Scotch Missed: The Lost Distilleries of Scotland [Paperback]

Brian Townsend (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 25, 2000

This is a revised third edition of the hardback published in 1993 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the first documentary records of the making of Scotch whisky in 1494. Brian Townsend has now detailed the remnants and ruins of almost every Victorian working distillery in Scotland. In this new edition he has fully updated the most recent closures and has sourced over 35 new archive photographs of many of Scotland's lost distilleries. The distilleries featured vary from the remnants of once great industrial concerns such as Saucel Distillery in Paisley to a mere tumble of bricks and mortar lying in a remote location like Glen Tarras at Langholm. Over the length and breadth of Scotland, its greatest export has left its mark and this book is a tribute not only to those who struggled against great odds and were finally beaten, but also to those who survived and have prospered. Townsend's detailed research brings to life a large portion of Scottish industrial heritage which would otherwise have been ignored and he has enlivened this with interviews of the last people to work those long gone stills. He has also tracked down the whisky which in some cases still exists and the book is fully illustrated with records past and present of this remarkable trade. Includes full OS map reference index to all distilleries listed and a full index.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brian Townsend is a native of Brechin and was educated in Britain and Switzerland. He is a journalist and author of The Lost Distilleries of Ireland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Neil Wilson Pub Ltd; 3rd edition (July 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 189778497X
• ISBN-13: 978-1897784976
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,048,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some nice history, December 6, 2002

By 

magellan (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Scotch Missed: The Lost Distilleries of Scotland (Paperback)

Many of Scotland's distilleries had closed in recent (and not-so-recent) decades, and I thought I'd mention some of my favorites, which Townsend discusses in his book.

Some, like the heavily peated Islay, Ardbeg (which I understand has been re-opened, fortunately), were justly famous; others, like Dallas Dhu and Millburn, were more obscure, but their closing was still a loss. People used to make jokes about the Dallas Dhu name (which means "black glen" in Scots Gaelic), but it really did produce a fine malt, and I had fun doing tastings of it with friends back in the late 80's, when it was still readily available in independent bottlings at different ages and from different independent bottlers. It was notable for some semi-sweet chocolate notes, a rare flavor and essence in scotch whiskey, and I used to enjoy it very much. The only other malt that comes to mind with a chocolate flavor to me right now was a 25-year-old bottling of Scapa, a 1968 or therabouts issue, if I remember correctly. But anyway, it certainly was a fine malt and worthy of comparison with the Dallas Dhu. One time I put on a tasting for other single-malt afficianado friends and acqaintances of almost nothing but "vanished malts," of which I had bottles of about a dozen at the time, and we all had a great time tasting their whiskies and talking about single-malts and whatever.

Although bourbons and cognacs are impressive spirits too, if there is one thing that separates single malts from the others, it's the sheer spectrum of diversity and intensity of the many qualities that they possess. The intense, crystal-clear essences and flavors of this great distillate are unique, and in truly appreciating a fine dram of one of the great single malts at the end of a day, even life's more pressing problems seem to themselves vanish for a moment. As someone once wrote, life is still worth living as long as there is a good single-malt available. And perhaps that's why it translates from the Gaelic as "the water of life."

But getting back to Townsend's book, here he gives a nod to the history and scotch of the many famous and more obscure distilleries and whiskies of Scotland that are no longer with us. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about all the different distilleries, even the defunct ones, but I still learned some new things from this enjoyable book, and I would recommend it to any and all single-malt enthusiasts who are looking for something different in a book about scotch.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not to be missed, August 16, 2005

By 

The California Scotch Society (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scotch Missed: The Lost Distilleries of Scotland (Paperback)

This book was extremely informative and I would recommend it highly for any scotch whisky aficionado. The book allows you to create a vivid mental picture of how old distilleries must have been, plus the illustrations are great. Scotch Missed will further your knowledge on the history of this fascinating industry.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars addictive toddy of a historical read!, March 30, 2000

By 

mrs jackson (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scotch Missed: The Lost Distilleries of Scotland (Paperback)

Highly informative paperback on scotland's lost whisky distilleries, including those which have closed in recent years and whose whiskies can still be found in specialist shops or the occasional liquor store that doesn't realise the gems it has on its shelves. Definitely a must for the whisky enthusiast looking for a dram of a book.