THE LAST DROP DISTILLERS PRESENTS ITS 2024 COLLECTION: CELEBRATING THE CRAFTMANSHIP, SERENDIPITY AND THE TEST OF TIME
Celebrating the unique, the experimental and the bold with three exceptional liquids: a 40 Year Old Single Malt from the Auchentoshan Distillery and the oldest Single Malt Scotch Whisky released by The Last Drop to date
LOUISVILLE, KY – The Last Drop Distillers, curators of the world’s most remarkable spirits, is thrilled to announce its 2024 Collection featuring bottlings that celebrate the unique possibilities of spirit-making and blending: a 40 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Auchentoshan Distillery (Release No. 34) and a 55 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Tomintoul Distillery (Release No. 36).
Each release celebrates a different facet of the fine craft of spirit making, from the unique production methods of Auchentoshan, to the experimentation and foresight used to create the bold spirit of innovation imbued within this early whisky from Tomintoul. United by a vital ingredient – time – each has matured to a great age, revealing remarkable layers to be discovered.
Release No. 34
The Last Drop 40 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Auchentoshan Distillery
Auchentoshan Distillery is renowned for its unique production processes, honed over two centuries of whisky making. It is the only extant distillery in Scotland to distill its spirit three times, producing a liquid that is delicate, refined and luxurious. With Release No. 34, The Last Drop celebrates the craft and creativity of this Lowland distillery, famed for the soft mellowness of its single malts.
This release has been richly-aged for four decades and with just 74 bottles produced, it presents an inimitable characteristic of Auchentoshan with a surprising sweetness.
Tasting Notes by Colin Scott, Master Blender, The Last Drop Distillers
APPEARANCE A light, delicate straw gold, with glints of yellow diamonds.
NOSE Light and delicate but with the richness of fruitcake and stewed apples, complemented with the ripe sweetness of raisins and black cherries. Notes of toffee and hazelnuts with hints of liquorice entice, with sweet spices and oak.
PALATE The richness of black cherries remains: cut grass, enhanced with the sweetness of raisins and caramel, intermingles with spices, vanilla, and a hint of oak, developing into a sweet floral, liquorice and spicy oak aftertaste.
CONCLUSIONS A soft, deep finish to linger over, this is a whisky full of surprise and delight.
Release No. 36
The Last Drop 55 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Tomintoul Distillery
The Last Drop’s oldest single malt release to date was born in the ‘Swinging Sixties’ when Scotch whisky was booming and new distillation technology was changing the game. The spirit of innovation was ubiquitous when these casks were put down to rest in Speyside – a time when the Tomintoul Distillery itself was less than 5 years old.
After aging for more than 53 years in six oak casks, and the angel’s claimed their share, the remaining liquid was married into an Amoroso butt for a further 20 months resulting in a liquid of richness and complexity, yielding 582 bottles.
Tasting notes by Colin Scott:
APPEARANCE A deep golden amber in colour, speaking of long years in rich sherry casks.
NOSE The colour heralds rich and ripe notes of dark fruits, sweet raisins, and fruitcake. This is followed by a gentle floral fragrance, grassy nettles, and notes of toffee, enhanced with the nuttiness of hazelnuts, spices, and an oaky sweetness.
PALATE The taste is an explosion of ripe fruits, and richly caramelised apples. A dance of spices and herbs tingles on the tongue, with buttery notes of sticky toffee pudding coming to the fore.
CONCLUSIONS The finish is long and lingering, as befits a whisky of such great age. Sweet oak and surprising floral notes alongside the complexities of fresh, ripe, and dried fruits aplenty.
Rebecca Jago, Managing Director of The Last Drop Distillers says: “We take great joy in sharing our discoveries and stories, and we are delighted to present The Last Drop’s 2024 Collection of Remarkable Spirits. It has been a fascinating mission to curate these releases; each reveals a different element of what makes our business unique: the originality of the Auchentoshan process and the spirit of innovation within the Tomintoul release from the distillery’s early years.
The Last Drop 2024 Collection will be rolling out in limited quantities to its United States distributor network, which will ship to select retailers, bars and restaurants as of May 2024 at a suggested retail price of $5,300 for the 40 Year Old Auchentoshan Single Malt Scotch (89.6 proof; 700ml + 50ml miniature) and $8,300 for the 55 Year Old Tomintoul Scotch Whisky (83.4 proof; 700ml + 50ml miniature); state taxes will vary per market.
For more information, please visit www.lastdropdistillers.com.
About The Last Drop Distillers
The Last Drop Distillers was founded by two icons of the spirits industry, Tom Jago and James Espey with over 80 years of experience between them. Their aim was to curate the world’s most remarkable spirits by finding treasures across aged spirit categories and sharing them with those who seek the genuinely extraordinary. This passion for exploration and discovery continued under the careful direction of Tom and James’ daughters: Rebecca Jago and Beanie Geraedts-Espey, who joined The Last Drop in 2014 to help bring their fathers’ vision to a wider audience. In 2016 The Last Drop was acquired by The Sazerac Company, one of America’s oldest private, family-owned, distillers. Rebecca continues to lead The Last Drop as Managing Director.
Since the company was founded in 2008, The Last Drop Distillers has released just 36 limited bottlings across Scotch Whisky, Cognac, Bourbon and Rum, Japanese Whisky and Irish Whiskey, as well as aged Ports and Pineau des Charentes, comprising fewer than 14,500 to date. Seeking nothing less than the remarkable in the spirits they curate, the company’s unwavering commitment is to the quality of the liquid and the pleasure of sharing the treasures they uncover.
About The Sazerac Company
With over 400 years of history, Sazerac is one of the world’s largest distilled spirits companies. Now in the fourth generation of the current family ownership, Sazerac strives each day to bring the finest spirits to consumers and communities around the world.
Over 500 of the world’s most extraordinary brands are part of the Sazerac portfolio, including Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Eagle Rare, Weller, The Last Drop Distillers, Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, Southern Comfort, Wheatley Vodka, Meyers’s Rum, White X Cognac, Sazerac de Forge Cognac, Paddy’s Irish Whiskey, and many more.
Sazerac is also the steward of many fine distilleries internationally, including Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky, United States; Domaine Sazerac de Segonzac in Cognac, France; Paul John Distillery in Goa, India; and Lough Gill Distillery in County Sligo, Ireland. Additional impressive locations can be found in New Orleans, Montréal, London, Cork and Sydney, to name a few.
To learn more visit www.sazerac.com.
