The Lost Distillery Company Towiemore Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

The Lost Distillery Company was established with the aim to recreate modern expressions of whiskies from long lost distilleries in Scotland. In order to come up with individual whisky profiles that are as authentic as possible, the team at The Lost Distillery Company has chosen an approach that combines meticulous historical research performed by archivists with the interpretation of modern-day whisky makers. The company uses neither chill-filtration nor caramel colouring as these techniques were unknown and not used within the whisky industry at the time. At the time of writing their Towiemore Blended Malt Scotch Whisky has just been released. It pays tribute to the Towiemore Distillery that was located in Botriphnie (today: Drummuir) in Banffshire. The distillery was established in 1897 by Peter Dawson and closed its doors in 1930.

The nose begins with a light alcoholic burn and distinct notes of wood spice. Right afterwards flavours of sherry, liquorice and bitter chocolate develop, followed by ground coffee and balsamic vinegar. With water there are light notes of prunes and fruitcake as well as of milk chocolate.

The palate is medium-bodied and spicy. A panoply of flavours takes centre stage first: sherry, balsamic vinegar, and liquorice, together with some grassy notes. With water the palate becomes mellow and mouth coating, and lovely flavours of prunes and raisins appear.

The finish is of medium length, spicy, and dry, ending on notes of coffee, liquorice and raspberries.

This was one of the more powerful blends that I have tried over the years. Water definitely helps to knock the rough edges off and greatly adds to the tasting experience. I found the multifaceted nose the most enjoyable part, and overall this is – again – a very well balanced blend from the Lost Distillery Company that I found delightful to try.