Review – The Lost Distilleries Blended Whisky #4

One of the plus sides of the long barrel-aging required of Scotch whisky to make the really special stuff is the fact that it can be possible to get your mits on some whisky from a distillery long after it actually closed its doors.  Not down your local or in the supermarket of course, but through people who are in the know.  The Blended Whisky Company, part of the Master of Malt empire are one such source and this is the fourth iteration of a series of blended whiskies hailing from distilleries whose legacy lives on in their distillates.  This blend is a mix of whiskies from Rosebank, Littlemill, Imperial, Mosstowie, Glen Keith and Port Ellen and is limited to just 97 bottles.

Nose: White fruits, cream, beeswax, dates, polished leather, underripe mango and a whisper of pink peppercorn bounce out of the glass, shortly to be followed by a mellow muskiness and the aromatic equivalent of deep umami flavour.

Neat: Salted cream upfront, chased by richly oaked and deeply fruity Eccles cake. Understated at first, but with layers of flavour that unravel to reveal both light white fruits and warming vanilla custard.  The finish is long and lightly spiced with licks of smoke and the occasional hint of homemade summer pudding.

Mixing: Don’t you dare!

The Lost Distilleries Blended Whisky #4 is a sublime example of why blended most certainly does not equal inferior. Each individual whisky has been superbly blended to deliver a fine balance that treads that fine line between smooth integration and yet compellingly juxtaposed.

Rating: ★★★★★

The Lost Distilleries Blended Whisky #4 is available to buy from Master of Malt.

★: Terrible, only drink for a dare.
★★: Meh, not undrinkable but best left alone.
★★★: Reasonable, middle of the road.
★★★★: Tasty stuff, well worth seeking out.
★★★★★: Incredible, booze doesn’t get better than this. You need a bottle in your life.