The Last Drop Distillers has got itself into a nice rhythm. The self-proclaimed curators of the world’s most remarkable spirits started life slowly, releasing just two spirits on average per year. Now under the ownership of Sazarac, it has picked up the pace: For the third year running, the company has released a collection of three spirits for 2024.
Later this year, we can expect another signature creation following the release of the Kentucky Blend in 2022 and its debut Irish whiskey in 2023. But although the quantity has gone up, the quality has not gone down. In its early days, The Last Drop had to look far and wide for casks that matched their standards. Today, with its stellar reputation and the connections that come with a spirits giant, they find the best now comes direct to them.
The 2024 collection is, therefore, the three very finest spirits from the many hundreds of tested samples. Each release was selected not only for its quality but also for the story it tells. Behind any truly great aged spirit is a tale of exceptional luck, fortitude or a mixture of both. In this regard, the 2024 collection does not disappoint.
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Auchentoshan 40 Year Old
A famed Lowland distillery with two centuries of history behind it, the Glasgow-based Auchentoshan is most notable for its practice of triple distillation – almost non-existent in Scotland but ubiquitous in Ireland. This gives the spirit a light and fruity texture. It also means you rarely see it in this age bracket.
The cask was procured from a prominent public figure who was gifted the 1984 American oak cask at birth. A significant angel’s share (whisky lost through evaporation) means they extracted just 74 bottles from the cask at 44.8% ABV. Despite its age, the whisky still maintains an identifiable distillery character. It is light and fruity with hints of hazelnut praline.
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Infinitum Rum Blend 22 Year Old
A tale of remarkable fortune, this rum was created over 22 years thanks to one company’s tradition of throwing the leftovers of its duty-suspended samples into an oak rum cask over two decades. The company in question, based in Liverpool, England, received dozens of samples per year. When the annual office clean-up came about, they combined samples in the cask and essentially forgot about them. The result is a rum that contains hundreds of different expressions from Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Venezuela, Guadeloupe, Brazil and Fiji.
Although added to at random, the resulting rum is one that any master blender would be proud of: A harmonious blend of honeycomb sweetness and spicy gingerbread. Although officially labeled as 22 years old, many of the rums that make up this blend will be significantly older and that comes across with its spicy finish complemented with slightly drying tannins. Bottled at 53.1% ABV, a drop of water helps bring out a touch more sweetness. Just 136 bottles are available.
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Tomintoul 55 Year Old
Ironically, this is The Last Drop Distillers’ oldest Scotch to date, but one of the youngest distilleries it has used. Tomintoul, a proverbial adolescent on the Scotch whisky scene, was barely five years old when the distillers laid this down in the late 60s. Today, Tomintoul remains on the periphery of the wider industry, serving the blend market as well as producing its own range of single malts.
This whisky was aged in six oak casks for 53 years before being combined into a single Amoroso butt for 20 months, instilling it with additional richness and spice. The result is the perfect blend of Speyside fruitiness with the subtle hints of dry, spicy sherry. Limited to 582 bottles and bottled at 41.8%, this is comparatively plentiful by Last Drop standards.
Tasting notes: The Last Drop Distillers 2024 Collection
Release No. 34 – Auchentoshan 40 Year Old
– 74 bottles
– 44.8% ABV
– £3,500 ($4,350)
Tasting notes: Really sweet on the nose, with pear drops and stewed cherries. You eventually get richer, sweeter notes with hints of caramel and a subtle hint of spice. On the palate, a rich mouthfeel with lots of toffee and vanilla. The wood spices come to the fore for the finish, presenting themselves with a light licorice tingle. A highly drinkable dram. Rating 8/10
Release No. 35 – Infinitum Rum Blend 22 Year Old
– 136 bottles
– 53.1%
– £2,200 ($2,750)
Tasting notes: This has got some funk on it. The initial smell on the nose is similar to opening a can of tennis balls (possibly the best smell on the planet). Give it time and it gives way to something more expected: tropical fruits, honeycomb and marmalade. On the palate, the tropical fruit dances with the wood influences. There’s plenty of spice involved, with nutmeg leading the way. A long finish that eventually leads into those spicy oak influences, indicating far longer in the cask than the 22 years on the label. Rating 8/10
Release No. 36 – Tomintoul 55 Year Old
– 582 bottles
– 41.8%
– £6,600 ($8,210)
Tasting notes: Surprisingly sweet and vibrant for such an old whisky. It offers dried cranberries and figs on the nose with just a few nutty hints of its maturity. On the mouth you get a pleasant hit of wood spice followed by a herbaceous hit, almost minty. It’s a rich dram, a classic example of aged Highland whisky done well. The wood is in perfect balance and that extra 20 months in a sherry cask has given it a real kick on the tongue. Rating: 8.5/10
