, but they’re part of the powerhouse Diageo family — you know, the folks behind a huge lineup of famous spirits. Most of Clynelish’s whisky actually moonlights in Johnnie Walker blends, so if you’re sipping that, you’re tasting a bit of Clynelish’s soul.

Pulling up to Clynelish, Mrs. W&B and I couldn’t help but admire just how downright picture perfect the place is. Not all distilleries have that “wow” factor, but those giant sliding windows showing off their stills? Pretty epic.

Our tour was packed with juicy stories about both Clynelish and Brora — way more interesting than hearing “and then we distill” for the hundredth time. The staff knew their stuff and happily answered all our curious questions.

The tasting was a treat — Mrs. W&B and I went for the 5-sample tour, which included gems like the Clynelish 14-year-old, a distillery-exclusive, and some rare “lost” barrels from 1985 and 1988 that slipped through the cracks and are now bottled just for tastings. Spoiler alert: they were phenomenal.

Bottom line? Clynelish is definitely worth a stop. And once Brora reopens — the tiniest distillery in the Diageo fam — it’ll be like a whisky double feature you won’t want to miss.