Lost distilleries of Scotland

I cannot always afford those 'lost' bottlings, but am pretty happy I was able to pick up a Glen Keith, Pittyvaich (two not-so-great whiskies) and a Rosebank (a very good whisky) recently. I do have my eye on a Port Ellen, but when you can spend £200 on whisky, the novice (like me) is easily persuaded to buy a couple of less expensive drams instead of spending it all on one special bottle.

I agree, but only if the whisky in question is a good dram, or the distillery had a good rep. I'll purchase stuff from Rosebank, Brora or Port Ellen any day, but when I picked up my Glen Keith, it was priced according to its stature as a whisky (ie it was cheap). I wouldn't spend more money on it just because the distillery is no longer operating. But when it is truly a great whisky (the flora and fauna bottling of Rosebank is simply awesome), then it just adds another element that other drams simply cannot match.

@jeanluc Buying a whisky from a lost distillery is becoming almost impossible. About 7 years ago my wife surprised me with a 1973 Glen Flagler. It is one of 901 that were bottled in 2003. It is #50. Still unopened. It is quite the conversation piece to my whisky friends.

Wow, this discussion was opened 9 years ago and only now re-vived. Thx! And looking back to my comment from 2010, I can only say that a lot has changed since then. I currently own over 20 bottles from closed distilleries, including Port Ellen, Brora, Littlemill, Lochside, Rosebank, Glen Mhor, Glen Albyn, St Magdalene, et all. I've come a long way, it seems. A lot has to do with the fact that there is also more disposable income and a more trained palate. And I've decided to enjoy more of the finer things in life. :-)

@markjedi1 I often go back and look at the comments from many years ago. Most are still relevant today. Congratulations on your quest and purchases for whisky from the lost distilleries.

@markjedi1 This could possibly open up a whole new set of comments. I suspect there are many who have expanded their knowledge and pallets over the past 9 years. I know I have. Thx for posting this 9 years ago.

@PeterG7 Wow Glen Flagler! one of those rare single malts produced inside a grain distillery complex making it technically rarer than some other closed distilleries. It's become much harder and expensive to obtain whisky from closed distilleries as the auction and secondary market have boomed.

A specialty of indie bottlers who seemed to have snapped up quite a bit of the stock of what was probably destined to be blending casks at the time.

Thanks to your review @markjedi1 , I picked up a bottle of Pittyvaich.

@Frost And did you enjoy it as much as I did?

@markjedi1 not yet, it is bunkered for a special occasion to open with my Strathmill 25 YO