Braeval 1979 SMWS 17 Year Old 113.1

Formerly known as Braes of Glenlivet, the distillery was built by Seagram in 1973, who reportedly were seeking to replicate the quality of the neighbouring Glenlivet distillery. So much so in fact, that the distillery name needed to be changed to Braeval in 1994 to avoid any confusion between the two. Pernond-Ricard acquired the distillery in 2001 after Seagram collapsed, and promptly mothballed it until 2008. Occasional distillery bottlings have appeared since, but there has never been a permanent range.

This whisky was distilled in November 1979 and laid to rest for 17 years.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) was founded in 1983 by a group of friends lead by tax accountant Phillip ‘Pip’ Hills as a private members club. The concept behind the society was to source casks from all over Scotland which would then be bottled and made available exclusively to its members. Perhaps the most famous feature of these bottles are the unique codes. Each distillery is represented by a different number and the following digits indicate that particular release. That same year, the SMWS set up its first location in Leith’s Vault buildings in Edinburgh where it still stands today.