Over the past two decades, The Last Drop Distillers has become a byword for rare, unusual or hard-to-find spirits bottlings. Its 2026 Collection lives up to this reputation amply, comprising a 60-year-old Scotch whisky and a 25-year-old rum from a legendary Caribbean distillery.
The Story of The Last Drop Distillers
The Last Drop was founded by spirits industry heavyweights Tom Jago and James Espey in 2008. Their careers, both with French drinks conglomerate Pernod Ricard, had been spirits-agnostic and they intended to run their independent bottling company the same way, seeking out “spirits treasures” that ran the gamut of the category.
Their first release was a 1960 blended Scotch whisky, followed by a Cognac distilled in 1950. Since then, the company has bottled numerous malt and grain Scotch whiskies and Cognacs along with Irish and Japanese whiskies, Bourbon, rum, agave spirits, and fortified wines.
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Tom’s daughter Rebecca Jago joined the business in 2014 and served as managing director before stepping back into an ambassadorial role in 2025. At a launch event for the 2026 Collection, she explained the brand’s mission to highlight “remarkable iterations of different spirits” and encourage appreciators to explore categories outside their go-tos. “What we are trying to say is: whatever we put in a bottle is worthy of your attention,” she said.
Colin Scott, former master blender for Chivas Brothers, came on board as The Last Drop’s master blender in 2020. That year, the company also unveiled its Assembly: a supertroop of spirits professionals including Buffalo Trace master blender Drew Mayville, former Bushmills master blender Helen Mulholland, and Richard Seale of Bajan rum distillery Foursquare, who help select and blend its bottlings.
Despite the rarity of its releases, the company holds a principle of generosity at its heart. For example, it has always sold miniatures, so buyers can sample the spirits before they crack open a full-sized bottle. Jago believes that generosity is echoed in the wider spirits industry, noting that her father and Espey were “encouraged” to start their enterprise by major players in Scotch whisky. “The industry is collaborative because what we are producing is about friendship and sharing,” she said.
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READ THE STORYThe Last Drop’s 2026 Collection, Nos 41 and 42 in its range, are both from ghost distilleries: a 60-year-old single grain whisky from Lowland producer Carsebridge; and a 25-year-old rum from the highly collectable Caroni Distillery in Trinidad. They are available now from select stockists in the UK.
Tasting The Last Drop’s Spirits
The 2026 Collection: No 41 25 Year Old Caroni Trinidad Rum (65.2% ABV)
Caroni was founded on Trinidad in about 1918, its fortunes over the subsequent decades tied closely to the island’s sugar industry (including a period of ownership by British firm Tate & Lyle). Since the distillery’s closure in 2003 its rums have become highly sought after, driven in part by high praise from category expert Luca Gargano.
This expression is a marriage of spirit from two ex-Bourbon barrels, distilled in 1997 and 1999. While leading a tasting of the rum at the 2026 Collection launch event, Scott said its colour and “depth of flavour” suggest that one cask was a pot-distilled spirit and the other column-distilled.
Primarily matured in Trinidad’s tropical island climate, the rum retains a brightness in its profile alongside the distillery’s heavier, oily notes. (Scott quotes a description sometimes given to Caroni’s rums: “an iron fist in a velvet glove.”)
Aromas of burnt rubber, waxy orange and molasses lead, with subtle savoury spices and hints of banana and guava. On the palate, sweeter fruit notes play off against the rubbery character.
The 2026 Collection: No 42 60 Year Old Single Grain Scotch Whisky (42.4% ABV)
This single grain whisky was distilled at ghost distillery Carsebridge. Opening first as a malt distillery, it converted to grain whisky production in 1852. Under the ownership of Diageo forerunner DCL it became the largest grain distillery in Scotland before its in 1983.
The 60-year-old is an unctuous whisky, with notes of ginger, cannoli with vanilla cream, brown bread and burnt sugar alongside fruitier flavours of baked apricot, syrupy pears, apples and raspberries.
Long considered a poor cousin of single malt, grain whiskies are now growing in popularity thanks to the concerted efforts of independent bottlers and others to champion them and tackle common misconceptions. This is the fourth single grain whisky The Last Drop has bottled, all from closed distilleries. “People are now realising that grain spirit is not just a light spirit, it has depth and character,” Scott said.
Signature Creation: No 40 Extra Añejo Tequila (46.3% ABV)
The 2026 Collection launch event included a surprise third tasting: the No 40 Extra Añejo Tequila. Released in late 2025, this Signature Creation was crafted by Assembly member Carmen Villareal Treviño, owner of Casa San Matías, one of Mexico’s oldest Tequila distilleries.
It’s a blend of two 10-year-old Tequilas matured in ex-Bourbon casks and a seven-year-old Tequila matured in a port pipe. Despite the significant maturation length, Rebecca feels the wood and spirit characters are balanced. “It is not over-oaky. The smell of the cooked agave is right there at the beginning — this big, bright, grassy sweet note,” she said.
The nose is buttery and minty with vegetal notes of cooked agave, bell pepper and apple cider, accompanied by ripe red fruits. The agave character is dominant on the palate, rich and vibrant, with subtle creamy vanilla notes.
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