The Littlemill Distillery

Wednesday 30 April 2025 : LITTLEMILL UNVEILS NEW ECHOES OF THE PAST COLLECTION OF RARE WHISKIES WITH RELEASE OF FIRST EDITION

Scotland’s oldest licensed distillery, Littlemill has revealed the opening release in a remarkable new collection of rare single malt Scotch whiskies, showcasing some of the final chapters from the lost distillery. Littlemill Echoes of the Past Release Number One is an exceptional 34-year-old single malt which marks the inaugural expression in a new four-part annual series, offering whisky connoisseurs and collectors the chance to experience the evolving maturation of a single Littlemill cask over time.

To create the collection, the final custodians of Littlemill will draw just 50 bottles of precious spirit each year from a single maturing Oloroso sherry cask for four consecutive years. The remaining spirit will be left to age further, deepening in flavour and complexity, with each subsequent release revealing the developing journey of this cask as the spirit draws even more character from its Oloroso finishing.

The cask selected for Echoes of the Past was distilled in 1990, during Littlemill’s final production years, initially laid down in a refill American oak hogshead for 25 years, before being recasked into a single Oloroso sherry barrel in 2015. Littlemill’s final guardian, Master Blender Michael Henry selected the optimum moment to bottle the first release, resulting in an exceptional 34-year-old single malt which displays the perfect harmony of Littlemill’s distinctive summertime fruit character with classic sweet floral spice and sherried notes.

This extraordinarily rare echo of the past brings floral notes of rose petals and elderflower with dried apricot, kiwi and peach to the nose, a silk-like mouthfeel of melted brown sugar, honeysuckle and ginger spice with citrus peel on the palate, finishing with long layers of sweet citrus fruits.

Littlemill Echoes of the Past Release Number One is presented in a beautiful solid oak display cabinet which features expertly curved, elegant facets, making it a striking addition to any collection. Inside, a stone interior adorned with a message from Michael Henry is revealed, paying tribute to Littlemill’s legacy as the cornerstone of the whisky industry.

The whisky is encased within an individually numbered Glencairn decanter with intricate engraving depicting the details of the single malt. Each cabinet also houses a 50ml miniature and a certificate of ownership so the very fortunate few recipients of this exceptional single malt can experience a taste of Littlemill’s past.

Founded in 1772 in Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Littlemill was at the forefront of innovation for its time. It closed in 1994, before being lost to a fire in 2004. Since then, Master Blender, Michael Henry has held guardianship of the last remaining casks.

 Michael Henry, Master Blender at Loch Lomond Group, owner of Littlemill, said: “Each sip of Littlemill presents a remarkable opportunity to experience a taste of the distillery’s history and opens a window to its extraordinary past.  The Echoes of the Past Collection offers a new and unique opportunity for whisky connoisseurs to take a different kind of journey back to the final years of the distillery’s production, allowing them to experience an Oloroso finishing on a Littlemill malt at different ages.

“Though Littlemill distillery is lost to history, this cask carries its legacy forward, evolving with time. To witness its continuing journey of maturation and flavour over four releases is to glimpse a past that still lives on. Littlemill Echoes of the Past Release Number One is a 34-year-old single malt which has rewarded us with the discovery of a new flavour dimension that enhances the distillery’s character, resulting in a wonderfully sweet, citrus and softly spicy dram.”

Nick Bradley, Prestige Portfolio Manager at Loch Lomond Group, owner of Littlemill, added:

“Incredibly, Littlemill’s story began back in 1772 as Scotland’s first licensed distillery, but with such finite and limited reserves remaining today, releasing a cask such as Echoes of the Past marks a special moment in the distillery’s history. Each and every Littlemill cask provides a snapshot of history and when considering the creation of this collection, we wanted to offer travellers a special opportunity to experience these moments in time. This exceptional release offers the chance to follow a rare Littlemill cask on the final years of its journey. Like an echo, it changes with every repetition, eventually disappearing altogether.

“Littlemill Echoes of the Past Release Number One showcases the beauty of this single malt, which with the right cask management, as well as patience and time, has allowed this exquisite cask the chance to reach its full potential. It is a testament to Michael Henry, who through his exceptional craftsmanship and unrivaled knowledge and understanding of the nature of the spirit, has honed it into something truly remarkable today.”

Released exclusively for select travel retail locations around the world, Littlemill Echoes of the Past Release Number One was bottled at a cask strength of 48.5% and is natural in colour. Each individually numbered decanter has an RRP of £3,900.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Floral rose petals, elderflower, dried apricot, kiwi and peach.
• Palate: Silklike mouthfeel, melted brown sugar, honeysuckle, vanilla fudge, lime juice, cinnamon and ginger spice with citrus peel.
• Finish: Long with sweet vanilla, grapefruit and caramelised sugar, dried fruit and citrus.

About Littlemill

The Littlemill distillery was established in 1772 on the site of an old brewery that had been founded during the 14th century in Bowling on the banks of the River Clyde near Glasgow.

It is rumoured that illicit distilling had taken place there since 1750 when the site was bought by George Buchanan, a malt master, and according to the renowned whisky historian and writer Misako Udo in her book ‘The Scotch Whisky Distilleries’, distilling may have taken place there for centuries before.

After one year, on the 2nd of November 1773, local Justice of the Peace records for Dumbarton show that ‘Robert Muir of Littlemiln’, an employee, was granted the first-ever license by the Government of King George III to “…retail ale, beer and other excisable Liquors”, thus making Littlemill Scotland’s first and oldest licensed distillery.

In 1931 Littlemill led whisky still innovation whereby its innovative design could create three styles of spirit under the stewardship of the American Duncan Thomas, including the light fruit-forward triple-distilled character Littlemill is most known for today. It was these stills that inspired the stills that remain in place at Loch Lomond Distillery today.

Littlemill fell into perpetual silence in 1994 and then the distillery was destroyed by fire in 2004. The remaining casks have since been under the care of Loch Lomond Distillery, stored just a short distance from where the original distillery once stood. In 2015 Loch Lomond Group released a limited number of its Littlemill Private Cellar Edition. Since then, a mere handful of bottles have been released annually, which have become sought after by collectors and whisky enthusiasts around the world.