Whisky: Gerston Blended Malt, Lost Distillery Co. Archivist Collection

Country/Region: Scotland/Blended Malt

ABV: 46%

Cask: Oak

Nose: Stewed fruits, holiday baking spice, lamp oil, wispy smoke, slightly metallic, pork fat and herbal spice with more time.

Palate: Medium-bodied, sweet, raspberry, cream, vanilla, cake batter, bubble gum, cotton candy, hints of smoke and tobacco.

Finish: Medium-length with cotton candy and tangy berry coulis.

Score: 6

Mental Image: A Red Velvet Birthday Party

Narrative & Notes: The aroma began with an overture to winter holidays: stewed plums, dates, cherries, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. I imagined stepping into a Dicken’s novel, probably an upscale part of London, with the slightly industrial scent of coal-fired stoves, lamp oil, and wispy smoke. Pork fat and herbal notes of thyme, tea, and tobacco emerged with more time. Medium-bodied, the profile was sweet with a blast of raspberry coulis, cream, and vanilla. Sweet desserts continued with strawberry cake pops, birthday cake frosting, and bubble gum-flavored cotton candy. Hints of smoke and tobacco lingered in the background of a bright, bubbly birthday party. The finish was medium-length with cotton candy sugars and berry coulis.

Another interesting whisky from the Lost Spirits Company! This blended malt was designed as a recreation of, or perhaps an homage to, the Gerston Distillery. Gerston operated in Halkirk from 1795 to 1875, when it was shuttered and demolished. It came back to life a decade later in 1886, only to be renamed Ben Morven in 1897 and then shuttered for a final time between 1911-1914.

I found this a few pegs better than the last blended malt I tried from Lost Spirits. That previous whisky, the Towiemore Blended Malt, was interesting and fun but not something I would often grab to pour. This particular release of the Gerston blended malt was given an additional PX finish and bottled at a slightly higher proof; as a result, the whisky felt heftier and the finish much longer.

I thought the nose on this was particularly interesting and evocative. The flavor profile was a bit saccharine for my taste and the subtle savory notes on the aroma never really appeared on the palate. However, for a sherry-finished whisky, I thought it was quite lovely.

Image Credit: First Fill Spirits

Weekly Theme: Blended Malt

I originally intended the theme this week to be on blends broadly, but after all was said and done, I realized I had been tasting blended malts specifically. So instead, the theme this week is blended malts, a small but beloved category of whiskies that includes everything from Monkey Shoulder and Johnnie Walker Green Label to many of the Compass Box products. The Whisky Exchange has an entire page of blended malt listings, illustrating the market's diversity in age, price, maturation, and label.

Blended malts contain only single malt whiskies, which, as the name suggests, have been blended together. This is a bit different from your everyday blended scotch whisky, which contains single malts and grain whiskies. Grain whiskies can vary wildly in quality, and some whisky aficionados avoid blended whiskies because they can contain cheap, mass-produced grain whisky.

Grain whisky can sometimes take a few decades to mellow and develop into something beautiful, so while high-end blends may utilize very mature grain whisky to help elevate or complement the malt flavors, cheaper blends might contain young, spirited, and less flavorful grain whisky. This varies, and I would never write off a whisky just because it is a blend or a blended malt without first having a background with the producer or bottler. Experience is key, but in place of experience, hopefully, online reviews, mine or otherwise, can help fill in the gap.

Whether to go blended malt or just plain blend, it is, in the end, a matter of personal preference!