News: We're shaking things up at The Three Drinkers!

Hello lovely readers. We have some news for you!

As you know, Colin, Aidy and Helena joined forces in 2018 as the Three Drinkers in order to shake up an industry known for its very traditional values. Today, with our returning TV Series, online magazine and our Bring a Bottle podcast (have you listened yet? ) we are shaking things up once more.

Helena and Aidy will continue to lead at 3DHQ, but our Third Drinker slot will now showcase an exciting, revolving range of guests, be they brands, communicators, winemakers, distillers or even you; our readers, listeners and viewers!

This news comes as Colin plans to concentrate more on his international whisky pursuits, stepping down as a full-time ‘Drinker’ in order to allow a broader range of talent to be represented. Aidy and Helena already fly the flag for disability communities, with Aidy being one of the only global TV presenters with Tourette syndrome, alongside one of the few drinks personalities within the LGBTQIA+ community. Helena has also been an active voice for female empowerment within a typically male-dominated world. Colin’s fans need not be disappointed though; he will be back sporadically, sharing his investment advice and global whisky discoveries as a guest Third Drinker.  He says this:

“I am incredibly lucky to have been able to work with two of my best friends. I’ll always be the original ‘Third Drinker’ and am grateful to have been given the time and space to explore new ventures, although I will be back periodically. I hope this leaves room for new faces and new ideas to further the diversity in all things for The Three Drinkers.”

Helena says “We’ve loved continuing to build The Three Drinkers brand and watching our audience grow during lockdown. We will miss our friend Colin and his whisky-fuelled antics, but wish him well on his travels and look forward to welcoming him back from time to time.”

“It’s bittersweet for us,” says Aidy. “While we are sad to be saying ‘au revoir’ to Colin, what this change will allow us to do now is very positive. We’ve listened to what the drinks world needs right now and that is a much needed diversity push, giving more support to under-represented communities, be they communicators, brand owners, winemakers etc. Having a revolving Third Drinker slot will give us even more opportunities to use our platform and make a tangible difference here.”

Their first series The Three Drinkers do Scotch Whisky is streaming on Amazon Prime in 172 countries and territories and will be available on British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Lufthansa flights from June onwards. Having just passed its one year anniversary, their Bring a Bottle podcast has just secured sponsorship for two more series and will continue to include a roster of guests, 70% of which will be welcomed from underrepresented and diverse backgrounds as part of their ongoing inclusion ethos. 

Thank you for your continuing support of us! Keep reading, listening and watching! More news coming very soon…

5 Women in Drinks to Toast!

Words by Helena Nicklin

The world of wine and spirits has traditionally been male-dominated through the years, from winemakers and distillers to salespeople and communicators of all kinds. Happily, we’re seeing more women take the lead creating safe, communicative spaces for others and with the rise of digital media, we are seeing a wave of younger women enter the communications space too. This is all having a knock on effect on our opening up drinks to new consumers and is to be celebrated. Here are some ladies in wine and spirits that we would like to applaud. 

Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin: The Original Wine Woman 

Barbe Nicole Ponsardin, known better to most people as the widow, ‘veuve’ Clicquot, smashed the glass ceiling two hundred years ago at the tender age of 27 after her husband died, refusing to sell the family wine business and building it into a world famous Champagne brand. This tenacious, single mother insisted on getting more training in wine making and made several bold choices, inventing techniques along the way that are still used today: riddling, to clarify the wine and stop it being cloudy like everyone else’s and blending. She created the first ever rosé Champagne. It’s thanks in large part to Barbe-Nicole and her technique for making clear, elegant wines that Champagne gained such a strong reputation around the world. 

Try: Veuve Clicquot, La Grande Dame Rosé 2008

92% Pinot Noir, 8% Chardonnay, Veuve Clicquot’s Grande Dame, vintage Champagne was named in homage to Barbe-Nicole herself. Think smoky, ripe, red fruit with aromatics of rose petal and blackcurrant. A powerful yet elegant wine. 

Find here: UK £254 // US $385.58

Nichole Johnson - Rusty Rabbits Drinks Distribution & Champagne Producer

The formidable Nichole Johnson is not only the youngest, but the only African-American, female-owned liquor importer, exporter and distributor in the world. Her business, Rusty Rabbit International, was formed to create and curate premium drinks brands and to promote them globally. It’s a dynamic, adaptable and forward thinking drinks company, founded, as she says, ‘by rebels willing to shake up the norm and take the world by storm.’ Despite the challenges of 2020, Nichole managed to bring eight new brands on board to her business and the international drinks market. Her clients include some of the most exciting, new global drinks products but she herself is a force to be reckoned with in her field, having also just launched her very own Champagne called Lapin Rouillé, after ‘rusty rabbit’. Definitely a woman to watch. 

Try: Lapin Rouillé Champagne

Made unusually from 100% Pinot Meunier, Lapin Rouillé is richly fruited, ripe and aromatic with notes of red berries; a vibrant, easy-drinking Champagne with a cool, mineral core helping to maintain its freshness. With its bright red bottle and rabbit logo, it really stands out on the shelf! Limited to just over 3,000 bottles, you can find Lapin Rouillé on the RRI website, at Harvey Nichols and London retailer Gerry’s.

Find here: UK £42.99

Ellie Webb - Founder of Caleño, Alcohol-Free Spirit

Frustrated by the lack of decent alcohol-free drinks on the market and with a desire to step away from corporate life and create something entirely of her own, Ellie Webb founded a company to produce something special and delicious that was inspired by the colourful culture of her Colombian homeland. Caleño was born; a zesty, tropical and aromatic ‘free spirit’ as she calls it, which did so well that at just three months in, it was launched into 500 Sainbury’s stores. Such was the success of her white ‘free spirit’, Ellie recently developed a sister for it, based on a spin on dark spirit. Caleño now has two official forms: Light & Zesty and Dark & Spicy and they come in various sizes and gift box options. 

Try: Caleño duo bundle (2 x 50cl)

Both the Caleño drinks are deliciously different. The Light & Zesty is based on Juniper with citrus notes and an exotic splash of Inca berry. The Dark & Spicy is warming and, naturally, spicy with moreish notes of kola nut, ginger, vanilla and cardamom.

Find here: UK £32

Robin Christenson, Blinking Owl Distillery

In 2016, entrepreneur Robin Christenson launched the first craft distillery in Orange County since prohibition together with her husband Brian. With Level 3 WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) certification to her name, Robin wanted to approach their spirit production at Blinking Owl with the same attention to terroir as wine and committed herself to working as part of California’s sustainable farming community. She has since been lauded for her distillery's ‘grain-to-glass’ influence. We can expect to see Blinking Owl seriously going places in 2021, especially as it is also part of Rusty Rabbit International’s stable.

Try: Blinking Owl Four Grain Bourbon.

Made with organic California corn, wheat, rye and malted barley, the whiskey is distilled and left to age for two years in New, American charred, white oak casks. It’s sweet and spicy with powerful notes of aromatic vanilla, citrus peel and toast. 

Find here: UK £42.99

Jill Russell - Winemaker at Cambria Estate Winery

Having grown up in Castro Valley, California, Jill worked at a winery while at high school before going on to study wine and viticulture in San Luis Obispo high school. Since then, she’s travelled globally, soaking up as much experience as she can and now with ten years of winemaking under her belt, she has brought her skills and energy to Cambria in Santa Barbara, where her very first vintage of the famed, Cambria Katherine’s Vineyard Chardonnay was selected as one of Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines of 2019. A new jewel in the renowned Jackson Family Wines crown, Jill is a winemaker to watch, especially where it concerns maintaining the fine traditions of world class, cool-climate wine making.

Try: Cambria Katherine's Vineyard Chardonnay 2018

An elegant blend of ripe peach and crisp, citrus fruit, with a refreshing, cool salinity, this is a sunshine Chardonnay that is anything but blousy. Subtle oak pops through on the palate in the form of cooking spices and a touch of smoke, creating a flavoursome wine in perfect balance. 

Find here: UK £19.99 // US $19.99

Taste This! 

Want to taste whisky, support women and raise some money for charity? 

We wanted to mention this fantastic Women in Whisky box, which is accompanied by a live tasting panel on 10th March. It features miniature whiskies made by six women and is a special charity edition in aid of both a local Bristol women’s charity and the Drinks Trust, timed to coincide with International Women’s Day 2021. The boxes are being sold on a not-for-profit basis by The Dram Team, with proceeds all going to the charities. In the box: Tamnavulin, Double Cask, J.J. Corry, The Hanson, Nc'nean, Organic Single Malt, Compass Box, Hedonism, Penderyn, Celt and Cardrona, Just Hatched.

Find here: £32.99

To find out more about the original wine women herself, click here!

New No and Low Drinks for November

Sober October may be past but with lockdown and the festive season coming up, many of us are vowing to take it a little easier on the booze this time. Here are some great, new products that feel like a treat and in some cases, can actually do you good. 

SPIRITS ALTERNATIVES

Caleño Dark & Spicy

Fresh to the market is Caleño’s new baby: Dark & Spicy! We adored the original, with its infusions of inca berry and juniper - a perfect gin alternative perhaps, though very much of its own style. This new version does the same for lovers of dark rum. Think of riper, tropical notes of pineapple with a kick of ginger, vanilla pod and a twist of lime. They’ve nailed it!

Find it for £18 for 50cl at calendodrinks.com (with discounts for multiple bottle buys!) 

Warner’s Juniper Double Dry Gin - 0% ABV

Hats off to Warner’s for being the first English gin brand to bring out its own 0% ABV versions. Using 100% natural botanicals and 90% of their ingredients being sourced from their farm in Northamptonshire, its herbaceous and powerful with a kick or warm spice on the finish. Also try their Pink Berry version, which is packed full of red fruit and spice. 

Find it at 31Dover.com for £17.95 for 50cl

BUBBLES

Fortnum’s Sparkling Tea - 0.0% ABV

We talked about how much we loved Fornum’s sparkling rosé tea here and in our podcast, so it was great to get to try the white! Certified organic and a blend of eight teas, this version is subtle, fragrant and elegant with both tropical notes and more darjeeling-like tea flavours. Totally refreshing! It’s worth noting that this sparkling tea contains 150mg of caffeine per litre.

Find it at Fortnumandmason.com for £16.95

Good One, Craft Hard Soda - 4 % ABV

Hot on the trails of the hard seltzer trend, Good One is an English hard soda company with three, genuinely good flavours that taste natural, where so many others feel synthetic. Its sleek, vibrant, matte packaging makes it feel like a step up from a regular soda too. We particularly loved the raspberry, lime and basil but the cloudy grapefruit and thyme and the lime and cucumber are darn good too. Gluten free, vegan, lo carb and low calorie, there’s a lot to love about these.

Find mixed packs of 12 for £33 at haveagoodone.co.uk

BEER

Small Beer  - under 2.8% ABV

The Small Beer Brew Co. are going strength to strength with their low alcohol beers that are good for you (being under 3% and isotonic) and good for the planet. Given what could end up being a marathon of drinking over the next two months, wouldn't it be good to have a stash of these lower alcohol beers in the fridge? For a limited time from now until 20th Dec, they are also offering a 6-month gift subscription, compete with brilliant videos and a gift poach for under the tree!

Find the beers and the subscription pack at theoriginalsmallbeer.com

A Modern Classic for Every Drinks Cabinet: Fifty Pounds Gin

Words by Colin Hampden-White

Photo Courtesy of Fifty Pounds Gin

In the heyday of the gin industry, there was no quality control. Gin was often mixed with turpentine and other nasties and licences were easily obtainable with a simple application. The ease of production led famously to the massive over consumption of gin at the time, which in turned caused huge social problems. In an effort to combat this gin ‘epidemic’, the Gin Act was imposed in 1736, which lumped high taxes on distillers, forbade the sale of the spirit in quantities of less than two gallons and required an annual payment of fifty pounds for a retail licence. All this however, had little effect beyond increasing smuggling and driving the distilling trade underground and the quality was still variable, to say the least. 

The birth of the London Dry style

By 1826, the invention of the column still made the distillation of neutral spirits more practical and enabled the creation of the more quality-driven ‘London Dry’ style that continued to evolve during the 19th century. London Dry Gin became a quality designation for pure gin that is made with natural botanicals and has no flavouring or colouring added after distillation, only water. London gin had upped its game.

Why ‘Fifty Pounds’ Gin?

No, it’s not because it costs fifty pounds (in fact it’s substantially less at £34.95). Fifty Pounds Gin takes its name from the 1736 Gin Act. It is a London gin, triple-filtered to achieve optimum smoothness and distilled in small batches. At 43.5% ABV, it’s a gin that works equally well neat or in cocktails and G&Ts. The exact recipe is secret, but Fifty Pounds are open about the botanicals they use which include juniper from Croatia, coriander seeds from the Middle East, orange peel from Spain, angelica root from Western Europe, savoury from France, liquorice powder from Southern Italy and grains of paradise from the Gulf of Guinea in Western Africa.

The beautiful bottle itself has a tapered shape which harks back to the Georgian time when there was no nasty plastic bubble wrap and bottles had to fit snuggly together like sardines to prevent breakage. Testament to the small batch process, each bottle also bears an individual distillation batch number as well as a note of the year that it was distilled.

A very limited edition: ‘The cask at the back’

Back in the nineteenth century, gin was transported in oak barrels, some of which used to contain sherry. The barrels were re-used when transporting the gin between various places. Fifty Pounds have called their limited edition ‘Cask at the back’ as it refers to barrels that were stored at the back of the warehouse and thus were harder to grab and so stayed there a bit longer. The gin these barrels contained had a much deeper colour and unique character, quite different from the rest. If they had come from sherry casks, these differences were even more pronounced.  

Charles Maxwell, master distiller for Fifty Pounds Gin, wanted to recreate the flavour profile and texture of this special type of gin, so produced a limited run of what he called ‘Fifty Pounds Gin - Cask at the Back’, using American oak casks which used to contain very old, sweet, Pedro Ximenez sherry. Maxwell describes this limited edition gin beautifully as having “classic aromas of juniper and citrus fruits predominant with hints of wood and tasted oak along with floral notes and delicate hints of raisins, prunes and nuts. On the palate there is a gentle and attractive sweetness at the start, it is warm, smooth, very complex and balanced with a long finish which leaves a delightful sensation of roundness”.

Only 500 bottles of Cask at the Back were created and the edition is already, sadly, sold-out. Don’t despair however, we have one bottle to give away, signed by master distiller Charles Maxwell himself!  Here’s how you can enter:

How to drink Fifty Pounds Gin

Incredibly versatile, this is a classic, London dry gin, yet it has a seductive viscosity and balanced aromas that means you could sip it by itself if you so desire. It makes a cracking G&T and a marvellous dry Martini, but one drink we would urge you create with it is a Gimlet. Incredibly easy to make at home, our little twist on the classic Gimlet uses fresh lime juice instead of cordial. The gin easily stands up to the strong flavour and the lime will give you an extra freshness (not to mention a boost of vitamin C). Here’s the recipe: 

Ingredients
50ml Fifty Pounds Gin
The juice of two limes
Splash of simple honey syrup (optional)
Lime wedge for garnish

Method
A Gimlet can be stirred or shaken, but we’d suggest combining the gin and the lime in a glass with ice and stirring. Add the simple syrup to taste if you’re using it and stir. Pour into a classic cocktail or Martini glass and garnish with a lime wedge.

Over the summer, London Dry Gin is a perfect spirit for mixing with tonic and making a whole host of cocktails. With its classic juniper-led flavour profile and crisp clean nature, there is not another spirit like it. And of the myriad of London dry gins on the market, Fifty Pounds Gin stands head and shoulders above many – and it looks as good as it tastes.

Buy Fifty Pounds Gin Here

One Drink, Three Ways: Aloha 65

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One Drink, Three Ways is the signature feature by The Three Drinkers. Join The Three Drinkers’ Helena, Aidy and Colin as they take one bottle and create a trio of phenomenal serves which you can enjoy anytime, anywhere. From rums and whiskies to gins and wine styles, the three help you get the most out of your glass. It’s time to get liquid on lips.

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This brand new style of spirit isn’t quite a gin, a vodka or anything else. It’s a refreshing, all-natural spirit with a tropical vibe, infused with fresh pineapple, ginger and lemon, a few herbs and a wonderful kick from local scotch bonnet chillies. Invented on the west coast of the U.S in a surf bar, it became so popular, the owners decided to bottle it. Delicious as a chilled shot, it's also extremely versatile; a great ingredient for relaxed cocktails at sundown and is vegan to boot, so a great crowd-pleaser. At 27% abv, it's also more social and session-able than other spirits. Here are three ways you can try it this summer at your barbecue. ..

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Helena’s Choice: The Alohan

A refreshing, long summer serve with a burst of flavour and spicy kick. Perfect for batch cocktails and so simple to make. Simply pour 1 part Aloha 65 into a jug or pitcher. Add 2 parts ginger ale, a tonne of ice, lemon slices and sprigs of mint. Serve in highball glasses, jars or a copas.

The Alohan

Recipe

1 part Aloha 65

2 parts Ginger Ale

Ice (lots)

Lemon and mint to garnish

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Aidy’s Choice: The Aloha Colada

The Pina Colada was recently tipped to be the number one cocktail ordered when bars reopen after lockdown, thanks to its celebratory, summery vibe! Here’s a much more interesting version of that, using Aloha 65 and its super simple to make. Just stick everything in a blender and blitz it for a few seconds before pouring into cool, large wine glasses or tiki glasses. Umbrella optional!

The Aloha Colada

Recipe

Ice

60ml Aloha 65

50ml coconut milk

75ml fresh pineapple juice

1 tbsp sugar syrup (2 parts white sugar to 1 part water)

Juice of ½ lime

Slice of pineapple and cocktail umbrella to garnish

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Colin’s Choice: The Aloha Old Fashioned

Those who know me know I love all kinds of Old Fashioned recipes from the classic to the quirky. This is definitely the latter but it really works and is a much better option for sunny evenings. Stir all the ingredients together with ice, then strain into a tumbler and garnish with orange and a cherry, if you have one. Superb!

The Aloha Old Fashioned

Recipe

40ml Aloha 65

20ml Bourbon

2 dashes of bitters

Large ice cubes

Orange peel and a maraschino cherry to garnish.

Like this? Try our other One Drink, Three Ways articles: The Macallan, Tanqueray Gin and Noilly Prat Vermouth.

Drinker Discoveries: CBD Bitters, New Spirits, Great Wine and Gadgets

At The Three Drinkers, we are lucky enough to receive various samples of new drinks and lifestyle products over time. In these Drinker Discovery guides, we pick our absolute favourites as well as entertaining drinks news snippets we’ll think you’ll appreciate. Here are some that I have particularly enjoyed recently.

OTO CBD bitters

Not just good for cocktails, I have this in my morning coffee. OTO’s non-alcoholic, CBD bitters adds a warming, spiced aromatic note and depth of flavour to many types of drinks and none of that acrid, hemp note. The CBD element is a huge added bonus that really does feel like it calms anxiety and assists sleep. I love this. Find it and other luxury CBD products including face creams and roll on oils here. RRP £79 for 100ml (2500mg CBD).

Instagram: @oto_cbd

Winesave Pro

We’re always interested in products that can prevent us wasting wine and recently, I’ve been using the Winesave Pro when I’ve already popped a cork (usually on that extra bottle I probably shouldn’t have opened). Simply stick the thin tube in the bottle and give it a couple of squirts so the Argon gas can replace the oxygen and keep your wine fresh for longer (make sure you replace the cork or screw cap straight away). I tested it on various styles of wine over three weeks and was really impressed. A great, budget wine saving product. Find it here for £29.99.

Instagram @Winesavepro

Aloha 65

This brand new, spirit-based drink blew my minds when I tasted it as it does not fit into any regular drinks box easily. With its vibrant packaging, it promises a taste experience that delivers too. The team infuse spirits at 27% abv with fresh pineapple with lemon, ginger and other herbs and spices as well as local chillies for a fabulous kick. It’s vegan too. Have it as chilled shots or in a plethora of cocktails. They make an epic hot sauce too. Summer barbecues, here we come! Find it here for £26 for 70cl.

Instagram @alohasixtyfive

White Wine: Mar de Frades Albarino 2019

White wine of the week for me is this citrussy, saline Albariño (that’s the grape) made by the winemaking legend that is Paula Fandiño in Rias Baixas in northwestern Spain. This is THE region for world class Albariño and this vintage from Mar de Frades also has peachy, tropical flavours underneath those Atlantic, wet rock and sea spray notes. It’s a must with fish and seafood even on a cloudy day. A little blue ship appears on the bottle when its chilled to perfection too. Lovely touch! Find it here for £18.95.

Instagram @mardefrades

Red Wine: DV Catena Malbec 2018

My red wine of the week punches so far above its price tag, I had to look twice at it. Rich and concentrated with notes of cocoa, coffee bean, grilled meat and violet, this is a serious red wine that will love a barbecue. While it is drinking very well now, you could actually leave this for a couple of years to mellow further. Truly excellent value. Find it here at Sainsbury’s for £10 (down from £12) on offer for July.

Instagram @catenawines

In The News: God Save The Clean!

This tickled me. I love how carpet stain remover company Dr Beckmann commissioned artist Fanny Gough to paint a portrait of the queen in red wine on a carpet to demonstrate how good it was. I’m stocking right up. It’s got my vote! Find it here for £11.26

Like this? Check out some of our other guides : Gift Ideas for Drinks Lovers, Best Gins for a Martini and Must-Know Premium Californian Wine Producers.

Father's Day Gift Ideas For Drinks Lovers

Words by Helena Nicklin

Every dad is different as is every son or daughter. What can you give him that showcases his personality or yours? Here is our pick of some delicious drinky gifts that will suit the wine lover dad, the beer explorer or spirits connoisseur. Bottoms up and Happy Father’s Day!

The Wine Lover

A selection of half bottles

If your dad is like mine, he will eye you suspiciously when presented with a 75cl bottle of wine as he’ll expect it’ll need to be shared! Show your dad his gift is just for him with a pair or selection of half bottles of wine. Louis Jadot makes some beautifully approachable Burgundian Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs (available in Tesco), or you can take your pick from a range by half bottle specialist, the Little Fine Wine Company. 

The English Fizz Fanatic

Roebuck Estates Blanc de Noirs, 2015

Roebuck is one of the newest English wine estates who stormed onto the scene with their inaugural, classic cuvée 2014. This new wine from the Estate located near Petworth in Sussex, is made exclusively from hand-picked Pinot Noir grapes from the 2015 vintage that were grown in their Roman Villa vineyard. With its smart, hand drawn black and gold label, it looks as good as it tastes with an alluring perfume of red berries and apple skin with beautifully balanced notes of orchard fruit and brioche. Exceptionally poised and elegant. Drinking now but will keep for several years. 

Find it for £45 from Roebuckestates.co.uk

Monthly Wine Delivery

Feel Good Grapes

How about a wine club where each bottle has been handpicked by the team for being not only delicious, but organic or biodynamic and sustainable too! Feel Good Grapes are keen to only work with producers who understand their impact on the earth and they are so dedicated to the cause that they also offset the carbon footprint from all their deliveries AND plant a tree for every bottle of wine sold. The buying team are expert tasters too, so you can feel extra good about the wines you're drinking.

From £20 a month to £200 at Feel Good Grapes

The Gin Genie

Fifty Pounds Gin

This super smart bottle houses a rather exceptional London Dry Gin. Triple filtered, it’s incredibly smooth with a range of complex flavours that jump out, as if wrapping the juniper in a delicious, scented scarf from sage to lemon peel, gentle spice and liquorice. The name alludes to the 1736 Gin Act in London, when if you wanted to produce and sell Gin, a 50 pound tax was levied. It’s not surprising many went underground! 

RRP £34.45 from Master of Malt

The Beer 

The Original Small Beer Company

The Small Beer Company have brought back the old tradition of Small Beer, which used to be drunk instead of water as it was safer, back in the London Streets of the 1700s. Brewed to a maximum of 2.8 percent as it always used to be, Small Beer is isotonic with trace elements left in rather than dehydrating so it’s actually rather good for you (can we say that?!) There are four styles to choose from: Lager, Session Pale, Steam and Dark Lager, but you can also try a handy four pack of 330ml bottles - and it makes the perfect gift.

Find the gift pack for £15 from the originalsmallbeer.com

The Spirits Aficionado

Glencairn Crystal Glassware

The ‘Glencairn’ has become to-go to glass not just for whisky, but most neat spirits nowadays. Endorsed by the Scotch Whisky Association, its unique shape was crafted to allow the fullest appreciation of the whisky from the nose to the palate.. The glass now comes in many styles, uncut or hand cut, a price that will suit all budgets. Enter the code DADSDRAM20 to receive a Father’s Day 20% discount too!

RRP from £6 a glass, go to Glencairn.co.uk

The Cognac Connoisseur

Cognac Frapin Millésime 1992 -26 years old 

With a limited release of just 3000 bottles, this stunning 1992 vintage is the latest addition to Frapin’s collection of rare vintage cognacs, where it has been gently ageing in the dry cellars on the Frapin estate. Bright in colour with an elegant, floral nose and palate of prune, apricot and liquorice, this is an elegant, complex cognac and an excellent ambassador of the Frapin house style.

Find it for from £145 to £160 from Master of Malt

The Rum Romantic

Drum & Black Spiced Rum

The new generation of dark rums on the scene are to die for and England is knocking it out of the park with some new brands! Dad will love this one from Drum & Black with its eye-catching bottle and brooding, sweet notes of coffee bean, vanilla, honey, dark chocolate and orange peel. Try it alone over ice or as a ‘Mule Noir’ with a sprig of mint and some ginger beer (The team recommend Fentimans).

Find it for £33.75 from Master of Malt. 

The Whisky Collector

Buffalo Trace Bourbon

Buffalo Trace is a much-loved, American distillery that has been making Bourbon whiskey the same way for more than 200 years. It has a deep, rich, amber colour with a complex aroma of vanilla, mint and molasses. Sweet but not cloying, with notes of brown sugar and spice, subtle oak, toffee and dark fruit, it’s a warming, easy-going whiskey with a long, smooth finish. There’s a competition too! You can enter your father to win a Buffalo Trace home bar! See their social platforms for details @BuffaloTraceUk.

Find the whiskey for £23.99 from Master of Malt.

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14 Years Old

Glenmorangie is one of our all time favourite Scotch distillers and is renowned for pioneering the art of extra- maturation. For this single malt, the whisky is first aged in bourbon casks, then finished in ruby port pipes and barriques from Portugal. Quinta Ruban is a bold and velvety, 14-year-old Highland whisky, with unctuous flavours of orange and dark chocolate.

Find it for £49.95 from Master of Malt

John Crabbie & Co, single cask 1994 25-Year-Old Island Malt (247 bottles only)

SPLASH OUT! Appealing to top-end collectors particularly, this special, sherry-cask whisky is dark gold, with rich notes of fruitcake, orange peel, dark chocolate and smoky spice. It comes with its own elegant presentation box too. Distilled at the Tobermory Distillery, the Crabbie 1994 Island Single Malt has been matured for 25 years in an ex-sherry hogshead. Each bottle is non-chill filtered, naturally coloured and bottled at 46.2% ABV.

RRP £300. Please email john.kennedy@johncrabbie.com for enquiries.

For more drinks round ups, check out Best Bang for Buck Sipping Bourbon, The Best Wines to have Chilled and 7 Great French Rosé Wines for Summer.

The Last Drop Distillers: The World’s Most Exclusive Spirits Collection

Words by Aidy Smith

I’ve always considered alcohol like art – you have your raw ingredients, whether grape, grain or anything in-between, much like you have your paint, chalk or pencils. Upon taking your palate you begin to create your masterpiece on the canvas, one colour and one stroke or brush at a time. Take your distillation methods or winemaking process, which yeasts you use, how many times you filter and the same can be said for producing wine and spirits. The connection between the two has always fascinated me and much like procurers of fine art, I spend a lot of my time searching auction sites around the world in an attempt to find a truly old, truly unique piece of history that I can add to my collection. Sometimes I’ll drink it, sometimes I’ll simply admire it. 

You see, out there in the world, hidden in the darkest corners of distilleries, wineries and bodegas sit rare treats that have stood the test of time. Some of these, their owners are very much aware exist, whereas others have simply gone forgotten given the sheer number of casks stored. While I may be able to look up a listing on an auction site, I’m not able to walk into a highly fortified warehouse to take a peak at 50+ year old casks. But there is a company who are – and my god have they sourced some treasures. Enter, The Last Drop Distillers. 

But here’s the thing, regardless of what your company is, you don’t get to simply walk into any old warehouse, for that, you need credentials and relationships  that have been forged over many years – and these two things are exactly what this team hold, which is why this company has been able to achieve so much in such little time. 

Co-Founders James Espey and the late Tom Jago are two very familiar names within the drinks industry, having throughout their joint careers of over 110 years been responsible for the growth of countless iconic spirits like J&B Rare, Johnnie Walker, Chivas Regal and Bailey’s Irish Cream to name just a few. Today, the company is overseen by the next generation, Rebecca Jago and Beanie Espey, both of whom’ over the years have comfortably called the drinks industry their home, following in the footsteps of their fathers and in the process showcasing that this industry is just as much for women as it is for men. 

Then there’s the various directors of the company, each with their own unique skillsets – take Ben Howkins for example, one of the most charming gentlemen I have met and an encyclopaedia for anything sherry, port, tokaji and so much more. It’s people like this who attain the much-needed knowledge, relationships and palates based on decades of experience to determine the quality of those magical finds. 

The point I’m trying to make is that this company is built up of a family of gracious people who have an exceptional talent to seek out precious ‘last drops’ of some of the oldest and most perfect spirits in existence. But even then, it’s not easy and the team openly acknowledge just how difficult it is to succeed in their quest; not all spirits age well and too long in wood can ruin them. But occasionally all the elements – original distillate, type of wood, the right climate for storage – combine to produce an unlikely miracle. 

Right, I keep referring to these miracles, so at the risk of beginning to sound like a cork-tease, I suppose I should tell you about some of the most fascinating finds The Last Drop have come to discover. Here are six instrumental releases that have given this company its reputation over time.  

The Last Drop Release No 1:
1960 Blended Scotch Whisky. 

This was the very first release and how it all began. Upon launching the company James and Tom knew they needed to do something special, so calling upon their incredible list of contacts in Scotland, Tom narrowed down his search to three casks, which upon tasting, he immediately knew were the ones. Up until the day he passed away in October 2018, Tom swore this was the best whisky he’d ever tasted – which coming from a man whose career was built on building brands made from the stuff, is quite a lot. 

Hidden away in the back of a warehouse in the Lowlands, what really set these casks apart was not where they were hidden so much as the treasure that was hidden inside. You see, The Last Drop aren’t just ‘rare spirit hunters’ in the sense of the quest, and the treasure hunt, but also in their ability to source and uncover gems that are literally hidden in plain sight. It took three years to sell out of the first release, but this bottle set the benchmark of quality for what was soon to become the most highly accoladed rare spirits company in the world.  

The Last Drop Release No 2:
the 1950 Cognac. 

Their second release was one of grave importance because it set them apart from being an ‘independent bottler of Scotch Whisky’ by that I mean a company who simply bottles a whisky then sells it on. You see, by releasing a cognac they became a ‘Spirits Company’ and cognac was by no means their only foray beyond the dram. Once again, that carefully built contact list of colleagues became invaluable and they found themselves sourcing a 1950 Cognac from a family-owned business on the banks of Charente that has been in operation for multiple generations. This was the beginning of a fascinating evolution.  

The Last Drop Release No 7:
the 1972 Lochside Single Grain Scotch Whisky

Only 106 bottles were ever created from this incredibly rare single cask. It’s not often to firstly find a whisky as old as this, but secondly from a distillery which no longer exists and Lochside is an example of just that.  Their mission to champion single grain whiskies continued as they maintained their reputation for producing incredibly small amounts of precious liquids. A light, but complex whisky which deserved to be seen for the gleaming gem it had become. 

The Last Drop Release No 14:
the 1925 Hors d’Age Grande Champagne Cognac

As if a 1950 cognac wasn’t a triumph in itself, the team decided to take things one step further and the story behind it this particular find is stunning. A single barrel of a cognac, distilled by the current owner’s grandfather in 1925, was hidden behind a wall of rubble as the Germans approached the south west of France before WWII. Forgotten, it lay there until late 2017, when the grandson undertook some renovation work on one of the barns, and there was a treasure: barely enough for 182 bottles of a simply glorious 93 year old cognac, untouched for over 70 years. It had never been topped up or in any way tampered with and is believed to have spent its life in an ex-Pineau des Charentes barrel, which imparts an extraordinary sweetness. In a fitting tribute, this true beauty was made in the year Tom Jago was born and bottled in the year he passed – a lovely nod to a man who has helped get moments of history like this into the hands of those who will truly appreciate them. 

The Last Drop Release No 11:
Centenario Duo of Tawny Ports 1870 and 1970 

As both a wine and spirits lovers, this is where the two worlds intertwine, and this is a product I have been fortunate enough to call my own. I remember the first time I took a sip, the two side-by-side and tears began to form in my eyes. Much like anyone with a passion there are some moments where we try a liquid so rare in its nature and so tasty that it hits us in a way we simply can’t explain and that’s when I realised exactly what The Last Drop offers its customers. Tasting this for the first time was one of those rare occurrences that will stay with me for a lifetime. 

To put things into historical reference - to taste a port that is older than the titanic, well, you can imagine the beauty of that moment. But these things are by no means easy to source and it was Ben Howkins, a true pioneer in port exploration leading the effort alongside Cristiano van Zeller – a name synonymous with the port industry. Together they discovered not one, but two aged tawny ports from the same vineyards, but made 100 years apart: in 1870 and in 1970. Not only 100 years apart, but also divided by Phylloxera: the older port was made from grapes on pre-Phylloxera vines, the younger on vines grafted onto American root stock after the louse wiped out almost all the vines of Europe. A chance to taste history, and to take enormous pleasure in doing so: these ports are incomparably delicious and so different from one other, the 1870 is deeper and more savoury, while the 1970 is positively fresh and floral.

The Last Drop Release No 13:
1982 Bourbon Whisky from Buffalo Trace

This takes us to one of the most recent releases as the company decided to venture even further beyond its origins in Scotch to the other side of the pond. This tiny release of just 44 bottles of 1982 bourbon was at the peak of its perfection and while some believe that bourbon isn’t meant to be aged, The Last Drop felt differently (as do I to be honest!). Turns out many others agree, the bottles were sold out incredibly quickly – although they did spot a bottle on auction recently selling at $18,000, more than 4 times the original price. In a further fitting tribute, 1982 is the birth year of Beanie Espey, with the bottling of this product taking place the same year her first son was welcome into the world, as well. 

As this piece draws to a close it’s worth my mentioning just how much I truly adore writing on topics like this – getting a glimpse into the historically rich universe of drinks and how they came to be. If you’re anything like me, I like to have at least one wonder sitting atop my shelf, the bounty of my collection and something so exquisitely rare that others can only look at in envy. The Last Drop has created something truly wonderful – the ability to help people experience a piece of history, emotion, wonder and above all else quality. I now can only wait in anticipation to discover what their next releases may be. Until then, if you’d like more information on any of the above – simply contact The Last Drop Distillers directly.  

The Last Drop Distillers
www.thelastdropdistillers.com

This content was originally published in Oracle Time Magazine under Aidy’s Drinks Column. You can subscribe to the online magazine here to view online or order the magazine in print format.