The Last Drop is a company founded by three old hands in the liquor business who decided to bottle, one by one, a collection of fabulous old casks from remote cellars scattered all over Scotland. 

Tom Jago, James Espey, and Peter Fleck have over 120 years of combined experience in the Scotch industry. At the beginning, when working on a mixture of cream and whisky, for some reason, they failed to emulsify it. The result was a semi-blockage of solid fat at the top of the bottle, a rather unfortunate debut for the new concoction. Once the formula was fixed, the brand became very successful.  Espey, Jago and Fleck are also responsible for developing Malibu rum, another brand which gained almost instant name recognition.

 

 

 But this trio does not seek that kind of fame though this offer. The Last Drop is a passion project for these seasoned pros. Their first production is a stock of only 1,347 bottles of 1960 distilled whisky. When it reached 12 years it was blended and put back into Sherry casks where it aged for another 36 years, evaporating slowly until less than a third of the volume remained. It has been bottled straight from the casks with no chilling, filtering or any other additions.

The Last Drop is not as dark as one might expect. Instead it has a color similar to burnished gold. It’s an amazing blend with some of the traditional whisky notes you might expect such as dried fruits, tobacco and leather. It also has a beguiling lightness. It just doesn’t taste as terribly serious as the age and price might lead you to think. Just as even the driest history becomes fascinating when told by the right person, this whisky is a chance to drink the past and enjoy it. It’s excellent straight but, because its alcohol volume is 52% you can add a bit of water and not risk diluting it too much. With water, it opens up to an almost floral aroma with tastes of molasses and stone fruit. John Hansell, writer for the Malt Advocate grade it with a 95, which rates The Last Drop, above some whiskies selling for twice the price. 

The Last Drop comes in a simple black box presentation which includes a descriptive booklet, a cork stopper for resealing and a small 50ml bottle. Each bottle is sealed and protected with hot wax. Its market price is $2,000.

The Last Drop extraordinary whiskey is available online at the Whiskey Exchange website. 

 

Text: AMURA ± Photo: Last drop distillers