Independent bottler The Last Drop Distillers is embracing whisky in a variety of forms in its 2023 Collection.
The company's annual collections are designed to showcase rare and remarkable spirits, and this year has been no exception: the line-up includes a 50-year-old blended Scotch whisky finished in an ex-Jamaican rum cask (Release No. 29), a 20-40-year-old Japanese blended malt whisky finished in a mizunara cask (Release No. 30), and a 50-year-old blended grain whisky (Release No. 31).
Rebecca Jago, managing director of The Last Drop Distillers, said the company wanted to use the collection to showcase similarities in the whiskies' origins, influences, and inspirations, despite their variations in style.
"We have assembled a 50-year-old blended Scotch whisky finished in a Jamaican rum cask, an exceptional Japanese blended whisky aged in a mizunara oak cask, and an unusual but scintillating 50-year-old Scotch grain whisky, perhaps closer to the American style than most Scotch whiskies," she said.
"It represents some of the best examples of how a different components and maturations can be used to produce truly special spirits. Each of these bottlings was a journey of discovery and delight for us."
The 50-year-old blended Scotch whisky unites more than 40 Scotch single malt and grain and grain whiskies. It was the final cask in an already fêted parcel – six were bottled for Release No. 10, the Vintage 1971 Triple-Matured Blended Scotch Whisky, but one was reserved for further maturation. The final finishing took place in the cask that held Release No. 20 – a 43-year-old overproof Jamaican rum.
Release No. 30, The Last Drop Distillers' second Japanese whisky release, marries 20- to 40-year-old malts from the ghost Hanyu Distillery (which opened in 1980 and closed in 2000) with other singular malts from Japanese distilleries in a blend that saw maturation in a mizunara oak cask.
Finally, the 50-year-old blended grain whisky aims to break down stereotypes around Scotch grain whisky – a journey that has seen The Last Drop already release three single cask single grain whiskies from closed distilleries. Release No. 31 features a mixture of grains including corn, wheat, and malted barley, with all the individual grain whiskies used in the blend distilled in column stills.
The releases for the 2023 Collection were created under the watchful eye of The Last Drop's master blender Colin Scott.
The company's annual collections are designed to showcase rare and remarkable spirits, and this year has been no exception: the line-up includes a 50-year-old blended Scotch whisky finished in an ex-Jamaican rum cask (Release No. 29), a 20-40-year-old Japanese blended malt whisky finished in a mizunara cask (Release No. 30), and a 50-year-old blended grain whisky (Release No. 31).
Rebecca Jago, managing director of The Last Drop Distillers, said the company wanted to use the collection to showcase similarities in the whiskies' origins, influences, and inspirations, despite their variations in style.
"We have assembled a 50-year-old blended Scotch whisky finished in a Jamaican rum cask, an exceptional Japanese blended whisky aged in a mizunara oak cask, and an unusual but scintillating 50-year-old Scotch grain whisky, perhaps closer to the American style than most Scotch whiskies," she said.
"It represents some of the best examples of how a different components and maturations can be used to produce truly special spirits. Each of these bottlings was a journey of discovery and delight for us."
The 50-year-old blended Scotch whisky unites more than 40 Scotch single malt and grain and grain whiskies. It was the final cask in an already fêted parcel – six were bottled for Release No. 10, the Vintage 1971 Triple-Matured Blended Scotch Whisky, but one was reserved for further maturation. The final finishing took place in the cask that held Release No. 20 – a 43-year-old overproof Jamaican rum.
Release No. 30, The Last Drop Distillers' second Japanese whisky release, marries 20- to 40-year-old malts from the ghost Hanyu Distillery (which opened in 1980 and closed in 2000) with other singular malts from Japanese distilleries in a blend that saw maturation in a mizunara oak cask.
Finally, the 50-year-old blended grain whisky aims to break down stereotypes around Scotch grain whisky – a journey that has seen The Last Drop already release three single cask single grain whiskies from closed distilleries. Release No. 31 features a mixture of grains including corn, wheat, and malted barley, with all the individual grain whiskies used in the blend distilled in column stills.
The releases for the 2023 Collection were created under the watchful eye of The Last Drop's master blender Colin Scott.
