KINDRED SPIRITS: LITTLEMILL LAUNCHES GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP WITH PHOTOGRAPHER STEFAN SAPPERT FOR 250TH ANNIVERSARY RELEASE
This Anniversary expression is the oldest launch from Scotland’s oldest licensed distillery
Custodians can have a uncommon alternative to personal a bit of the misplaced distillery’s legacy
Luxurious packaging features a hand-crafted glass photographic plate with solely 250 out there worldwide
Scotland’s oldest licensed distillery, Littlemill, has partnered with world-renowned photographer, Stefan Sappert, to launch its most vital launch up to now: an distinctive 45-year-old liquid, commemorating the distillery’s 250th anniversary.
Based in 1772 in Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, the distillery was misplaced to a fireplace in 2004 and since then, Grasp Blender of Loch Lomond Group, Michael Henry, has held guardianship of the final remaining uncommon casks, drawing on the restricted reserves for the Littlemill 250th Anniversary Launch.
Launched on 22nd August, will probably be its oldest age assertion up to now with solely 250 individually numbered bottles out there worldwide, priced at £9,500.
To mark its historic milestone, Littlemill has collaborated with Stefan Sappert to honour two monumental moments in time – the institution of Littlemill and its innovators who formed whisky manufacturing, and the event of images – each occurring within the 1700s; two artforms related by their capability to seize a second and transport us to the previous.
Stefan’s conventional photographic approach, silver on black glass, mixed with state-of-the-art manufacturing creates dramatic and atmospheric imagery, and his portfolio contains worldwide stars Alice Cooper, Joss Stone, Sting, Rod Stewart, and David Duchovny.
Stefan has labored with Michael Henry – a kindred spirit and expert craftsman – to create an unique collectable for the Littlemill 250th Anniversary Launch, giving custodians the uncommon likelihood to personal a bit of the misplaced distillery’s legacy.
The liquid has been taken from a single distillation on 4th October 1976. It was re-casked in 1996 into American oak Hogsheads, earlier than maturing in first-fill Oloroso sherry hogsheads for a closing six months earlier than bottling.
In homage to Stefan and his course of, the Littlemill 250th cupboard attracts inspiration from a Victorian bellows digicam field with a standard lens, designed by Morans Wooden Elements and Scottish crystal studio Glencairn Crystal. Inside, every handblown crystal decanter, additionally by Glencairn Crystal, has been impressed by a digicam aperture and is topped with a powerful, hand-turned and completed gold-plated collar and stopper which notes particular milestone years from Littlemill’s historical past.
As a part of the worldwide collaboration, Stefan has manufactured 250 silver on black glass photographic plates. Nestled in a drawer below the decanter, it recaptures a picture of the River Clyde near Littlemill’s doorsteps. Every individually numbered plate is visibly distinctive and unique to its new proprietor, bearing Stefan’s signature and fingerprints on the reverse.
Dunbartonshire was traditionally the most important Scottish glass producer of the period, and the uncooked magnificence of every plate completely captures that of Littlemill’s religious residence.
Michael Henry, Grasp Blender of Loch Lomond Group, mentioned: “Littlemill was misplaced earlier than its contribution to whisky might ever be totally acknowledged and applauded. Nonetheless, we’re fortunate to have the remaining few casks below our care, a stone’s throw from the place the unique distillery as soon as stood, and it felt solely proper to mark this important milestone with a really particular restricted launch.
“Distilled in 1976 and double distilled in Littlemill’s bespoke straight neck pot stills which have been designed to offer a triple distillation type character, this can be a lowland single malt whisky of outstanding character. In line with our information of how Littlemill was handled, I’ve given the liquid a closing six-month end in first-fill Oloroso sherry hogsheads. You may style the historical past in each treasured drop, from elderflower, chamomile and lemon zest, to the silk-like creme caramel and tart inexperienced apple, and the warming ginger and cinnamon spice end.
“Our partnership with Stefan has allowed us to discover the assembly of our crafts, each of which protect and revive the previous. I’ve massively loved sharing our ardour, persistence, and respect for custom. His artistry and our outstanding liquid have mixed to make one thing unbelievable for collectors. It’s a true privilege to be a part of Littlemill’s closing legacy and we’re so excited to offer 250 custodians the chance to personal this uncommon piece of whisky historical past.”
Stefan Sappert, Photographer, mentioned: “The artwork of whisky-making is fascinating. Like moist plate images, it captures a second that requires an equal quantity of persistence, dedication, ardour, and most significantly, time.
“My work makes use of one of many oldest photographic processes that hyperlinks on to the 1770s, the place the premise of making everlasting pictures was found and when Littlemill was based. I work with an outdated wood digicam and a historic lens that’s over 160 years outdated. The consequence isn’t just a digital picture, however a real piece of artwork.”
Analysis into the historical past of Littlemill and its connections with images was supported by The Royal Photographic Society, one of many world’s oldest images communities.
Dr Michael Pritchard FRPS, Director of Schooling at The Royal Photographic Society, added: “The historical past of images is interwoven with such significant moments from the previous. It captures the creativeness and solidifies a second in time. It has been fantastic to play an element on this mission and discover the connections and shared milestones between images and whisky in celebration of Littlemill’s outstanding 250th anniversary.”
Non-chill filtered and bottled at its pure color and pure energy of 41.8% ABV, the Littlemill 250th-anniversary launch will likely be out there for buy by way of enquiry by means of the Littlemill web site (www.littlemilldistillery.com/) and different specialised retailers.
Tasting Notes
- Nostril: Floral elderflower and chamomile with grapefruit and lemon zest, deeper candy notes of toffee with marzipan, almond and vanilla.
- Palate: Silk-like mouthfeel floats over the tongue, crème caramel and vanilla syrup with tart inexperienced fruits of apple, pear and lime, mild cinnamon and nutmeg spice.
- End: Lengthy with mouth-watering inexperienced fruit, some dry oak tannin then warming ginger and cinnamon spice.
For additional data go to www.littlemilldistillery.com.
About Littlemill
The Littlemill distillery was formally established in 1772 on the location of an outdated brewery that had been based in the course of the 14th century in Bowling on the banks of the River Clyde close to Glasgow.
It’s rumoured that illicit distilling had taken place there since 1750 when the location was purchased by George Buchanan, a malt grasp, and in response to the famend whisky historian and author Misako Udo in her e-book ‘The Scotch Whisky Distilleries’, distilling might have taken place there for a lot of centuries earlier than.
After one yr, on the 2nd of November 1773, native magistrate information for Dumbarton present that ‘Robert Muir of Littlemiln’, an worker, was granted the first-ever license by the Authorities of King George III to “…retail ale, beer and different excisable Liquors.”
In 1931 Littlemill led whisky nonetheless innovation whereby its progressive design might create three kinds of spirit below the stewardship of the American Duncan Thomas. It was these stills that impressed the stills that stay in place at Loch Lomond Distillery in the present day.
Littlemill fell into perpetual silence in 1994 after which the distillery was destroyed by hearth in 2004. In 2015 Loch Lomond Group launched a restricted variety of its Littlemill Personal Cellar Version. Since then, a mere handful of bottles have been launched yearly, which have develop into wanted by collectors and whisky fanatics.
Twitter: @LittlemillMalt
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Fb: @Littlemillwhisky
https://www.littlemilldistillery.com/
About Stefan Sappert
Stefan is recognised among the many 200 greatest Advert Photographers worldwide by Lurzer’s Archive, is a Hasselblad Licensed Artistic and was awarded CCA Venus – Austria’s most recognised artistic award.
Stefan’s placing silver-on-black-glass pictures draw on the earliest rules of images. They’re admired and revered the world over. In addition to capturing his pictures with a grand, wood bellows digicam from the Victorian period, he undertakes a collodion moist plate course of, invented in 1851, that makes glass photosensitive. The ensuing monochrome imagery is unconventional, immediately recognisable and stuffed with unbelievable, uncooked magnificence. With no negatives or prints, every {photograph} can be distinctive to its proprietor.
All the time carrying the assorted chemical substances and supplies that this delicate and labyrinthine technique of picture seize calls for, this extraordinary and exceptionally gifted man may be described as half artist, half travelling alchemist.
About Glencairn
The award-winning Glencairn Crystal Studio has been on the reducing fringe of high-quality decanter and glassware design, innovation, and creativity for 4 a long time. Regarded internationally as one of many most interesting crystal decanter and glassware producers, the family-run Scottish firm has hand-crafted prestigious decanters usually for the rarest and most luxurious spirits ever launched.
The staff of skilled craftspeople at Glencairn Crystal, a few of whom have over 30 years of expertise in working with crystal, are world specialists in pioneering glassware design strategies and unrivalled of their gifted craftsmanship. The corporate additionally produces The Glencairn Glass, the world’s favorite whisky glass, with 5 million glasses being bought yearly in each nook of the globe.
About The Royal Photographic Society
The Royal Photographic Society is an academic charity dedicated to bringing images to everybody. Based in 1853, when images was in its infancy, they’re one of many world’s oldest and now world-leading photographic communities.
