Seekers of Rare Spirits: The Last Drop Distillers

James Espey, Tom Jago, and Peter Fleck spent their working lives in the spirits business. When the time came to retire they agreed they simply didn’t want to, deciding instead to become rare spirit hunters. The venture they founded, The Last Drop Distillers—now overseen by two of their daughters, Rebecca Jago and Beanie Geraedts-Espey—and among the intoxicating gems it has so far unearthed are a 1950 aged cognac, found in a tiny distillery in the woods near Cognac, and a 1961 Dumbarton single-grain Scotch whisky.

The nature of these discoveries mean editions are extremely limited (just 32 bottles of that 1961 Dumbarton), so the company has also produced a house pour: Tom’s Blend No. 1, an 18-year-old blended Scotch with a wisp of smoke from Islay. Here Jago and Geraedts-Espey reveal their favorite drinks, how far they go to find the best, and what it’s like to follow in their fathers’ footsteps.

Are you both committed spirit drinkers? What are your preferred drinks?
Rebecca Jago: I drink a variety from whisky, to gin or cognac. I also have a particular fondness for Grappa!

Beanie Geraedts-Espey: Absolutely. Besides Scotch whisky, I am a huge fan of sherry. In 2017 I launched a “next generation” sherry brand called XECO Wines, aiming to help challenge many of the misconceptions around the sherry category. It focuses on fresh, dry styles that are naturally low in sugar (and very versatile in low-alcohol cocktails too).

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Where did the idea for The Last Drop Distillers come from?
BGE: Following many years working in the drinks trade, our fathers and true spirits pioneers were aware of a number of forgotten barrels which lay gathering dust in warehouses around the world and thus decided to pool their professional resources one more time. However, this time, beginning again at the small end of the business, dealing in hundreds of bottles instead of millions of cases.

How far afield have you traveled to unearth drinks?
BGE: Our quest for the finest wines and spirits takes us to lots of exciting and invariably beautiful places, and we’ve shared some really exceptional trips—both collectively as a team, and also on occasion with press or our end consumers. We have been to all four corners of Scotland, wild regions of France, deep into picturesque valleys in Portugal, and into the blue grass of Kentucky.

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RJ: Glen Garioch is one of the distilleries that claims to be the oldest in Scotland. It is certainly one of the most north-easterly Highlands distilleries and has been distilling since the 18th century. Originally, the single malts distilled at Glen Garioch were quite heavily peated until 1995. When Beam Suntory acquired Glen Garioch it decided to change the formula of the distillate, and no more peat was used. When I was visiting my daughter at university in Scotland, we heard that there was one cask of a 1967 Glen Garioch single malt sitting in the warehouse at the distillery—would we be interested?

I shall never forget that moment of delight and surprise tasting that expression for the first time

We immediately diverted from our drive through the Highlands and went to see what was there. One cask, barely a third full, but full of the most exceptionally delicious, lightly peaty whisky with a wisp of sea salt. There is a direct wind coming in from the East Coast of Scotland to Glen Garioch, and the influence of the sea is there to taste in this wonderful liquid. I shall never forget that moment of delight and surprise tasting that expression for the first time: it is what makes this such a wonderful occupation, coupled with the pleasure in bringing these rare spirits to a discerning audience.

How has it been taking over the reins from very established men in the field?
BGE: Yes, the spirits world has traditionally been a more male-dominated industry but there is an ever-growing number of exceptional women doing groundbreaking things. As it happens, our full-time team is made up entirely of women! Taking over from our fathers has been a privilege, and the fact that we are daughters rather than sons has been of no consequence—except to render the story a little bit more original!

The spirits world has traditionally been a more male-dominated industry but there is an ever-growing number of exceptional women doing groundbreaking things

RJ: There are definitely more women in the world of whisky than people are aware of. For example, Rachel Barrie of Glenmorangie, Morrison Bowmore, and now Scotch whisky master blender at Brown-Forman. And Allison Parc, founder of Brenne Whisky, has gone one step further and created her own French single malt whisky, grown out of passion for the spirits industry. If we look at the world of wine, it’s easy to see that women can be extremely successful in the drinks industry, so I see no reason why women shouldn’t shine in the world of whisky as well.

What would be the holy grail for you—what would you love to find?
RJ: We are in the middle of conducting a groundbreaking experiment in the Warehouse P wing of Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky—aging a number of bourbon barrels in a carefully controlled environment to mimic the temperatures of Scotland. Some barrels will be left untouched, but closely monitored, for up to 50 years. Despite the lack of ability to forecast the market decades into the future, this experiment facilitates building on The Last Drop legacy.

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American bourbons that mature for up to 50 years simply do not exist, therefore a gamble lies within this venture in that spirit trends will inevitably change and the demand may cease to exist. It is, however, the intrigue and adventurous ethos of The Last Drop team that drives this experiment forwards, to find out exactly what the future holds!

Why and when did you decide to launch Tom’s Blend?
RJ: Tom’s Blend No. 1 is our house pour. It was created as a tribute to my father, Tom Jago, who was president and cofounder of The Last Drop Distillers until his death in 2018. A lifelong devotee of blended Scotch whisky, at 6pm every evening, Tom used to pour himself a dram of a fine Scotch blend, to which he would add a little water and then would reflect on his day.

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Tom’s Blend was created in partnership with whisky writer Charlie Maclean and was brought to life by the malt master at Ian Macleod Distillers. The blend is a harmonious 18-year-old blended Scotch Whisky: 50 percent single malts, including a wisp of smoke from Islay, rich notes from heavily sherried highland whiskies, and in keeping with Tom’s particular tastes.