Littlemill Reflects On Its Innovative Past With The Launch Of A New Annual Collection

Littlemill has announced a new annual collection, which draws on the treasured remaining liquid of Scotland’s oldest licensed distillery with a series of rare cask finishes, honouring its innovative past.

The Cask Reflections Collection will revive the past like never before in the history of Littlemill, honouring tradition yet embracing innovation, with recrafted flavours and finishes to create a remarkable fusion of different eras for the modern day.

The first release, Cask Reflections Release No.1, has been aged for 33 years and was initially stored in refill bourbon barrels, followed by a four-month finish in the highly sought-after Japanese Mizunara oak casks.

Japanese Mizunara oak is the innovative selection of Littlemill Master Blender, Michael Henry, who used his unrivalled knowledge of the liquid, which has quietly laid for over three centuries, to find the perfect marriage of flavours, to enrich the delicate tasting profile of Littlemill’s signature summertime notes.

The result is a fusion of flavours from different eras for the modern day: a fragrant whisky carefully rich in sandalwood spice, perfectly completing the floral elderflower and fruit of the Lowland malt.

Founded in 1772 in Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Littlemill was at the forefront of whisky innovation for its time. It closed in 1994 before it was lost to a fire in 2004 and since then, Michael Henry has guarded the precious remaining casks.

Michael Henry, Master Blender at Loch Lomond Group, owners of Littlemill, said:
“The Cask Reflection Collection will revive the spirit of discovery associated with Littlemill’s founding years and subsequent boom. We have worked to honour the liquid, enhancing its delicate Lowland qualities with the fascinating traits of the Japanese Mizanura oak.

“Mizunara oak takes time to grow and only yields a small amount of wood annually. Like Littlemill, it is rare. The staves are thick and porous, imparting flavour at a much greater pace, which requires my keenest attention and care to ensure the finish doesn’t overpower what would have been the distillery character.

“The stakes are high when you’re responsible for a liquid this finite, but the result is an exquisite start to this journey of Cask Reflections – one that I feel very fortunate to be able to undertake on behalf of those who came before me.”

Nick Bradley, Prestige Portfolio Manager at Loch Lomond Group, owners of Littlemill, said:
“What precious Littlemill casks remain now fall under the care of Michael; with over 30 years’ experience, no one has such intimate appreciation of Littlemill’s style, and how best to preserve it.

“Cask Reflections is a revival of the past while looking at Littlemill through a new lens. The goal is to maintain the essence of what made our Lowland malt so distinctive but now recrafting it with new and previously unexplored cask finishes to provide an entirely new dimension to the whisky, which even the most avid of collectors and whisky enthusiasts won’t have experienced before.

“This is rare whisky that deserves to be open and enjoyed; to experience the level thought and craft of Michael and to taste something truly exceptional. It is our homage to that enduring spirit of discovery that defined Littlemill’s leaders over two and a half centuries.” Only 570 bottles of Cask Reflections Release No.1 are available worldwide, priced at £3,800. 

Bottled at cask strength, the liquid (49.1% ABV, natural colour) is presented in the traditional Littlemill-style decanter from Glencairn Crystal, and housed in a beautiful wooden display box with etchings inspired by Japanese art.

Cask Reflections Release No.1 is available from 12th of September, initially exclusively from specialist wine and spirits merchant, Berry Bros. and Rudd, before becoming available for wider purchase via the Littlemill website and other specialist retailers from the 24th of September. For further information and to enquire, visit www.littlemilldistillery.com.

Tasting Notes Cask Reflections Release No.1

• Nose: Fragrant sandalwood spice, green apple, elderflower.
• Palate: Honey sweetness, green apple, kiwi fruit, vanilla and cinnamon.
• Finish: Long with lime citrus and warming oak spice.