The Lost Distillery Company Stratheden Classic Selection Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

There are two tiers in the Lost Distillery Company series. The 'Classic' label expressions are lower proof versions (43% as opposed to 46%). The blends employ a variety of malts in order to recreate the imagined flavour profiles of some of Scotland's long closed distilleries.

Stratheden distillery (1829-1926) was situated in the centre of the old market town of Auchtermuchty in Fife. The earliest records of legal distillation indicate it was founded in 1829, although there is anecdotal evidence of the prior use of illegal stills in the area. The distillery was unusual in that it only ever had one owner – three successive generations of the Bonthrone family. The Bonthrone’s hailed from the area and according to whisky writer, Brian Townsend, were a “…true malting, brewing and distilling dynasty.” Ancestors of the family were brewers in nearby Falkland in the 1600s. They also had local interests in baking and milling. The challenges of the early 20th century proved to be too much for Stratheden. Demand was so poor that it did not re-commence production until 1922. Successive duty increases, set alongside distilling costs that were higher than those of modern distilleries meant that margins were eroded to the point where there was little will in continuing. The final blow was the loss of its major export market, as the United States embarked on a decade of Prohibition from 1920. The distillery ceased production in late 1924, and closed for good in 1926. The maltings remained in use until the 1970s. The bonded warehouses were bought by Arthur Bell in 1931 and remained in use with United Distillers until 1989. The warehouse doors can still be seen to this day, marked as a bonded warehouse. In this bottling, expect malty, orange peel, chocolate and peat aromas and flavours. 43% Alc./Vol. Reported to be non chill filtered, though not stated on the label.