Jericho Archivist's Selection

Two former Diageo employees, Scott Watson and Brian Wood, founded the Lost Distillery Company in 2013. In collaboration with Professor Michael Moss of the Glasgow University they research lost distilleries and try to recreate – with current malts obviously – the flavor profile of those lost distilleries. The result is always a blended malt. Jericho is a distillery that was operational in Aberdeenshire from 1822 until 1913. In 1884 it operated under the name Benachie. There are four versions of this whisky: Jericho Classic, Jericho Christmas Edition, Jericho Christmas Pudding and the Jericho Archivist’s Selection. We’ll try the last one, which matured solely on sherry casks.

The nose offers dark fruit and chocolate, but at the same time sneakers and candle wax. The fruit is both fresh and dried, the chocolate dark, the sneakers new and the candle wax… err… waxy.

The arrival is just fine. Mouth coating, soft with a spicy touch and on all kinds of juicy fruit like grapes, rum raisins, peach and blood oranges. Cloves and cinnamon with a bit of black pepper. The oak offers a bitterness, but all under control and therefor quite balanced. The whisky is fresh and lively, which betrays a young age. Good.

The finish is rather short and mildly drying.

A very sweet and spicy blended malt. Did it taste like this 100 years ago? We have to take the producers word for it. Anyway, it’s pretty taste (despite the very small off note on the nose).