Hard to believe, but almost one hundred of Scotland’s malt whisky distilleries have either closed or been destroyed in the last century. That’s nearly half of the distilleries that have ever existed in Scotland…gone — due to over production, prohibition, bad economies and even world wars. 

Many of these unique brands were lost to the world…never to return…until The Lost Distillery Company was founded. An independent boutique Scotch Whisky company, The Lost Distillery Company is dedicated to creating present day expressions of legendary whiskies.

According to The Lost Distillery Company: “There is no magic formula to what we do. We don’t have a warehouse full of old forgotten whisky, we don’t have a secret recipe or DNA analysis and we don’t have plans to reopen any of these lost distilleries. The answer to what we do lies in the history books.

The process begins with our Archiving Team led by Professor Michael Moss from The University of Glasgow. Focussing on the 10 key components that influenc the original character of these long lost whiskies, the Archiving Team play a pivot role in evidencing how that spirit might have tasted when it was last distilled. While we could argue that there are a number of elements of the production process that are pivotal to the final taste of the whisky, we focus on what we consider to be ten most important. Depending on the availability of information from our research, we are able to make certain assumptions as to what the profile of these whiskies might have been.

The 10 Key Components:

      ERA – The date of the last distillation is critically important. As with most manufacturing businesses, fashions and processes change.
Mechanisation brought increased consistency to the process, while expansion of the railways sponsored the construction of much        bigger distilleries.
   LOCALITY – Neighbouring distilleries may have used similar sources of water, barley and yeast. They may have shared expertise that still survives today in working distilleries.
   WATER – A core ingredient used to make the spirit and also to dilute the product to bottling strength. Was the water soft or hard? What was the mineral content?
   BARLEY – The most important aspect of the barley is the phenolic content. Where was the barley grown? Was it local? Which strains of barley were used? How consistent was the yield?
   YEAST – Why is some sourdough bread better than others? Why do some bakers retain a starter dough for decades? Yeast matters in the process and ultimately has an impact on the final product.
   PEAT – Was the malted barley peated or unpeated? How much peat was used and was it sourced locally? How did this translate to the phenol content of the finished product?
   MASH TUN – What material was it constructed from? Was it open or closed, and how was the temperature controlled? Volatile temperatures would inhibit yeast activity.
   WASH BACK – These would have been made almost exclusively from Douglas Fir; chosen for its straight grain and lack of knots. While some distilleries still use these, most have converted to stainless steel versions that impart no character to the product.
   STILL – The shape and size of the still deeply influence the overall character of the spirit. For example, a smaller dumpy still will typically allow more contact between the copper and the spirit meaning that it produces a heavier, more viscous spirit.
   WOOD – After production, what type of wood was used to store or transport the whisky to its destination? Did this have an impact on the final flavour? What did the barrel have in it before it was used for whisky? This would have had a significant effect on the whisky’s taste.

The third part of our process is arguably the most interesting and challenging. We call this ‘The Debate’. Our Archivists and Whisky Makers, along with a panel of select ‘noses’, attempt to bring to life the evidence before them. They create a blend of single malts from different distilleries and with different flavour profiles, tweaking the composition to sit easily with both the evidence of the archivist and the interpretation of the whisky makers. This process takes considerable time and experience but only when everyone is comfortable with the result does the whisky receive The Lost Distillery Company seal of approval – when we are happy that we have created a present day interpretation of that long lost whisky legend.”

Intrigued? We’ll be sampling an assortment of these finely crafted whiskies from The Lost Distillery Company at the Sisterhood of Congregation Ahavath Torah’s Evening of Wine & Whiskey on Saturday, January 7th, including:

Lossit Classic Selection Blended Malt Scotch Whisky - $39/bottle

Why We Love It:
A marriage of aged single malts. Consistently good, with rich flavors of peat, almonds, pear and pepper.

Stratheden Classic Selection Blended Malt Scotch Whisky - $55/bottle

Why We Love It:
Well balanced, with great body. The perfect entry-level whisky bursting with malty flavors of orange peel, chocolate and peat.

Gerston Classic Selection Blended Malt Scotch Whisky - $55/bottle

Why We Love It:
In a word, brilliant. Can hold its own against any single malt scotch, with flavor profiles that include ripe fruit, toffee, malt and spice.

Auchnagle Classic Selection Blended Malt Scotch Whisky - $55/bottle

Why We Love It:
A light dram for sunny afternoons, exhibiting solid craftsmanship and rich floral flavors, honeyed dried fruits and pepper.

Stratheden Vintage Blended Malt Whisky - $210/bottle

Why We Love It:
Surprisingly sweet and peppery, with a hint of salt and a warming, medium-length finish and lingering heat. Similar in style to the Archivists Selection edition, but with far more complexity. A true whisky lover’s whisky.

Gerston Vintage Blended Malt Whisky - $210/bottle

Why We Love It:
An unusual, antique taste, which holds up well with a drop of water, although the smoky element is reduced. Smooth texture, with a sweet taste and a surprising amount of smoke in the finish.

Auchnagle Vintage Blended Malt Whisky - $210/bottle

Why We Love It:
Pleasantly sweet and spicy, particularly straight from the bottle, with traces of apple and vanilla, and a warming medium-length finish, plus an old fashioned “hemp rope” scent that adds a unique vintage charm.

Taste them all, and literally hundreds of other wines and spirits at the Evening of Wine & Whiskey on Saturday, January 7th. Get your tickets today at http://www.ahavathtorah.org/sisterhoodevents.

Hope to see you there!