Like all businesses, over the years Scotch distilleries do close.  The global recession of the early 80's was particularly devastating to the Scotch whiskey industry with many closures.  Also, as beverage companies have merged and gotten bigger they have closed older facilities with greater operating expenses regardless of the quality of the product.  Lowland Scotches in particular fell out of favor with blenders and most were closed in the early 80's.  This was before the current growth in single malts and few had distillery botllings.  It is rare to find any of these Scotches today and even rarer still to find a distillery bottling.  Why? With every cask of Rosebank or Banff that gets bottled, potential new bottlings from silent distilleries become rarer - and therefor more expensive. Ashley's has scoured sources all over the State to find these lost bottles of Scotch.  When they are gone they are gone.  If you see a bottle at store from a closed distillery let me know.

 
Bladnoch (Cadenhead's) 16 yr. Lowland

Distilled 1980, Bottled 1996, 58.2%
Matured in oak casks. Non-chill filtered, no color added.

Bladnoch, Scotland's most Southerly distillery was sold to United Distillers (UDV) in 1983. UDV closed the distillery in 1993 and converted to a Heritage Center.  They sold the distillery in 1994 with the stipulation that only 100,000 liters of alcohol could be produced a year.  UDV had removed much of the equipment except for the stills and washbacks so production did not restart until 2000.  This bottle dates from before the sale to UDV. 

Subte, silky and sweet with a vanilla, toffee and cocoa finish.  $35.95

Dallas Dhu (Provenance)

19yr, Speyside, Distilled 1981, Bottled 2001, 43%
Matured in sherry cask. Non-chill filtered, no color added.

On the Western edge of Speyside sits Dallas Dhu, the last distillery built in Scotland in the 19thCentury.  The distillery was closed in 1983 by Diageo and the license to distill was returned in 1992.  Today Dallas Dhu is a museum with all the equipment still in place.

Finished in a Sherry butt creating a big, rich after dinner malt.  Sweet and nutty, chocolatey and malty. on the nose, palate and finish.  38.95

Banff (Blackadder), 27yr, Speyside

Distilled 1976, bottled 2003, 45%
Matured in an Oak Hogshead. Non-chill filtered, no color added.

Banff, located on the Northcoast in Speyside had an ill-fated life.  Fires struck the distillery in 1877, it was bombed by the Germans in WWII, struck by fire again in 1959, closed in 1983, stills destroyed in 1985 and the last remaining warehouse destroyed by fire in 1991. 

This is a very rare bottle from this lost distillery. Matured in oak, it has a honey-sweet taste, slightly oily, fruity with almonds and a sweet nutty finish.  42.95

Littlemill 17yr (Distillery Bottle) Lowland 40%

Littlemill near Glasgow that's on the border between the Highlands and Lowlands was Scotland's oldest distillery (possibly founded in 1750) until it closed in 1994. It has often been thought of as a Lowland distillery since it used to use triple distillation like most lowlands but in 1930s it switched to double distillation. The distillery was dismantled in 1996 and a fire in 2004 destroyed what was left.

This is an original distillery bottle, the nose is sweet and gentle, with lots of hay and grain at first nosing. Very delicate, which does not mean restrained. It gets buttery and creamy, before some interesting notes of fresh berries do emerge. Tastes of caramel sauce, grain and broiled cereal with a medium finish.  26.95

Linlithgow (Blackadder) 28 yr, Lowland

45%, Distilled 1975, bottled 2003
Matured in an Oak Hogshead. Non-chill filtered, no color added.

From the Saint Magdalene distillery (Linlithgow is the name of  the town and most merchant bottlings bear this name). The Saint Magdalene distillery in West Lothian was built near the UnionCanal, which allowed for quick and easy transport of the raw materials (barley, casks, etcetera) to the distillery and malt whisky to markets in Scotland and England, as well as abroad. In fact, the town of Linlithgow seems to have provided an excellent location for a whisky distillery; at one point there were no less than five distilleries in town. Closed and mothballed in 1983.

 The nose produces notes of apple skin as well as fresh walnuts at first sniff, very clean, developing to more floral notes. Tastes of wood and a heavy 'greenness' (chlorophyll, spearmint.) It gets then waxy and then quite lemony and sort of leathery with a spiciness in the finish from the wood.  45.95