Cyril's Singlewood 21 Year Old 500ml

The Story

The last word from a distillery that no longer exists.

Final Release - The last 20 Bottles! This whisky comes from an extraordinary chapter in New Zealand whisky history. Drawn from our own precious reserves, Cyril’s Single Wood 21 Year Old was distilled at the now-closed Wilson’s Distillery at Willowbank in Dunedin. Cyril Yates, after whom this whisky is named, was the final distiller at Wilson’s. He began his journey there at just 16 years old, painting whisky barrels, and went on to spend more than 20 years honing his craft. This spirit stands as a tribute to his legacy and to a distillery that ceased production in 1995 following its closure by owners Fosters Group. The whisky itself is a unique 70:30 blend of 70% malted barley and 30% unmalted barley. Wilson’s operated a large still originally designed to produce neutral grain spirit (commonly used for gin), and in a moment of foresight, a portion of this spirit was laid down in cask as a trial. The barrels; sourced from Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky - are made from tighter-grained American oak, allowing for slow, smooth maturation and the preservation of the spirit’s full grain character, reminiscent of a Highland-style malt. In 1997, Warren and Debbie Preston purchased the final 800 barrels from Fosters Group and transferred them to the seaside bonded warehouse in The Victorian Precinct, Oamaru. In 2010, the remaining 450 barrels were acquired by The New Zealand Whisky Collection Ltd. Today, stocks of this historic spirit are extremely limited. To add a final layer of complexity, this whisky was given an additional six months of maturation in a specially selected 55L ex-Rye whisky cask, before being bottled at 48.0% ABV. Only 120 bottles were produced - and this release represents the final 20 bottles remaining. This is a rare opportunity to own one of the very last bottles of an irreplaceable New Zealand whisky. A true collector’s piece and a final ode to both Wilson’s Distillery and Cyril Yates.