LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Last Drop Distillers has unveiled a 22-year-old Barbados rum created by Foursquare Distillery owner and distiller Richard Seale, with just 566 bottles available worldwide at a suggested retail price of $1,700.
Release No. 43 marks The Last Drop’s first rum Signature Creation and, according to the company, the oldest rum ever released by Foursquare. Bottled at 106 proof, or 53% alcohol by volume, the expression combines more than two decades of maturation with a cask journey that included ex-bourbon barrels and a final three years in old Port pipes.
The release also highlights the work of The Last Drop Assembly, a collective of spirits makers established to encourage collaboration and innovation. Seale, a fourth-generation rum producer, is a founding member of the group.
Rather than selecting an existing aged spirit alone, the Signature Creation approach gives makers an opportunity to shape a release specifically for The Last Drop. For Seale, the project began with a 2004 rum blend he believed had the potential to develop through extended maturation.
“I had this 2004 blend in mind for The Last Drop from the earliest days of my involvement with The Last Drop Assembly,” Seale said. “It was a rum we believed would reward time, moving through a second ex-bourbon cask before a final three years in very old Port pipes. By 2025, it had become something exceptional.”
The maturation connects the Barbados rum with the influence of American bourbon cooperage before introducing the final Port-cask stage. Seale described the process as an expression of Foursquare’s patient, deliberate approach to aging.
“The Assembly is about bringing individual makers’ perspectives into The Last Drop, and for me that meant sharing a rum that reflects how we think about maturation at Foursquare: deliberately, patiently and with the cask always serving the spirit,” he said.
Foursquare operates on its historic estate in St. Philip, Barbados, a property with centuries of connections to sugar, molasses and rum production. Under Seale’s leadership, the distillery combines traditional production methods with technical innovation, including adapting a classic double-retort pot still to operate under vacuum.
For The Last Drop, the collaboration extends its focus on aged spirits that retain character and vitality as they mature.
“Richard represents exactly what we hoped The Assembly would make possible: giving great spirits makers the freedom to create something singular, regardless of category,” said Kizito Owusu-Sarfo, brand director of World Aged Spirits.
Owusu-Sarfo said the release reflects Seale’s approach while maintaining a clear connection to its Barbados origins.
“For collectors, it is exactly what The Last Drop should represent: extraordinary liquid, true provenance and a story that could only come from the maker behind it,” he said.
The brand describes Release No. 43 as deep mahogany in color, with aromas of marzipan, fresh grapefruit zest, ripe plum, tropical guava and black licorice.
Its tasting notes identify dried mint and eucalyptus on the palate, followed by ripe pineapple, tart red currant, treacle and baking spice. Dry tobacco leaf and clove carry into the finish. The company characterizes the rum as maintaining freshness and energy despite its extended age.
The rum was bottled by hand at Foursquare in April 2026. Each 700-milliliter bottle is individually numbered and bears Seale’s signature, accompanied by a certificate of bottling verifying its authenticity.
Presented in a handcrafted wooden case, the release also includes a 50-milliliter miniature, allowing buyers to taste the rum before opening the full bottle. An accompanying tasting book details the release’s story and provides space for personal tasting notes.
Limited quantities will ship through Sazerac’s U.S. and global distributor networks to retailers, bars and restaurants beginning in October 2026. The $1,700 suggested retail price excludes applicable local taxes and fees.
A limited supply will also be offered through Legacy de Forge, a global purchasing platform powered by BlockBar, subject to shipping restrictions. More information is available at lastdropdistillers.com.
About The Last Drop Distillers
The Last Drop Distillers was founded in 2008 by spirits industry icons Tom Jago and James Espey, who brought more than 80 years of experience to a singular mission: to seek out and share the world’s most remarkable aged spirits. Guided by the belief that the liquid must always come first, The Last Drop searches across categories for rare, exceptional releases worthy of those who seek the truly extraordinary.
Since its founding, The Last Drop has released 43 limited bottlings spanning Scotch Whisky, Cognac, Bourbon, Rum, Japanese Whisky, Irish Whiskey, aged Ports and Pineau des Charentes. Each release is defined by rarity, provenance and, above all, the quality and character of the spirit itself.
At the heart of this pursuit is The Assembly, a collective of some of the world’s most revered Master Blenders, Distillers and luminaries. Drawing on decades of expertise across multiple spirit categories, these icons of the industry play a pivotal role in selecting, blending and refining The Last Drop’s releases, ensuring that each bottling is a true masterpiece of craftsmanship and heritage.
In 2016, The Last Drop was acquired by The Sazerac Company, one of America’s oldest private, family-owned spirits producers.
About Sazerac
With over 400 years of history, Sazerac is one of the world’s largest distilled spirits companies. Now in the fourth generation of the current family ownership, Sazerac strives each day to bring the finest spirits to consumers and communities around the world.
Over 500 of the world’s most extraordinary brands are part of the Sazerac portfolio, including Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Eagle Rare, Weller, The Last Drop Distillers, Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, Southern Comfort, Wheatley Vodka, Meyers’s Rum, White X Cognac, Sazerac de Forge Cognac, Paddy’s Irish Whiskey, and many more.
Sazerac is also the steward of many fine distilleries internationally, including Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky, United States; Domaine Sazerac de Segonzac in Cognac, France; Paul John Distillery in Goa, India; and Lough Gill Distillery in County Sligo, Ireland. Additional impressive locations can be found in New Orleans, Montréal, London, Cork and Sydney, to name a few.
To learn more visit www.sazerac.com.
