Littlemill Vanguard Chapter 1 Robert Muir

Distilled on the 11th of October in 1977, this exceptional 45-year-old whisky came from Littlemill’s patented straight-neck copper pot hybrid stills, designed by its engineers and scientists in the early 1900’s.

The careful selection and finishing of this very special release embodies the true Littlemill character. It’s intriguing to think that this whisky was chosen to be kept back and gently matured thereafter in refill American Oak for four decades, before being selected and re-casked for a final five-year finish in first-fill Oloroso Sherry hogsheads.

This traditional choice of finishing wood is meticulously documented in the distillery’s records, and complements the delicate floral nature of this summertime, Lowland single malt whisky. Natural in colour and cask strength, only 250 bottles of this rare piece of history exist... for a very fortunate few to own.


For this first release, Master Blender Michael Henry has partnered with celebrated UK artist Vic Lee to revive and re-imagine those all-important words of Muir’s licence that would mark the beginning not just of Littlemill’s journey, but of all other distilleries that followed. Each bottle is accompanied by a unique hand-finished piece of original art made by Vic Lee, who in his signature style has revived and re-imagined the original licence. Each of the 250 pieces is individually numbered and hand signed by Loch Lomond Group Master Blender, Michael Henry and Vic Lee himself.


The Vanguards Collection No.1 is presented in a handmade ash display cabinet, crafted by Littlemill’s most trusted carpenters and woodworkers. A glass portal in the cabinet door provides a window through time to the individually numbered artworks created by Vic Lee, which can be removed and displayed. 250 bespoke and handblown Glencairn crystal decanters have been individually numbered to hold this remarkable 45-year-old single malt whisky. The delicate cuts in the decanter take their inspiration from traditional writing quills of the time used to mark Robert Muir’s name and licence into history. Housed alongside each decanter and the artwork is a branded 50ml miniature a hardback book covering this incredibly special liquid and its history.