What is a lost distillery?
Some of the most valuable and beloved whisky in the world comes from distilleries that are no longer in operation. Here's our guide to lost distilleries.
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There’s nothing spooky about ghost whiskies or distilleries, although spirits are certainly involved. If you’re curious about lost distilleries, such as what they are or why they’re in demand, this guide will help.
What is a lost distillery?
Lost distilleries
Why do we love a lost distillery?
Ghost whisky is popular among whisky enthusiasts and collectors because, by its very nature, it’s rare. The distilleries aren’t making any more of it, so the stock that is around is the last of its kind. That also makes the whisky historically significant as it remains the last tangible connection to the closed distillery, aside from rare cases like Dallas Dhu where you can visit the closed site. The whisky represents an almost lost history of whisky and distilling heritage, as well as a glimpse into the past and the flavours of it, like the characteristics unique to the closed distillery.
The demand for whiskies from lost distilleries is also naturally informed by the quality of the whisky. While some producers gradually fell into obscurity, others gained more plaudits when closed than they ever did when producing. The likes of Brora, Rosebank, Port Ellen, and Karuizawa gathered such fame as ghost distilleries that all of them have actually been brought back to life (more on that later). The single cask Port Ellen bottling released for Fèis Ìle 2008, for example, was sold for £99.99. Good luck finding one now for under £4,000.
The combination of rarity, quality, cult status, and historical significance gives whisky made by these distilleries investment potential, so they’re often a goldmine for collectors. It’s a simple equation, the value of the whisky increases over time as the supply dwindles. Collectors – and flippers – then add to the price rises by hoovering up the remaining whisky. It’s a cycle that means counterfeit products will emerge, so if you're interested in collecting ghost whiskies, make sure you do your research and verify the authenticity of the bottles.
The reputation of Brora whisky increased after the distillery closed
Why would you want whisky from a closed distillery?
You might be asking yourself the question at this point, if these distilleries produced such good whisky, why did they close? The answer is sadly that good whisky isn’t always going to be insulated from a bad market. The industry goes through boom/bust cycles and when the going gets tough, distilleries get going.
At the peak of the 19th century, there were over two hundred Scotch whisky distilleries in operation. In this current boom time, with so many opening all the time, it’s now only close to 150. World wars, US Prohibition, economic depression, and whisky not being the cool kid at that point (thankfully we live in more enlightened times) are all factors that contribute to decline and the closure of distilleries.
Some distilleries were simply mothballed or had pauses in production and have survived, the unlucky ones were demolished. In that case, we truly never will see its like again. Even if a site is erected on the same land, with the same production process, we know just enough about whisky to know that we don’t really know anything about it all, and that there’s something truly special and unrepeatable about the magic of creating whisky.
Port Ellen Distillery is back from the dead
The comeback kids
So, many distilleries, even very good ones, were forced to close their doors, not before selling remaining stock to stay afloat. Hence, ghost whisky. As we referred to earlier, that market has swelled and soared so much that the decision has been made by various companies to restore old closed distilleries.
Diageo announced that both Brora and Port Ellen were to reopen in 2017, 34 years after their closure. An announcement on Rosebank’s comeback came swiftly after from Ian McLeod, while Karuizawa was announced to be revived in 2020. The good names not only carry great weight among whisky enthusiasts, but whisky is also just thriving in general and companies are keen to respond in kind by making more.
Of course, these rebirths come with questions. The biggest one being, can you recreate the magic? It feels slightly doomed in that sense because no matter how good the new whisky will be, it will be impossible to truly recreate what came before. A bit of maturity in realising this and tempering expectations to match is required here, as there’s no reason the new whisky can’t still be sublime. There’s also the question of what these revived distilleries will do to the prices of existing bottlings from the old sites. We’ll have to wait and see for that one.
Gone but not forgotten
So, that’s lost distilleries. Below is a selection of examples, all remnants from an era when whisky was made differently. Almost makes you want to get misty-eyed about the past. Personally, it makes me thirsty.
Whisky from Lost Distilleries
The whisky here is from distilleries that sadly closed
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