The Lost Distillery Company Classic Selection Gerston Scotch Whisky

The Lost Distillery Company Classic Selection Gerston is a 750mL blended malt Scotch whisky bottled at 43% ABV (86 proof), non-chill filtered with no added colour and no age statement — a modern recreation of the whisky once made at Gerston, a small farmhouse distillery at Halkirk in Caithness, in the far north of Scotland, which fell silent in the 1870s and was demolished in 1882. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.

• ABV: 43% (86 proof) — Classic Selection (the Archivist/Vintage tiers are 46%; do not confuse them)
• Size: 750mL
• Style: Blended malt Scotch whisky — 100% aged single malts, no grain whisky
• Age: No age statement
• Origin: Scotland — a recreation of Gerston, Halkirk, Caithness (Highlands)
• Filtration: Non-chill filtered, no added colour

Recreating a Caithness Farmhouse Whisky, Lost Since the 1870s

Gerston was founded by Francis Swanson, a farmer-distiller, in the 1790s beside the Thurso River — a small family farmhouse distillery whose whisky was in demand in London and exported as far as Brazil and India, before water-supply problems ended production in the 1870s; a second, larger Gerston (later renamed Ben Morven) followed nearby in 1886. The Lost Distillery Company has no old stock, no secret recipe and no DNA analysis: its archiving team, including Professor Michael Moss of the University of Glasgow, researches ten key components — era, locality, water source, barley, yeast, peat, mash tun, washback, still and wood — and its whisky makers then blend single malts from different distilleries to match that evidence. Explore the house on the Lost Distillery Company vendor page and the wider shelf in our whisky collection.

Tasting Notes

Per the brand's retailer notes: ripe fruit, toffee, smoke and spice. An independent review of the Classic bottling (Whisky Saga) found orchard fruit — apple and pear — with salt, ash and iodine on the nose; ash, pepper, orange and dark chocolate on the palate; and a medium-long finish of fruit, milk chocolate and licorice.

How to Enjoy

Neat or with a few drops of water — the non-chill-filtered, malt-only build rewards a slow pour, and the gentle smoke holds up over a single large cube. More Scotch is in our whisky collection and the full range in our spirits collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Gerston a real distillery?
It was — a farmhouse distillery at Halkirk, Caithness, founded in the 1790s, which stopped producing in the 1870s and was demolished in 1882. This bottle is The Lost Distillery Company's modern recreation of its style, blended from aged single malts.

What is the difference between Classic Selection and the 46% Gerston bottlings?
They are different tiers: the Classic Selection is bottled at 43% ABV, while the Archivist's and Vintage tiers are 46% and drawn from older vattings. This listing is the Classic Selection.

Is Gerston single malt or blended?
A blended malt — a marriage of 100% aged single malts with no grain whisky, non-chill filtered and with no added colour, and no age statement.

A lost Highland style, rebuilt from the archives — order Lost Distillery Gerston Classic Selection online today from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.