LOUISVILLE, KY (March 16, 2021) The Last Drop, curators of the world’s most remarkable spirits, has formed The Assembly, an independent and carefully selected panel of experts drawn from across the spirits industry, each a renowned world-leader in their own category. Drew Mayville, Master Blender for the Sazerac Company, and Colin Scott, Master Blender for The Last Drop Distillers of London, have been named Founding Members of The Assembly.
The inspiration for The Assembly arose from The Last Drop’s passion for sharing – not just the delights of exceptional spirits, but also the knowledge, ideas, expertise and creativity which sit at the heart of the industry.
Drew Mayville, a native Canadian, joined Sazerac in 2004 at Master Blender and Director of Quality. He has had a distinguished career of more than 40 years in the industry with some of the most renowned beverage alcohol companies in the world.
The vast breadth of Mayville’s experience comes from 23 years with Seagram’s, where he found his passion for blending and making the finest tasting products. Through his tenure at Seagram, he progressed through various roles in the distillery, eventually becoming the Master Blender. At Sazerac, Drew has worked hands-on with all the award- winning products produced at Buffalo Trace Distillery, in addition to the many other highly acclaimed spirit categories of the company.
Colin Scott developed an early passion for whisky, as he grew up around a distillery in Orkney.
Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather – who both dedicated their lives to Scotch whisky – he joined The Glenlivet Distillers in Edinburgh in 1973. Colin’s illustrious career spans over 47 years at Chivas Brothers, where under Seagram he became Master Blender in 1989 and later Custodian Master Blender under Pernod Ricard. One of Colin’s many career milestones was the creation of the world-renowned blended Scotch whisky, Chivas Regal 18-Year-Old, alongside both the original Founders of The Last Drop. Colin is now Master Blender at The Last Drop.
The Last Drop’s The Assembly cross-category forum, unique in the world of spirits, will promote and encourage the exchange of knowledge and experience from different industry fields, bringing fresh ideas and new thinking, in order to help inspire and drive The Last Drop’s pursuit of the extraordinary.
The Founding Members of The Assembly include luminaries from across the worlds of Scotch, American, Irish and Indian whiskies, as well as Cognac and Rum. Joining Mayville and Scott as Founding Members are:
- Richard Seale, Master Distiller & Blender, Foursquare Rum, Barbados
- Louise McGuane, Owner & Bonder, JJ Corry Irish Whiskey, Ireland
- Michael d’Souza, Master Distiller & Blender, Paul John Whisky, India
- Denis Lahouratate, Cellar Master, Domaine de Sazerac Cognac, France
“This is an exciting milestone for The Last Drop,” says Managing Director Rebecca Jago. “The members of the Assembly will play an instrumental role as we develop, given our common focus on extraordinary quality and our shared philosophy of celebrating the remarkable. We are delighted and immensely proud that such respected figures from across the industry have agreed to join us and are especially excited to have two of our own team members, Colin Scott and Drew Mayville as part of this collection of esteemed spirts experts.
The creation of The Assembly marks a significant step on The Last Drop’s journey, from being curators and collectors of aged spirits, to additionally becoming creators, through the inception of a series of signature blends authored by Assembly Members. This series will be spearheaded by their next release, a limited-edition aged Blended Scotch Whisky created for The Last Drop by Master Blender Colin Scott.
The Last Drop began as a pioneering venture founded on a passion for spirits exploration and excellence, seeking the exceptional and seeing potential where others might not.
With the Assembly on board, bringing world-class expertise and knowledge to a shared endeavour, future releases will see The Last Drop continue its quest for the remarkable, while enjoying the all-important pleasures of sharing great spirits and great company.
About The Last Drop Distillers
The Last Drop has a passion for discovery and an equal passion for sharing. The sheer pleasure of tasting great old spirits in good company was what inspired two icons of the industry, Tom Jago and James Espey, to begin scouting the globe for its most remarkable spirits. Establishing their innovative business in 2008, following long, illustrious careers and ground-breaking releases which changed the trade forever, they began a personal hunt for the best aged spirits in the world. Tom and James’ daughters, Rebecca Jago and Beanie Geraedts-Espey, joined The Last Drop in 2014 to share their fathers’ vision with a wider audience. Now, as Rebecca takes the helm, a staunch advocacy for excellence remains as much a personal mantra as a professional one. The Last Drop is driven by integrity, and each of its small batch releases is saturated with stories of the journey. The Last Drop became a part of the Sazerac family of companies in 2016. For more information about The Last Drop visit https://www.lastdropdistillers.com and @lastdropdistillers. For more information about Sazerac visit https://www.sazerac.com
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