The Last Drop Distillers Announces 2024 Collection
The Last Drop Distillers has announced its 2024 Collection of spirits featuring Release No. 34, Release No. 35, and Release No. 36.
Release No. 34:
The Last Drop 40 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Auchentoshan Distillery
Limited to 74 bottles at 44.8% ABV (89.6 proof)
$5,300 for a 700 mL bottle + 50 mL miniature
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.
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. 35:
The Last Drop 22 Year Old ‘Infinitum Rum Blend’
Limited to 136 bottles at 53.1% ABV (106.2 proof)
$3,100 for a 700 mL bottle + 50 mL miniature
An ‘infinity rum’ presents the fruits of an experimental process of combining different aged rums from a wide array of distilleries. This example – bottled by The Last Drop – is a tribute to the dedicated process behind its creation. Release No. 35 is an extraordinary blend of rums from around the world; with origins in Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Venezuela, Guadeloupe, Brazil and Fiji – it is a liquid of international origin.
Sweetness and spice are plentiful in this rare liquid, born from hundreds of duty-suspended samples sealed in an oak rum cask and left to slumber in a Liverpool warehouse for 22 years and vatted during the first year of the new millennium.
Tasting notes by Ian Burrell, ‘The Rum Ambassador’:
Appearance: Light amber in colour, the rich beading gives a hint of the treasure that awaits.
Nose: This rum oozes sweetness, with honeycomb, nutmeg, and allspice. The initial aromas are followed by citrus marmalade and stewed fruit. The aromas open to a cedarwood scent, speaking of its long years in oak barrels.
Palate: The natural sweetness leads to an array of tropical spices. Allspice, nutmeg, and gingerbread layer the tongue with a tingling of cloves. The mouth feel is of light oak and new leather.
Conclusions: The rum has a dry finish, and – hidden in this unique and multi-faceted blend – you will find a whisper of the rums of Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad, among many others. A dry finish of white pepper, hot spices, light oak, leather, tannins, citrus peel combine in harmony culminating in a delightful rum that can be sipped all year round.
Release No. 36:
The Last Drop 55 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Tomintoul Distillery
Limited to 582 bottles at 41.7% ABV (83.4 proof)
$8,300 for a 700 mL bottle + 50 mL miniature
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.
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.
The Last Drop 2024 Collection will be available in limited quantities in the United States beginning in May 2024.
Source: The Last Drop Distillers.