Great Whiskys, Great Stories

Scotch whisky was first produced as far back as the year 1100, so it's only natural that any number of distilleries have come and gone over that time. Sometimes closed distilleries leave behind casks filled with still-maturing spirits, sometimes they disappear with nothing but pleasant memories.

Sometimes, as happened with the Scotch whisky from the Shackleton expedition, a faithful re-creation can be made today, based on a chemical analysis of the whisky that was discovered in the Antarctic ice. Extending beyond Scotland, sometimes the whiskey is left to age, and then is simply forgotten about, like Hammer Head (another fascinating story-do an internet search for that).

Re-making some of the older, beloved but departed Scotch whiskys is now a labor of love for The Lost Distillery Company, http://www.lost-distillery.com/. Given that nearly 100 distilleries have been closed or dismantled in Scotland, they have undertaken the ambitious project of bringing some of these amazing whiskys back to life. And we couldn't wait to get them on the shelves at Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge.

The Lost Distillery Company identified what they considered the 10 key elements of the original whiskys (such as water, barley, era, and yeast), and developed the taste profiles from their conclusions.

Series 1: Auchnagie

Auchnagie comes from an area of Scotland that was home to many farm distilleries. All of these have now been lost to the world with the notable exceptions of Glenturret and Edradour. Glenturret is now the home of The Famous Grouse. The distillery operated from around 1812 to 1912, and the final owner was  John Dewar & Sons.

Series 2: Stratheden

Stratheden was also known as Auchtermuchty towards the end of its distilling life. It was owned by the Bonthrone family, who had been significant local brewers and maltsters in the area, dating as far back as 1600. One of the key attributes of this whisky was its unparalleled water source, known locally as the ‘Lovers Pool’. It took three years to carve an aqueduct in solid granite to channel crystal clear water from the Lovers Pool to Stratheden Distillery’s three water wheels. While the distillery closed in 1926, partly due to the effects of Prohibition, some of the buildings still stand. The label color, in fact, matches the color still found on the warehouse doors.

Auchnagie and Stratheden are available in limited quantities for only $56.99 each. They are non-chill filtered, and caramel coloring is not added. These are truly must-have bottles for the dedicated Scotch lover, and they're great any time.