The Lost Distilleries

@SquidgyAsh. I think most of the Broras are cask strength or close to it. It looks like the St. Magdelenes are mostly independant bottlings and also cask strength or high ABV. Take a look at all the ones listed and reviewed by Serge on WhiskyFun.

@BlueNote Thanks Bluenote, I'd already noticed that, I was just more curious as to what most people would choose: ANY bottle of say Port Ellen, or if they would prefer to hunt down cask strengths. Same with ANY Port Ellen or would they prefer a Port Ellen that was the style that made Port Ellen what it was known for.

You sometimes see people trying to grab a bottle of a distillery just because it's that distillery and it's no longer producing and they just want a bottle, ANY bottle of it as opposed to looking for specific ones. Was just curious.

@SquidgyAsh, I can't afford to collect for the sake of collecting, but I am saving up for a couple of showcase whiskies. But I intend to drink them, so I want to try before I buy.

When I can afford them, and when my wife gives me her begrudging approval, I'll be visiting Binny's for some tasting samples of a couple of OB Broras (25 and 30 yo's), as well as this one...

tinyurl.com/a6ggfxe

...which would save me some substantial money and still give me a Brora. I'll ask to taste them blind. And if none of them knock my argyles off, I'll walk away with the satisfaction that I tried three Broras. (Or, if they haven't kicked me out of the store by then, I'll say, "Okay, bring on the Port Ellens!")

One thing to consider in your hunt: I understand that later (early '80s) Broras, such as the one linked above, can be iffy, so there's more to consider than just brand name or cask strength.

@SquidgyAsh I tried the 30 yo Port Ellen (OB 9th release) at a SMWS Extravaganza in 2011. It was good -- not the top whisky of the night and not the most expensive either. I wouldn't buy it or any other whisky in that price range because I buy them to drink.

I also don't attempt to find "... a good example of that distillery's style." There are a few distilleries whose "styles" I simply don't enjoy so no matter how representative a particular expression is, it probably wouldn't trip my trigger.

I buy based on the whisky's worth as a whisky -- based on my taste, mind you. I've recently picked up two 15 yo Imperials that are stunning (and not expensive). The first is from the Signatory UCF Collection, 46%, hogshead: 308 bottles. The other is from G&M's Private Collection, 46%, sherry cask and finished in port wood, 1010 bottles.

I'm not usually a big fan of port finished whisky (to me the Glenmorangie port-finished offerings are akin to swamp water), but the Imperial 15 from G&M rocks. No flaws. A real crackerjack.

I've also recently picked up a Caperdonich 18 (UCF Signatory) that's good.

Of the whiskies from other closed distilleries I've tried (including Kinclaith and Glenury Royal), if I were looking for a "must have" to add to my selection I'd seek out a 20-something Glenury Royal at cask strength. The one I had was a Duncan Taylor Rarest of the Rare, 23 yo, CS at 48.5%. I love whisky matured in bourbon barrels, and that one ranks in the top 2 or 3 I've tried.

Have fun with your quest.

@SquidgyAsh Awesome discussion, all of the before mentioned whiskys are legendary however I'm not sure that I will ever be able to afford Port Ellen or Brora and Rosebank, those are every expensive and I'll have to settle for Springbank. :)

I have to say that just because these distilleries are the "lost distilleries," I would probably grab any bottle I could because they're certainly not making more and in some instances it may be your only chance to get that bottle, be it a good or bad bottling.

Completely depends on the type of collector though!

@SquidgyAsh I wouldn't pick up just any bottling of Port Ellen, Brora etc. as there are some duds from these distilleries. I passed on the 40% ABV Connoisseurs Choice Brora for example because, well, tasting notes weren't favourable and at 40% ABV it's just too weak. So I would still do my research.

As others have said, if PE, Brora and Rosebank are out of budget then there are several other affordable silent distilleries with hidden gems - Littlemill, Caperdonich, Imperial, Lochside etc and don't forget older expressions of distilleries that have been mothballed at some stage e.g Bruichladdich, Benromach, Glendronach, Glenglassaugh and many others.

@systemdown You bring up a great point. Much homework is needed before a purchase of any whisky from a lost or mothballed distillery should be bought. I still wonder if they would be out of my price range. That doesn't mean that if a great old bottle fell across my path I would turn it down. I had to tell my wife not to buy the Shackleton whisky because 1. I thought it was expensive, and I might not like it. 2. I just don't get that kind of luck to find that bottle or any other before mentioned ones at a good deal. :)

@PMessinger. I don't think there were any good deals anywhere on the Shakleton replica. It was the equivalent of about $160 in UK and I paid $195 here in Vancouver and sounds like it was pretty spendy in most parts of US. I seem to recal @SquidgyAsh paying about the same in Aus. It was good, but I wouldn't do it again. I just got an Old Pulteney 21 for around the same price and I think it's much better value. I could have bought last year's Brora 30 at the Clynelish distillery for the equivalent of around $300 as I recall. I passed but probably, in retrospect, should have gone for it. They also had the 2010 version and if I had looked serious about it they would have let me taste both before buying. I already had 3 bottles and about a dozen minis from various other distilleries and I was worried about Customs coming home.

@BlueNote Thanks. Yes the Shackleton or Port Ellen,Brora, Rosebank are pricey I still think it's great for someone to get Lost Distillery whiskies just not sure that I will be able to get them. :)

@BlueNote K&L Wine Merchants just listed the Mackinlay's Rare Old ... (Shackleton's) for $122 a few weeks ago. Don't know if they still have any.

@two-bit cowboy. That's the best price I have heard of. I just heard also that they are releasing a follow up called The Journey. It is supposed to be very similar to the Shackleton and they are producing 100,000 bottles. No price available yet. I saw this on a site called Whisky for Everyone in their Friday Inbox section. I had an idea that Whyte & McKay might want to keep this idea going. This one is being released to coincide with an expedition to recreate Shackleton's journey in early 2013. Let's hope this one is a bit more reasonably priced. BTW, their is a short video with Richard Paterson explaining the new expression on the site.

My mission is solely to purchase whisky which is amazing to drink. To that end I have a lost distillery or two in my cabinet, but the specific bottle is in there because it's great, not because it's from a distillery that's gone. I'd be much happier with a new laddie 10 or glendronnach 15 at 1/10th the price than a dud Port Ellen.

When I think of whisky collecting, I'm trying to find the next port Ellen, not the last one. That said, I did just pick up a Kuriazawa...

My plan with my rare/collectible whisky is always to wait a few years until its gone up in value and then open it and feel like a millionaire :-)

@systemdown Agreed my friend, lots of mothballed/distilleries that were closed for a while that are much more reasonably priced.

The idea for this conversation actually started at work. I work with a bunch of beer geeks. Not whisky geeks though. Now I maintain a small selection of bottles, of which my Port Ellen and Rosebank, among a few others are part of. This small selection is designed to be opened at special occassions as they were all gifts and all are expensive, highly regarded and or rare. However when we got to talking about closed distilleries at work the general office consensus was that most of my co workers would buy ANY bottle from a closed distillery under the assumption that at least they'd have a bottle from them, whereas I myself prefer to hunt for specific bottles that aren't too stupidly priced.

I was really just curious as to what the whisky communities thoughts on this were and I'm thrilled that everyone chimed in with some GREAT responses and some very informative comments at times!

Thanks guys!

Personally when I'm in Scotland I'll be taking a look at some of the local shops for some of those lifetime bottles, Broras, Older Ardbegs, Glenglassaugh, Talisker 25+yr old, etc etc etc, among many others. My goal is to come back home with no fewer then 20 odd whiskies :D