Lost Distillery Gerston Archivist Whisky (700 ml)

The story of Gerston whisky is a tale of two distilleries, known as Gerston One and Gerston Two. Gerston One was a family-owned farm- house scale distillery, with a typically small output, making high quality spirit that was in demand both at home and further afield. It was enjoyed by the great and good of London society and had customers as far apart as Brazil and India. It existed for over eighty years, and remained in the Swanson family for nearly all of that time.

Gerston Two was an industrial scale distillery with a capacity of 80,000 gallons of spirit per year. The owners hoped to emulate the success of the whisky from Gerston One by building a new distillery, which had a capacity almost ten times the size of Gerston One. When it was opened in 1886 it was arguably the most innovative and modern distillery in Scotland, and certainly the largest distillery in Caithness. Its design utilised a natural fall in the land, which allowed gravity to govern the process and the movement of liquids. Production at Gerston Two lasted for little over two decades – they were unable to replicate the success and, importantly, quality of spirit previously associated with the Gerston name.

Tasting Nose

Appearance : Full gold

Aroma : Light malt loaf to start, with sultanas and a trace of allspice. After a while a very slight steamy/smoky note, and hints of hard toffee. The smoky/maritime note increases over time, but becomes dirty (exhaust fumes) when water is added.

Taste : Smooth texture, sweet taste with smoke in the finish and a mineral twist. Water softens the texture; less sweet but still smoky, and a lingering smokiness in the aftertaste.

Comment : The flavour profile is just what you would expect from a 19th Century distillery.