A Master Blender Hoarded 40 Great Kentucky Whiskeys and Blended Them Into One Bottle

Itching for something in the world of ultra-rare whiskey but prefer the sweeter touch of American bourbon to the smoky profile of an Islay single malt? The Last Drop’s latest Signature Blend is for you—if you can track down one of the just 1,458 bottles in existence.

It’s been the mission of the Last Drop Distillers, founded in London in 2008, to source only the rarest and most remarkable ultra-aged spirits, so far releasing 27 rums, Cognacs and whiskies from Scotland, America and Japan. Next up: Release No. 28, the result of diligent work by Drew Mayville, master blender at Sazerac, one of America’s oldest family-owned spirit producers and steward of hallowed whiskey brands from Pappy Van Winkle to Blanton’s, W.L. Weller and George T. Stagg.

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For nearly two decades, Mayville has been squirreling away tiny measures of his favorite whiskeys distilled in Sazerac’s hallowed Buffalo Trace Distillery, with the aim of one day combining those precious straight bourbons and ryes into his magnum opus. Now, that day, finally has come: Released in September, the Last Drop Signature Blend: Release No. 28, a blend of around 40 vintage liquids, is like a bourbon fanatic’s fever dream come to life, a bold and complex amalgamation of the best Kentucky straight whiskeys crafted in the most celebrated distillery in America, bottled unfiltered and uncut at 121.4 proof.

Mayville compares the end result to conducting a symphony, in which assembling components that perform beautifully on their own can, when coaxed and combined according to the right balance and harmony, together produce “a masterpiece.” Release No. 28 is certainly that—and, as with all offerings from the Last Drop, you’ll never see its like again. Which means, if you’re lucky enough to source a bottle, you might want to be prepared to pay well over the $3,999 suggested retail price.

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