Clynelish 12 Years Old 1980s Ainslie & Heilbron

This vintage bottle of 12-year-old Clynelish single malt is an interesting bit of whisky history. It was bottled in the early 1980s, meaning the whisky was likely distilled at the end of the 1960s. Around this time, the present-day Clynelish distillery opened its doors. The new distillery was meant to replace the old one, also known as the Brora distillery. It is fair to assume that this 12-year-old single malt contains whisky distilled at the original Clynelish/Brora distillery. Brora first closed in 1968, but due to a sudden increase of demand, the original distillery restarted production in May 1969 and the two Clynelish distilleries operated in tandem until Brora inevitably closed again in 1983. Clynelish 12 Years Old 1980s Ainslie & Heilbron  is bottled under the Ainslie & Heilbron Distillers Ltd. name. In 1896, Ainslie & Heilbron bought the Clynelish distillery and completely rebuilt and modernized it. Only two years later, the Scotch whisky industry collapsed following the Pattison crash, and in 1912 Ainslie & Heilbron was forced to sell Clynelish to Distillers Company Limited. Clynelish 12 Years Old 1980s Ainslie & Heilbron is a remarkable and highly collectible bottle of whisky!