For most of its existence, the Brora distillery was known as 'Clynelish,' but in 1967, a new distillery with the same name was built next door. The original was mothballed for a year, then reopened as Clynelish No.2 until it was renamed 'Brora' in 1975. The distillery closed in May 1983, and most of its equipment was dismantled. The elegant old buildings still stand, with the warehouses occupied by Clynelish. Founded in 1819 by the Marquess of Stafford (later the 1st Duke of Sutherland), Clynelish/Brora was part of his improvement plans for his wife's vast northern estates. To make way for sheep farming, this plan also required clearing approximately 15,000 tenants from the land, some of whom were forcibly relocated to new coastal towns like Brora. The distillery struggled for the first 70 years, with individual owners forced into bankruptcy. Then, in 1896, it was purchased and rebuilt by James Ainslie & Company (Glasgow blenders) in partnership with John Risk (owner of Bankier Distillery near Falkirk). In 1912, the latter partnered with D.C.L. to obtain full ownership. After 1916, it also partnered with John Walker & Sons. In 1925, John Walker & Sons (along with Clynelish/Brora) merged with D.C.L., spreading the risk. Thereafter, the brand's whisky was used in John Walker & Sons' blends. In 1961, the distillery's two stills were converted from direct coal firing to internal steam heating, and the steam engine and water wheel were replaced by electricity in 1965, with floor malting discontinued the same year. Between May 1979 and July 1983, Brora/Clynelish produced a heavily peated malt whisky for blending. In November 2017, Diageo unexpectedly announced plans to bring Brora and Port Ellen distilleries back into operation before 2020, with an investment of approximately £35 million. The plan is to replicate the previous distillery's equipment and processes while bringing Brora's capacity to 800,000 liters of pure alcohol.

Professor George Saintsbury, the great Victorian connoisseur and author of 'Notes from a Cellar Book', held Brora/Clynelish in the highest regard. The distillery and its warehouses are listed historical monuments, with most of the original equipment—stills, fermenters, mash tuns—still in situ. Indeed, Harper's Weekly commented in 1896: 'Among single Scotch whiskies, this distillery's spirits always fetch the highest prices. They are consigned—after payment of duty—to private customers throughout the United Kingdom; they are also a very valuable export article, the demand for export being so great that the proprietors… have for years had to refuse trade orders.' In 2002, Diageo began releasing Brora limited vintage bottlings, starting with 30 years, changing to 25 years from 2008, and in January 2014 launched Brora 40 Year Old (travel retail exclusive, limited to 260 bottles, recommended retail price £6,995). In May 2017, a bottle of 1972 Brora sold at a Hong Kong auction for HK$147,000, approximately £13,900.