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SCOTCH SINGLE MALT WHISKIES > M
THE MACALLAN    
geen leeftijd vermelding  
58,5%     
LAST  BOTTLE  AND  EMPTY  
'AS WE GET IT'       
PURE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
102o PROOF  58,4 %
J.G. Thomson & Co, Ltd, Glasgow

Distilled by Macallan - Glenlivet Pic, Craigellachie, Banffshire Matured and bottled directly from original cask under the sole resposibility of: J.G. Thomson & Co, Ltd, Glasgow
Only pure Highland Malt Scotch Whisky which has matured in oak casks for many years is selected for 'As We Get It'. Very small quantities are bottled at any time because this quality of whisky is not always available and as no water is added to reduce it, the proof strenght varies with each bottling - the quality of course remains superb. The colour of the whisky is influenced by the oak casks in which it matures and may also alter at each bottling.
Some may be as brown as a spate swollen burn, others as crystal clear as a Highland Loch but whatever the colour or the prood strenght, the contents of this bottle are pure Highland Malt Scotch Whisky exactly. Bottled 'As We Get It'.

MACALLAN
43 %
G  &  M
SPEYMALT
FROM  MACALLAN  DISTILLERY
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled 2007
Bottled 2016
Selected, Produced, Matured and
Bottled by Gordon & Macphail, Elgin

The Speymalt from Macallan Distillery range includes
a series of exceptional Single Malts, each matured
in the highest quality casks selected by Gordon &
Macphail. Sherry influences with hints of raisin,
candied fruits and beeswax polish. The palate is pep-
pery initially with apple and ornage flavours, comple-
mented by a creamy milk choclate finish.

THE MACALLAN        
20 years old
46 %            
VINTAGE 1973
Matured in sherry casks
Distilled 9.7.73
Bottled 12.93
Butt no. 10212
720 Genummerde flessen
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

THE MACALLAN        
25 years old
43 %                
ANNIVERSARY MALT
Distilled: 1966
Bottled: 1992
A Special Bottling of Unblended
Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky
The Macallan Distillers Ltd, Scotland

THE MACALLAN   
19 years old
54,1 %               
Date Distilled Apr 74
Date Bottled Jan 94
Society Cask No. code 24.25
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh

Afkomstig uit een hergebruikt Bourbon vat. Mid gouden kleur. Intensieve neus. De drank heeft kokosnoot opgedaan van het Amerikaans eiken. Met wat water erbij wordt hij aards en bloemig, zoet en komplex. Zoetzuur van smaak met peper. Aardse afdronk.

THE MACALLAN  
21 years old
54,7 %                 
SINGLE CASK
SCOTCH MALT WHISKY
Date distilled Dec 74
Date Bottled Sept 96
Society Cask No. code 24.33
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh

THE MACALLAN   
over 11 years old
43%              
MACKILLOP'S CHOICE
Single Cask Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled on 9 April 1990
Cask number 26006
Bourbon Barrel
Bottled August 2001
No Chill Filtration
No Caramel added
Iain Mackillop and Co, Ltd, Glasgow

THE MACALLAN  
7 years old
40 %            
'Armando Giovinetti'
Special Selection
Exclusively Matured in
Selected Sherry Oak from Jerez
The Macallan Distillers Ltd, Easter Elchies,
Craigellachie

THE MACALLAN   
10 years old
40%             
Exclusively Matured in
Selected Sherry Oak Casks from Jerez
The Macallan Distillers Ltd, Easter Elchies,
Craigellachie

MACALLAN  
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45%    
THE 1874 REPLICA
Pure Highland Malt Scotch Whisky
Selected by
Whisky Maker F.A. Newlands
Macallan Distillery, Craigellachie

The Macallan Unblended Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky
The '1874' has been specially selected and packaged to replicate an original bottle of Macallan distilled in 1874
Selected by Whisky Maker F.A. Newlands,  at The Macallan Distillery, Craigellachie
In 1995, the directors of the distillery acquired at auction a rare bottle of The Macallan dating from 1874. The purchase was signaificant because even within the distillery's own archives, the 1870's were looked upon as something of a golden age for whisky-making.
With some trepidation, it was therefore decided that the whisky should be sampled. By means of a hypodermic needle, a small amount of the precious liquid was extraxtedto which Frank Newlands, Whisky-Maker at the distillery, applied his nose.
To his delight, he found that the Macallan character as we understand it today was evi¬dent in the whisky produced by his predecessors over a hundred years ago.
In particular, he noted a characteristic which he describes as 'zest of orange with a hint of lemon and an undertone of new sapwood'. While not evident in every cask, it does appear from time to time, more often than not in a well-matured fino sherry cask.
Why this should be so is uncertain. What is without doubt is that it is definitely The Macallan.
It is rare, if not unique, for a whisky to be moving into the next century with a charac¬ter and quality which so closely matches that achieved by the master distillers at the height of the Victorian era. To celebrate this achievement, Macallan now offers The 1874.
In every respect The 1874 reflects both the character and appearance of the original. Today, the 'zest of orange' note in particular is only evident in a small percentage of casks, which means that aivailability of The 1874 will always be strictly limited.
Selected on the basis of flavour rather than age the whisky is also allowed to marry for a considerable time so as to develop its full potential. While age is not a deciding factor it is likely that a typical bottling will contain some casks in excess of 20 years old. Uncertain of the strenght at which the original was bottled The 1874 is bottled at 45 % - equivalent to 80o on the old British Sykes scale of measurement, the strenght generally used for distillery bottlings in the early 1900s.
The bottle itself has been faithfully reproduced using a part-mechanical process to replicate as closely as possible the quality and individuality of century-old glass.
The label reflects the stylish simplicity of Roderick Kemp's original which has so well stood the test of time. Produced at a time when most single malt whisky was sold in bulk and only bottled by third-party agents or brokers, the original 1874 is particularly unusual in having been bottled by the distillery proprietor Roderick Kemp hunself.
The Macallan. The 1874, Then, as now, The Malt.

THE MACALLAN   
geen leeftijd vermelding
42,7     
1861 REPLICA
RARE RESERVE THE 1861 42,7%
from Macallan Distillery,
Old Highland Malt Whisky,
Guaranteed Pure as from The Distillery,
Bottled by John McWilliam, Wine Mechant,
Craigellachie.

A replica of the bottle, nose and flavour of an original bottling by John William wine merchant of Craigellaichie. John William established his business in Craigellachie during the middle years of the 19 th century, and his shop was a familiar landmark until the beginning of the 20 th century.
As well as purveying general provisions, such as groceries, tea and coffee, he offered a list of fine wines and spirits, which he bought by the cask and bottled hinself.
The Macallan distillery, located close by on the opposite bank of the River Spey, was the local favourite, and a handful of this bottles still exist in The Macallan's archive collection. The earliest bottle dates from 1856 and the latest from 1898.
The 1861 was chosen as a classic example to replicate.
The Macallan Distillers Ltd, acquired a very rare bottle of The Macallan 1861 from a private collection in 1998, and presented Bob Dalgarno, Whisky Maker, with the formidable challenge of replicating it.
'I drew a tiny sample from the bottle with a hypodermic syringe inserted through the long driven cork. It was surprisingly fresh and vibrant, clearly Macallan, but full of youthful vitality. Of course, we do not know the age at which it had been bottled, but judging from its golden colour and relative robustness in character we suspsct the whisky was rratured in oak sherry casks from Spain.'
'Together with my team of expert nosers, I begon to comb through our warehouses of maturing casks searching for whisky which matched the profile. The problem was that every time we went back to the original it seemed to be revealing new layers of complexity. In the end we vatted together twenty-eight casks, at different ages to achieve a balanced profile which, in our view, reflects the true character, aroma and flavour of this historic whisky'.
As well as replicating the whisky, The Macallan Distillers Ltd, were determined to recreate the 1861 bottle and labels. The original bottle had been hand blown and closed with a driven cork and lead capsule - all characteristic features of its age and provenance. Master glass-makers,Stolzle Flaconnage of Nottingly. West Yorkshire, fabricated a new mould and carefully added colour to the molten glass until it matched the original. Even the flaws in the 1860s bottle were replicated, but in a way which maintained the integrity of the glass. No two bottles are the same, with bubbles, scratches and flat spots randomly created.
'The challenge for Stolzle Flaconnage was to reproduce the idiosyncratic irre¬gularities of a mid 19th century mouth blown bottle with 21th century technology. Essentially we had to roll back time and mask all the technical advances in glass container manufacturing of the past 140 years!
To reconstruct the labels, calligraher Carol Kemp painstakingly re-drew the in¬dividual letters while illustrator Brian Taylor reproduced the sketch of Thomas Telford's famous bridge at Craigellachie, built between 1812 and 1815. An aged paper was soaked, hand coloured, then distressed to achieve the authentic back¬ground texture.

THE MACALLAN  
18 years old
43 %                 
1971
Matured in Sherry Wood
Bottled 1989
The Macallan Distillers Ltd,
Craigellachie

For reasons not even science can wholly explain, whisky has always matured best in oak casks that have contained sherry. Due to increasing expense and scarity, other distillers no longer insist on sherry casks. The Macallan Directors do.
Journeying annually to the bodegas of Jerez, they buy fresh oak casks into which they pour mature, carefully chosen sherries, then keep them for two further years in Spain before having them shipped over to be filled with whisky. The results are shown partly in The Macallan's rich golden colour partly in the 'nose' and wholly, may we venture? in the tumbler.

THE MACALLAN   
18 years old
43 %          
1972
Matured in Sherry Wood
Bottled 1990
The Macallan Distillery Ltd,
Craigellachie

THE MACALLAN   
18 years old
43 %              
1973
Matured in Sherry Wood
Bottled 1991
The Macallan Distillers Ltd,
Craigellachie

THE MACALLAN  
18 years old
43 %              
1974
Matured in Sherry Wood
Bottled 1993
The Macallan Distillers Ltd,
Craigellachie

THE MACALLAN  
18 years old 43 %                  
1976
Matured in Sherry Wood
Bottled 1994
The Macallan Distillers Ltd,
Craigellachie

THE MACALLAN  
18 years old
43 %                 
1982
Exclusively Matured in Sherry Wood
Bottled: 2000
Selected Sherry Oak Casks from Jerez
The Macallan Distillers Ltd, Easter Elchies,
Craigellachie

THE MACALLAN   
19 years old
43%                 
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY SELECTION
Distilled 1.5.75
Cask no. 8347
Bottled 6.94
Genummerde flessen
340 bottles
Van Wees, Holland

THE MACALLAN  
19 years old
43 %                 
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY SELECTION
Distilled 8.5.75
Cask no. 8888
Bottled 1.95
Genummerde flessen
252 bottles
Van Wees, Holland

MACALLAN - GLENLIVET
8 years old
46%                
Distilled June 1989
Cask Ref: M M 7786
Cask Type: Refill Sherry
Bottled March 1998
Murray McDavid Ltd, Glasgow and London

In Tom Morton's book 'Spirit of Adventure', he has a chapter on Speyside titled, 'Into the heart of blandness'. We feel he has a point. There are, however, a few exceptions and this is one of them. Originally called Elchies Distillery (you can see why they changed the name) it is famous for the high number of small stills and Oloroso Sherry cask aging which gives a heavier, fuller flavoured malt. At any age it shows as a real superstar.

THE MACALLAN   
12 years old
43 %                  
Matured in Sherry Wood
The Macallan Distillers Ltd,
Craigellachie

THE MACALLAN   
10 years old
57 %                   
100 PROOF
Matured in Sherry Wood
The Macallan Distillers Ltd,
Craigellachie

THE MACALLAN  
17 years old
43%   
LAST  BOTTLE  AND  EMPTY              
1964
SPECIAL SELECTION 43 %
Matured in Sherry Wood
Bottled 1981
Macallan - Glenlivet Ltd, Craigellachie

THE MACALLAN  
15 years old
43%                
FIFTEEN YEARS OLD
Exclusively Matured in Selected
Sherry Oak Casks from Jerez
Distilled 1984
The Macallan Distillers Ltd, Easter Elchies,
Craigellachie

A Place called Macallan
Hidden in a fold of Wooded Hills lapped by the Waters of the Ringorm Burn as it hurries
on its way to meet the Fabled Spey below, stands the Ancient Manor House of Easter Elchies, home of The Macallan.

THE MACALLAN  
12 years old
40%          
ELEGANCIA
Distilled in 1990
Bottled in 2002
A unique elegant Macallan matured in
carefully selected Fino and Oloroso
sherry casks
The Macallan Distillers Ltd, Easter Elchies,
Craigellachie

The Macallan Elegancia is a light and elegant style of our Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky. Our Whisky Maker has crafted this exquisite whisky by skilfully selecting casks that have contained both rich, dark Oloroso and light crisp Fino sherries.

Our Whisky Maker describes this as: orange gold in colour with a nose of light vanilla toffee, nutty with citrus fruits, floral, light wood spices and oak. On tasting it shows light wood with toffee and nuts set on a background of sweet malt. The finish is sweet, spice and light vanillin oak.

THE MACALLAN  
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40%    
TWENTIES
Racing car motif
A Re-creation of 1920's style Macallan
Bottled: 2000
500 ml Bottles
The Macallan Distillers Ltd, Easter Elchies,
Craigellachie

Nose: Syrupy. Flowering currant. Apricot. Lemon. Sweet and dry. Spicy.
Palate: Firm but creamy. Honeyed.
Finish: Sweet grass. Some peatiness and late sappy oak.
Comment: Despite a relatively full colour, suggesting plenty of sherry, the Macallan flavours shine through.  The driest of these bottlings.

THE  MACALLAN
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40%
THIRTIES
Ocean liner motif
A Re-creation of 1930's style Macallan
Bottled: 2000
500 ml Bottles
The Macallan Distillers Ltd, Easter Elchies,
Craigellachie

Nose: Seville orange. Fresh leather. Lemon-grass. Peat.
Palate: Smooth, sweet. The fruitiest and most estery of the set.
Finish: Sweet grass. Juicy.
Comment: With its floweriness and a hint of peat, this seems to me a classic old-style Speysider

THE MACALLAN   
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40%    
FORTIES
Locomotive motif
A Re-creation of 1940's style Macallan
Bottled: 2000
500 ml Bottles
The Macallan Distillers Ltd, Easter Elchies,
Craigellachie

Nose: Light. Fragrant. Herbal. Grassy. Some smokiness.
Palate:Lively. Leafy. Flowery. Dry.
Finish: More peat. Late lemon-grass and mustard. Warming. Hot.
Comment: A similar style to 30s but less delicate and more robust.

THE MACALLAN  
geen leeftijd vermelding  
40%      
FIFTIES
Airliner motif
A Re-creation of 1950's style Macallan
Bottled: 2000
500 ml Bottles
The Macallan Distillers Ltd, Easter Elchies,
Craigellachie

Nose: Sherried, Raisiny. Toasted nuts.
Palate: Rich, Smooth. Toffeeish. Port-like.
Finish: Spicy, Liquorice. Mint, late warming
Comment: Closest to The Macallan to today, appropriately enough.
N & T and comments: Michael Jackson.

FINE OAK
Our unfaltering obsession with selecting the finest casks and distilling sublime spirit brings an usurpassed, timeless quality to The Macallan.
Distilled at The Macallan distillery in Speyside, Scotland, this legendary Single Malt is carefully matured. The unique combination of Bourbon and Sherry oak casks produces a particularly smooth, delicate and light whisky.
Hidden in a fold of wooded hills, lapped by the waters of the Ringorm Burn as it hurries on its way to meet the mighty River Spey, stands Easter Elchies House. The ancient Manor sits at the heart of The Macallan Estate and its spiritual home to the world's most precious whisky.
For centuries The Macallan has been distilled by generations of master craftsmen in particularly small, hand beaten copper stills. The secret of this legendary Single Malt is its maturation in only the finest Bourbon and Sherry oak casks.
The results of this unfaltering obsession with quality are shown in The Macallan Fine Oak's light, natural colour and delightfully smooth and delicate nose.
Such painstaking attention to detail creates this sublime whisky from the single malt by which others must be judged.
The Macallan - the world's most precious whisky.
2004.

THE MACALLAN     
10 years  old
40 %                   
FINE OAK
Bottled: 2004
Matured in a Unique Combination of
Bourbon & Sherry Oak Casks
The Macallan Distillers Ltd,
Easter Elchies, Craigellachie

THE MACALLAN    
12 years  old
40 %                  
FINE OAK
Bottled: 2004
Matured in a Unique Combination of
Bourbon & Sherry Oak Casks
The Macallan Distillers Ltd,
Easter Elchies, Craigellachie

THE MACALLAN     
15 years old
43 %                    
FINE OAK
Bottled: 2004
Matured in a Unique Combination of
Bourbon & Sherry Oak Casks
The Macallan Distillers Ltd,
Easter Elchies, Craigellachie

THE MACALLAN  
18 years old  
43 %                 
FINE OAK
Bottled: 2004
Matured in a Unique Combination
of Bourbon & Sherry Oak Casks
The Macallan Distillers Ltd, Easter Elchies,
Craigellachie

THE MACALLAN  
21 years old
43 %                          
FINE OAK
Bottled: 2004
Matured in a Unique Combination
of Bourbon & Sherry Oak Casks
The Macallan Distillers Ltd,  Easter Elchies,   
Craigellachie

THE MACALLAN   
25 years old
43 %
LAST BOTTLE  AND  EMPTY            
FINE OAK
LAST  BOTTLE  &  EMPTY
Bottled: 2004
Matured in a Unique Combination of
Bourbon & Sherry Oak Casks
The Macallan Distillers Ltd, Easter Elchies,
Craigellachie
                                                                                                                         
THE  MACALLAN  INFO:                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
MASTERS  EDITION                    
40 %  
FINE  OAK                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
TRIPLE  CASK  MATURED                                    
Highland Single malt Scotch Whisky                                                                                                                                                                                                               
Distilled and bottled by                                                                                          
The Macallan Distillers Ltd                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
Easter Elchies  Craigellachie

Distilled at The Macallan Distillery, in Speyside, Scotland. This legendary Single malt is
Triple Cask Matured in a unique complex combination of exceptional oak casks:

European oak casks seasoned with sherry, Smerican oak casks seasoned with sherry and
American oak casks seasoned with Bourbon.

This Triple Cask combination delivers an extraordinarily smooth, delicate yet complex Single Malt matured at The Macallan Distillery.

Colour: Pale straw / Nose: / Light and fresh, with a hint of coconut and ice cream wafer. Palate: Soft and smooth, balanced with oak and fruit. Finish: Lingering, with a hint of oak and fruit.

MACALLAN  
43 %                                 
1 9 8 9
VERY  RARE  PRIVATE  CELLAR
CASK  SELECTION
Distilled 1989
Bottled 2009
Special Edition Scotch Whisky
Forbes Ross & Co.Ltd.
Distillers Rutherglen

THE  PRIVATE  CELLAR  COLLECTION
Colin Forbes and Macpherson  Glen Ross
Renowed and well established Scotch
Whisky brokers acquired, in their opinion
some of the finest single malt distillations
money could buy. Earmarked for their
own enjoyment in future years the casks
quietly matured and improved with age.
With passing on the founders they were
forgotten and only recently rediscovered.
The collection is indeed a treasure trove
Of truly excellent Single Malt Scotch Whiskies.

MACALLAN
VINTAGE  2 0 0 4   
9 years old
43 %                                 
SPEYMALT
FROM  MACALLAN  DISTILLERY
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled 2004
Bottled 2013
Selected, Produced, Matured and Bottled by
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin

The Speymalt from Macallan Distillery range includes a series of exceptional Single Malts,
each matured in the highest quality casks selected by Gordon & Macphail

MACALLAN
VINTAGE  2 0 0 5
9 years old
43 %                                  
SPEYMALT
FROM  MACALLAN  DISTILLERY
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled 2005

Bottled 2014
Selected, produced, matured and Bottled by
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin

Delicate Sherry influences with a strong Highland toffee aroma. The palate is peppery ini-
tially with pear and banana flavours, which complement a creamy milk chocolate finish.

MACALLAN
VINTAGE  2 0 0 2
43 %                                                      
SPEYMALT                                                      
9 years old                                                      
Single Malt Scotch Whisky                                                     
Bottled 2011                                                      
Selected, Produced, Matured and Bottled by                                                      
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin

The Speymalt from Macallan Distillery range includes a series of exceptional Single
Malts, each matured in the highest quality casks selected by Gordon & Macphail.

Creamy and smooth, this Speyside Single Malt displays fresh, floral – rose petal –
notes. Subtle Sherry influences develop, along with a touch of toasted oak and red
berry fruitiness.
                                                  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

                                       




THE MACALLAN
Craigellachie, Banffshire. Eigendom van The Macallan Distillers Limited.

De officiële geschiedenis van The Macallan begint in 1824, toen de 38- jarige Alexander Reid een licentie verkreeg om te distilleren.

In de 18e eeuw werd op deze plek al gedistilleerd, het was zoals gebruikelijk toen, een boerderij met als nevenactiviteit het distilleren van de eigen gerst.
In 1841 produceert Alexander Reid met zeven medewerkers 6500 gallons (= 29000 liter) spirit en de whisky werd verkocht in stenen kruiken met een inhoud van 2 tot 8 gallons, in de directe omgeving.
De River Spey loopt langs de achterzijde van het terrein van The Macallan, hier was ook een doorwaadbare plek waar de veedrijvers in vroeger tijden hun vee, op weg van Moray naar de markten in de Lowlands, de rivier lieten oversteken.

Met de veedrijvers verspreidde zich ook de roem van The Macallan.

The Macallan staat op Easter Elchies, en het Elchies House, dat stamt uit ongeveer 1700 is nu het kantoor en de ontvangstruimte.
Alexander Reid stierf op 18 October 1847 en zijn zoon, ook een Alexander nam het bedrijf over, hij stierf op 5 Maart 1858.
De volgende eigenaars waren James Davidson en James Priest. Hun whisky werd verkocht als The Craigellachie Whisky.
James Priest stapte in 1861 uit en in 1868 verkocht James Davidson The Macallan aan James Stuart.
James Stuart wilde, samen met anderen een tweede distilleerderij bouwen, The Glenrothes, maar dat ging niet door vanwege de recessie die er toen heerste in de whiskyindustrie. Wel bouwde hij in 1883 Glen Spey.

In 1892 wordt Roderick Kemp de eigenaar.

Hij kwam van Talisker op Skye, waarin hij deelgenoot was, maar zich na een diepgaand verschil van mening met de landheer van Skye, over de aanleg van een aanlegsteiger ten behoeve van de distilleerderij, liet uitkopen door zijn compagnon.

Roderick Kemp breidde de distilleerderij uit en het was ook toen dat de naam The Macallan voor het product werd gebruikt.

Kemp stierf in 1909 en een trust van de familie nam het beheer over.
In 1946 werd de trust privé eigendom en ging verder met de naam R. Kemp Macallan - Glenlivet Limited.
The Macallan was lang een whisky die als malt alleen in Schotland werd gedronken, en wel tussen Elgin en Buckie.

De jonge Macallan werd vooral verkocht aan blenders, die het produkt als 'top dressing' gebruikten voor blends als Chivas Regal, Bell's, Famous Grouse, Ballantine's, Cutty Sark, J & B Rare, Lang en Long John.
Rond 1965 nam de leiding van The Macallan het besluit om de totale produktie in sherry-vaten te gaan lageren en meer dan voorheen The Macallan als single malt whisky te gaan verkopen.
Dat besluit had enorme gevolgen, het vereiste veel geld. Geld om de whisky te lageren ge-durende jaren, er moesten lagerpakhuizen worden gebouwd, en heel veel dure sherryvaten.
In 1968 ging The Macallan naar de beurs, afstammelingen van Roderick Kemp, de families Shiach en Harbinson, alle medewerkers en mensen uit de omgeving, maar ook Suntory en Remy Martin werden aandeelhouders.

In 1966
werd naast The Macallan een tweede distilleerderij gebouwd.

De spirit stills hebben een inhoud van 3900 liter,
en behoren tot de kleinste van Schotland.

In 1980
kwam de eerste nieuwe stijl The Macallan in de handel.
In 1990
wordt het grootste lagerpakhuis ter wereld in gebruik
genomen, kapaciteit 70.000 vaten.
In 1968
verdwijnen de moutvloeren.

Op 11 Juli 1996 nemen Highland Distillers en Suntory gezamelijk The Macallan over, Highland Distillers bezat al sinds Januari 1996 26 % en Suntory had in 1986 al 25 % van de aandelen in bezit gekregen.

Nieuwe eigenaar is H.S., een joint venture van Highland Distillers en Suntory.

In Oktober 1999 laat Highland Distillers weten te zijn benaderd over een mogelijk overname bod. De beurswaarde komt uit op 462 miljoen pond sterling (ruim 1,5 miljard gulden).

William Grant & Sons Ltd (van Glenfiddich en The Balvenie Kininvie en de Girvan Grain Distillery) heeft 30 % van het aandelenkapitaal van Highland Distillers gekocht.

70 % van het aandelenkapitaal is in handen van Edrington, de eigenaars van Lang Brothers, Glengoyne, Cutty Sark en 50 % bezitten van Matthew Gloag van Famous Grouse.

Suntory, eigenaars van Morrison's Bowmore, Morrison's Auchentoshan en Morrison's Glen Garioch heeft zijn belang van 25 % in The Macallan verkocht aan William Grant & Sons Ltd en Edrington.

Intussen heeft Highland Distillers, ook de eigenaars van Glenrothes, maar deze malt op de markt brengen via Berry Bros en Rudd, de bottelaars van Cutty Sark, toegestemd om de blend Whyte & Mackay ook te vermarkten via Berry Bros & Rudd, alsmede de single malt whiskies Isle of Jura en Dalmore naast Famous Grouse en The Macallan.

Er staan twee Mash tuns, één van 6.6- en één van 6 ton. De 22 Wash backs hebben een inhoud van elk 35000 liter.


De zeven Wash stills zijn elk groot 12000 liter, en de 14 Spirit stills hebben een inhoud van elk 3900 liter.
The Macallan kan 5.000.000 liter spirit per jaar produceren.

De distilleerderij kat heet Cyril (2001).
Peter Fairlie, afkomstig van Glenturret, wordt manager, maar wordt weer ontslagen.

Owner: H.S. Distillers, Highland Distillers & Suntory
Output: 5,5 million litres
Quantity sold as single malt 70 %
Barley species: Golden Promise
Water source: 4 boreholes

Wood: Sherry butts only

Voorjaar 1999 kregen de Edrington Group en Highland Distillers verschil van mening over het niet of wel aanhouden van de beursnotering.
September 1999 wordt bekend dat Edrington en William Grant & Sons samen Highland Distillers overnemen.
De naam van de nieuwe onderneming luidt: The 1887 Company, wat slaat op het stichtings- jaar van Highland Distillers.
Edrington verkrijgt 70 %-, William Grant & Sons 30 % van de aandelen'^

LUXUSGELDANLAGE:
1,7 Millionen Euro für eine Flasche Whisky
VON FRANZ NESTLER-AKTUALISIERT AM 25.10.2019-16:04
Eine Flasche des 60 Jahre alten Macallan 1926 Single Malt aus Schottland.
Bildbeschreibung einblenden

In London wurde die bislang teuerste Flasche Malt verkauft. Die Preise sind in den vergangenen Jahren rasant gestiegen. Da kann keine Geldanlage der Welt mithalten.

Ob Sportwagen, Gemälde oder Schmuck: Luxusgüter haben ihren Preis. Und der nimmt seit Jahren kontinuierlich zu. Neuestes Beispiel ist Whisky. Hier wurde diese Woche wieder einmal ein neuer Rekord erzielt: Für eine einzige Flasche eines 60 Jahre alten Macallan 1926 Single Malt aus Schottland wurden 1,5 Millionen Pfund gezahlt – also rund 1,74 Millionen Euro. Bislang war die teuerste Flasche 1,2 Millionen Pfund wert – diese wurde vor 11 Monaten versteigert. Damals wechselte eine Flasche Macallan 1926 aus demselben Fass für 1,2 Millionen Pfund den Besitzer. Zuvor wurde, ebenfalls wieder ein Macallan, für 84.8750 Pfund verkauft. Zum Vergleich: Noch im Jahr 2014 lag der höchste für einen Whisky jemals erzielte Preis bei rund 470.000 Euro. Eine Flasche diesen Macallan kostete im Jahr 2007 sogar nur 75.000 Dollar.

Der Preis für Whisky steigt seit Jahren stark an. Das geht aus mehreren Indizes hervor. Über die vergangenen zehn Jahre haben sich die teuersten Whiskysorten um 540 Prozent verteuert, geht aus dem Knight Frank Rare Whisky 100 Index hervor, der die Preisentwicklung der 100 seltensten Whiskys miteinander vergleicht. Der Vergleich der 50 seltensten Whiskys ergibt sogar ein Plus von 765 Prozent in zehn Jahren – umso seltener, umso wertvoller ist momentan die Devise. Zum Vergleich: Der deutsche Aktienindex Dax gewann in diesem Zeitraum lediglich rund 140 Prozent. Dieses Jahr wurden die teuersten Whiskysorten allerdings nur rund 23 Prozent teurer. Andy Simpson, der sich für diesen Index verantwortlich zeigt, kennt für den vergleichsweise moderaten Anstieg die Gründe: Ein starker Preisverfall für Whiskys der Sorte Macallan gekoppelt mit einem vergleichbar großen Angebot habe den Index etwas zum Stottern gebracht. Macallan ist deswegen so wichtig, weil die Marke sich bewusst auf absolute Luxusspirituosen spezialisiert hat – was auch schon die Rangliste der drei teuersten Whiskys zeigt. „Im Jahr 2019 rechnen wir aber mit einem deutlich besseren Resultat“, sagt Simpson.

Ein Grund für die stark steigenden Preise ist vor allem die stark steigende Nachfrage aus Asien. Auch wenn der neueste Käufer nicht bekannt gegeben wurde, so spricht doch vieles dafür. Dort wachsen die Vermögen schnell, viele Superreiche wohnen in China, Japan oder Singapur. Europäische Luxusgüter genießen einen Kultstatus. Beispiel Whisky: Es gebe ein „riesiges Interesse an Whisky“, sagt Richard Harvey vom Auktionshaus Bonhams. „Überall im Fernen Osten werden Whisky-Bars eröffnet.“ Ein Drittel bis 40 Prozent aller Verkäufe des Auktionshauses gingen in diese Region. Auch unabhängig von der asiatischen Nachfrage wird Whisky immer beliebter: Dazu gehören schottische Sorten wie Dalmore und Port Ellen, aber auch japanische aus den Destillerien von Karuizawa und Yamazaki.

September 2004
The Macallan brengt een serie whiskies uit genaamd Fine Oak.

De serie bestaat uit:
The Macallan Fine Oak,     8 years old
The Macallan Fine Oak,   10 years old,,
The Macallan Fine Oak,   12 years old,
The Macallan Fine Oak,   15 years old,
The Macallan Fine Oak,   18 years old,
The Macallan Fine Oak,   21 years old,
The Macallan Fine OaK,   25 years old,
The Macallan Fine Oak,   30 years old.

April 2008
Macallan bouwt aan 6 nieuwe lagerpakhuizen en gaat het oude stillhouse met 6 ketels
voor 5 miljoen heropenen

2010
The current range of The Macallan is:
Sherry oak:10, 12, Cask Strenght, 18, 25, 30 years old
Fine oak: 10, 12 15, 17, 18, 21, 25, 30 years old
Travel retail:12 years old Elegancia, 10 years Cask Strenght
1824 Collection = Select Oak, Whisky Maker's                                                          
Edition, Estate Reserve,1824 Limited Reserve,40 year                                                         
Distillery exclusives:Woodland Estate, Estate Oak
Fine & Rare:V
intages from 1926 - 1976
                                                    
September 2012
THE  1 8 2 4  SERIES:  100 % sherry casks, 100 % natural colour, 100 % Macallan

GOLD,  AMBER,  SIENNA,  RUBY.

GOLD
A burnished gold spirit offering a lemon citrus nose, then orange peel and sweetness
that softens but does't eliminate the zest. A note of vanilla followed more  assertive
by dark chocolate - with lingering floral and light oak notes. Citrus and boiled sweets
dance on the palate, along with hints of ginger and cinnamon, while soft oak tones
reveal toasted apples. The finish is medium sweet, malty and slightly dry.

AMBER
A floral, citrus sweet nose gains presence, commanding a chorus of sweet vanilla notes
over freshly harvested grain. Raisin, sultana and cinnamon look on as toffee apples
and candy floss step into the limelight. On the palat, fresh green apples and lemons
mingle with cinnamon. Ginger notes hover as fruit takes over, with subtle oak lingering
The finale is light to medium, with soft fruits and cereal, slightly dry.

SIENNA
A warm opening with a subtle vanilla nose, persistent yet not overpowering. Orange
arrives, turning zesty and sharp, through tempering green apples add freshness and
balance. Next comes white chocolate truffles, chewy and sumptuous, with elegant oak
notes. Dates, figs and raisins lead the palate then make way for nutmeg and ginger
with a splash of oranges and apples, before vanilla returns. The final fanfare is gentle
smooth and warming.

RUBY
Spanish Oak piques the nose before reluctantly admitting rich, dried fruits and an edge
trickle of treacle. A hesistant sweetness enters, then oak returns, burnished and mature.
On the palate a rush of ginger, nutmeg and resin herald orange, sultana and raisin with
Their restrained but pervasive sweetness. Clove is here and gone, leaving oak the undis-
puted maestro. The finish of this ruby - red spirit is long, lingering and reflective

Distilled at The Macallan Distillery, in Speyside, Scotland. This legendary Single malt is
Triple Cask Matured in a unique complex combination of exceptional oak casks:
European oak casks seasoned with sherry, Smerican oak casks seasoned with sherry and
American oak casks seasoned with Bourbon.
This Triple Cask combination delivers an extraordinarily smooth, delicate yet complex Single
Malt matured at The Macallan Distillery.
Distilled at The Macallan Distillery, in Speyside, Scotland. This legendary Single malt is
Triple Cask Matured in a unique complex combination of exceptional oak casks:
European oak casks seasoned with sherry, Smerican oak casks seasoned with sherry and
American oak casks seasoned with Bourbon.
This Triple Cask combination delivers an extraordinarily smooth, delicate yet complex Singel
Malt matured at The Macallan Distillery.

THE  MACALLAN  1 8 2 4  RANGE
The Macallan 1824 Range is a major change in thought. The age of a whisky has long been
the mark of its value and quality, certainly whisky companies have not been shy in reflec-
ting the price against the age of their stock.
The Macallan 1824 Range concentrates on the confidence in their liquid instead of their
age.
The four colours, Gold, Amber, Sienna and Port are the reflection of Bob Dalgamo's,
whisky maker at the Macallan , of flavor as well as the colour liquid in the bottles.
The Macallan 1824 Range has launched this Range, marketed by colour instead of age,
allowing it to up production to meat demand.

The Macallan has taken the dramatic step of ending the release of the 10, 12, 15 old

single malt whiskies which are sold much of its 700.000 cases sold every year.
Removing age statements will allow to blend the casks from different years as a distillery
face a shortage of stock of a specific age because demand has outstripped the quantity
planned to be produced a long time ago.

Bob Delgamo:  this move would allow us to make a more flexible approach in our production.
                                                                                                                         
using colour to drive and define a whisky differs dramatically from the
convential age approach, thus allowing us to explore different casks with the full range
of matured stocks available, rather than working tp a predetermined character based
on age .For me, the key thought in this range is that a great single malt does't need to
be 30 years to taste like a 30- year old.

The Macallan has remained tight - lipped about the ages of each release in the new series,

but industry experts said The Macallan is unlikely to use anything younger than 8 year old
whiskies.
Experts explained that, for example, 9 and 11 year whiskies, not yet ready for release under
the 10 and 12 year old brands, could now be blended together to produce the 'entry - level'
Gold whisky immediately
.
With the Ruby line - which some believe is based on the high - end 18 year old The Macallan
it is possible to use a good 17 year old.

And Ken Grier, director of Malts at Edrington, owner of The Macallan says: The 1824 Series

has resulted in us veing able to use casks when they are ready, as not all whiskies benefit
from being left to get older, some mature earlier, much like some people.

And also: The ability to continue to meet demand and ensure quality has become a struggle

for many distilleries and there are genuine concerns about wheter there will be enough
stock in five to ten years.                                                      

THE  MACALLAN  1 8 2 4
And: as a result this is one of the most observed whisky launches, as The Macallan is a big
name and every one in the industry is waiting to see what happens when this range hits the
market.
And Arthur Morley, The Macallan's purchasing director warned that the failure to keep up with
demand will lead to rising retail prices for consumers.
He explains: most distillers have put their prices up recently, particularly in the aged stocks,
A lot og the Glenfiddich range and many of the Islays such as Laphroaig. As a example 18
Months ago The Macallan 18 year old was 75 pound and now is around 130 pound.
There are precedents before of distillers having done this with individual bottles, most notably with
The Glenmorangie Signet, but not on this scale. No other distillery has tried
a complete range without an age statement,

THE  PRIVATE  CELLAR  COLLECTION
Colin Forbes and Macpherson  Glen Ross
Renowed and well established Scotch
Whisky brokers acquired, in their opinion
some of the finest single malt distillations
money could buy. Earmarked for their
own enjoyment in future years the casks
quietly matured and improved with age.
With passing on the founders they were
forgotten and only recently rediscovered.
The collection is indeed a treasure trove
Of truly excellent Single Malt Scotch Whiskies.

Whisky producer Edrington today unveiled plans to build a £100 million distillery and visitors centre on its Macallan estate in Speyside, marking the latest in a string of massive investments in the Scotch sector.
The Glasgow-based company, which also owns the Famous Grouse and Highland Park brands, said that construction work could begin in the autumn if it is granted planning permission.
The distillery and visitors centre - which are being designed by architecture practice Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners - could be up and running in 2017.
Edrington hinted at its investment in June but today unveiled the massive scale of its plans.
Rising demand for Scotch in the United States and emerging markets has triggered expansion schemes from many distillers.
French spirits giant Pernod Ricard - which owns Paisley-based Chivas Brothers, Scotland's second-largest distiller and the owner of labels including Chivas Regal, The Glenlivet and Royal Salute - is building a facility at Carron, on the banks of the River Spey, at a site previously occupied by the Imperial distillery.
Arch-rival Diageo - the biggest Scotch distiller and maker of Bell's, Johnnie Walker and Talisker - has selected Teaninich near Alness in Easter Ross as the site for its next £50m "super-distillery", following on from the opening of Roseisle near Elgin in 2010.

The Speymalt from Macallan Distillery range includes a series of exceptional Single Malts,
each matured in the highest quality casks selected by Gordon & Macphail

Macallan derived from Gaelic  magh, is fertile ground, and ellan is a reference to the irish monk named St. Fillian who
spreading Christianity in Scotland.

MACALLAN’S NEW DISTILLERY
July 2017
As Macallan’s £100m-plus new distillery nears completion, it’s an emotional time for the man who came up with the idea, creative director Ken Grier. He spoke to Richard Woodard about the challenges facing Scotch whisky’s biggest construction project – and single malt’s most lucrative brand.
Like no other: Macallan’s £100m-plus budget dwarfs other distillery builds
The early 2010s were a boom time for Scotch whisky in general, and for Macallan in particular. Exports were on an apparently never-ending upward curve, rare bottlings were changing hands for breathtaking sums of money, and China’s appetite for luxury seemed to be insatiable.
Scotch was now sailing in uncharted waters, earning the kind of status previously reserved for high-end Cognacs, and Macallan was leading the fleet. This was single malt reimagined as Bordeaux first growth or Paris fashion maison.
The one problem? Keeping up with demand. As Macallan owner Edrington pored over long-term forecasts, one thing was clear: the existing distillery at Easter Elchies, near Craigellachie, could no longer live up to the company’s long-term ambitions for the brand.
‘We talked about do we expand the existing facility, do we build somewhere fresh,’ recalls Macallan creative director Ken Grier. ‘Then I took a copy of Great Wineries of the World down from the bookshelf.
At a time when Macallan was redefining luxury whisky – or perhaps defining it for the first time – the idea was not just to increase production, but to give Macallan a home worthy of its newly-earned place in the world. ‘We want to make sure that we have those credentials of a Mouton-Rothschild or a Pétrus,’ explains Grier.
Everything about the new distillery was on the grand scale: the competition for architects (won by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners), the £100m budget, the eye-catching subterranean design – likened by some to the home of children’s television favourites the Teletubbies, but apparently based loosely on a Scottish broch or ancient roundhouse.

Ken Grier
Man with a plan: The new Macallan distillery was Ken Grier’s idea
Now, nearly three years after ground was broken on the project, the planned opening date of June 2017 has come and gone, while that £100m budget has mushroomed to a reported £120m.
‘Along the way you get the usual challenges about the [landscape], how to deal with it and you move on,’ says Grier. ‘We would love to get it up and running at the moment.
‘We’re now in a situation where the distillery will be finished pretty much early to mid-September, and we’ll be commissioning it and running spirit in the latter part of the year, probably in November. We’re looking to be open to the public in the early summer of next year.’
And, on the cost: ‘Let’s just say the budget that we’ve set isn’t exactly where we’re going to finish.’
Some reports have suggested that the new distillery will mean an immediate 15% production increase, but with the potential to hit 15m litres of pure alcohol (lpa) a year, versus the old distillery’s 9m lpa. There is also tantalising talk of the world’s largest mash tun.
A tight-lipped Grier is keener to discuss quality and consistency – vitally important issues when you consider that the current Macallan distillery will be mothballed once the new one is fully operational.
The efforts made, alongside coppersmith Forsyths, to ensure that the new equipment produces a spirit identical to the old Macallan have been ‘hugely painstaking’, says Grier. ‘People need have no concern. We have been all over this in every way. If you want to make the perfect whisky, you have to have the perfect distillery.’
While many new distilleries are all about versatility and experimental distillation regimes, that’s not the case here. ‘At the moment, we don’t plan to do that,’ says Grier. ‘This is not the purpose of this distillery. There will be no experimental runs for the time being at least.’
But there’s much more to the new distillery than making whisky. For the visitor centre, Edrington has commissioned museum developer Atelier Brückner (also working on the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza).
According to reports, plans include a large-scale art gallery and six different rooms representing each of the ‘six pillars’ that underpin the character of Macallan’s whisky.
‘The idea is to build a distillery that really gives people a “wow”,’ says Grier. ‘We really want people to come in and to share some of our secrets.’

Macallan new distillery
Grand plan: The new distillery recalls an ancient Scottish ‘broch’ or roundhouse
But things have changed since the bullish days of the early 2010s. Scotch whisky exports have suffered declines (although single malt has continued to thrive); the luxury markets in China and Russia have imploded, albeit for different reasons; Macallan itself has seen sales suffer in the key Asian market of Taiwan as rival brands have eroded its market share.
‘The lesson we learned – which was why we launched Macallan Double Cask in Taiwan – is that that market has much more choice for consumers, thanks to the great work that some of our competitors have done,’ says Grier.
‘We had to make sure that our consumers had more choice, so we now have a focus on the “trinity” of Sherry Oak, Fine Oak, Double Cask – and it’s made a huge difference.’
Elsewhere, travel retail has been ‘tricky’ thanks to the travails of the luxury market in Russia and China, but – despite short-term challenges – Grier remains convinced of the continuing potential of the latter. ‘I’m confident that China will be a massive single malt market, but it may not be in my time,’ he says.
Meanwhile, it will be more than a decade before Macallan’s new distillery produces its first fully mature whisky, as Grier acknowledges. ‘We will be stock-constrained for the foreseeable future,’ he says.
That means the continued tweaking of ranges and priorities, including a renewed focus on age-stated expressions in ‘mature’ markets such as London – ‘the great European cities are terribly important for luxury brands’, says Grier.
The colour-coded and sometimes criticised 1824 range will also evolve, with Macallan Ruby set to be discontinued imminently (although Grier is reluctant to confirm this) and other changes likely, partly because of the huge early success of Macallan Double Cask.
‘That may lead us to make some decisions,’ says Grier. ‘Some products may leave the range; other products might be added. We’ve been involved in quite a big exercise, going back and sampling the last 12 years of whiskies, these older stocks. So there will be changes.’
And what about the backlash (in some quarters) against the NAS 1824 range? ‘People forget. Whisky is all about innovation, trying things, whether it’s quarter cask products, products without an age statement, craft whiskies or finishing. And that’s fantastic, because with innovation you get younger consumers coming in.’
But, in the short term, Grier’s sights are firmly fixed on getting Macallan’s new distillery up and running without further delay. ‘I was on-site yesterday [13 July] and we’re on track for that new timescale,’ he says.
‘It’s very emotional for me, being the author of the whole thing, to see it come alive. And it’s beautiful – utterly breathtaking.’
Breathtaking or not, it’s certainly eagerly anticipated.
Watch how Macallan's new distillery has been brought to life, in an exclusive fly-over of the site near Craigellachie.
Even with an extremely tight (i.e. small) cut there is little time for copper to do its lightening job on spirit vapour in tiny stills whose lyne arms are so acutely angled. The opposite applies to maturation, however, where the balance between large and small is more fully revealed.
That heavy new make then goes into large, predominantly 500-litre ex-Sherry casks (made of both European and American oak). A large surface-to-volume ratio means that maturation will take longer – Macallan, it is widely agreed, hits its stride fully in its mid-teens. A heavy new make will also require longer in cask to lose any vestigial sulphurous notes. The nature of the extractives in the European oak (higher levels of tannin, powerful clove and resinous aromas) also needs a heavy spirit to achieve balance. American oak on the other hand adds and enhances sweetness.

No colour adjustment takes place at Macallan, meaning that each vatting needs to not only replicate the previous one in terms of aroma and taste, but must hit the same hue, despite every cask having a different tint. It is this understanding of the way in which colour is an indication of character which was behind whisky-maker Bob Dalgarno’s creation of the ‘1824 Range’.

Aberlogie
One of the original farm distilleries of Speyside, Macallan became legal in 1824 when Alexander Reid obtained (or was persuaded to obtain) one of the new licences issued after the passing of the 1823 Excise Act. In 1868, James Stuart took the lease and rebuilt the plant. His ownership ended in 1892, when he sold Macallan to one of the giants of Victorian distilling, Roderick Kemp, who had previously owned Talisker (although he never owned both distilleries at the same time). Kemp’s ancestors – in particular the Shiach family – retained ownership until the 1996 takeover by Highland Distillers (now Edrington).
The plant has continually been expanded from its original wooden shed with two stills. It was increased to five stills (two wash, three spirit) in 1954 and then more significantly in 1965 when a new stillhouse with seven stills was built. This process continued throughout the 1970s with the total number of stills reaching 21 by 1975.
For a distillery which has become synonymous with the growth of single malt, it is worth remembering that Macallan has always been an important malt for blending. It wasn’t until the early 1980s, faced with a downturn in the market for fillings, that Macallan decided to focus more strongly on the then new single malt category.
The management team of Alan Shiach, Frank Newlands, Hugh Mitcalfe and Willie Phillips oversaw a campaign which both positioned the malt as a 'first-growth whisky' it called 'the Cognac of whisky', while always retaining a somewhat bohemian and irreverent approach to advertising and promotion.
A firm belief in the fusion of the oily, heavy, new make style and ex-Sherry casks saw Macallan, under Edrington’s governance, become the first distillery to create so-called ‘bespoke’ casks: selecting specific trees (predominantly in northern Spain, though some American oak is specified), and then with Jerez-based cooper Tevasa specifying the length and nature of drying, type of coopering, the liquid used for seasoning (oloroso) and the duration of that process. Investment in wood has increased significantly in recent years, with a complex of massive warehouses being built on the estate.
In recent years, a greater emphasis has been placed on the nascent luxury whisky market with bottlings of 50- and 60-year-old Macallan in Lalique decanters, the creation of the Fine & Rare vintage range dating back to 1926, and the Masters of Photography series.
This has not been without controversy. Its growing status as a collectable malt saw Macallan become the victim of fakers in the late 1990s. The subsequent investigation has however helped establish a methodology to check the authenticity of suspicious bottlings.
On a whisky-making front, 2004 saw the introduction of Fine Oak where American oak ex-Sherry casks and some ex-Bourbon casks were used in a mirror range to the 'classic’ 100% ex-Sherry range. Though old Macallan lovers protested, the lighter, sweeter, flavour profile brought in new drinkers, mostly in new markets.

2013 saw the launch of the 1824 Range, a four-strong series not carrying age statements which replaced some of the younger expressions in the portfolio.

The second stillhouse was brought back on stream in 2008 and in 2013 it was announced that a completely new, £100 million distillery is to be built. Production is due to be moved from the existing site to the new in 2017.

1824
Alexander Reid obtains a license
to distil at Elchies Distillery
1847
After Reid's death, James Shearer Priest
and James Davidson take over the distillery
1868
James Stuart acquires the lease
and rebuilds the distillery and founds
Glen Spey a decade later
1892
Stuart sells the distillery to
Roderick Kemp, a previous
owner of Talisker, he expands the distillery
and names it Macallan - Glenlivet
1909
Kemp dies and the Roderick Kemp Trust
is established to safeguard the family's
stake in the business
1965
Macallan's stills are doubled from
six to 12
1966
The Kemp Trust becomes a private
limited company
1968
The group is floated on the
London Stock Exchange
1974
Macallan's stills are increased
again to 18
1975
Another three stills are added,
bringing the distillery to 21 stills
1984
The first official 18 year old is
launched
1986
Japanese group Suntory acquires
a 25% stake in the business
1996
Highland Distillers purchases the
remainder of the business
1999
Edrington and William Grant & Sons
buys Highland Distillers
for 601 million pound through the
1887 Company with held by Edrington
70 % and William Grant 30 %,
Suntory still holds 25 %
2000
The first Macallan single cask is
launched, named Exceptional 1
2001
Macallan's visitors' centre is opened
2002
Elegancia replaces 12 year old in
duty free range, 1841 Replica.
Exceptional ll, Exceptional lll released
2003
1876 Replica, Exceptional IV single
cask from 1990 released
2004
Macallan Fine Oak, Exceptional  V
single cask from 1989, Exceptional Vl
1990 releaed
2005
New Macallan Woodland Estate,
Winter Edition, and 50 year old released
2006
Fine oak 17 year, Vintage 1975 launched
2007
1851 inspiration, Whisky Maker's Selection
released for Travel Retail
2008
Estate Oak, 55 years Lalique released
2009
The Macallan 1824 Collection is launched
in duty free
The mothballed Still house no 2 is re-opened
a 57 year old Lalique is launched
2010
Oscuro launched for duty free
2011
MMXl is released for duty free
2012
The launch of the 1824 Series is marked
with the release of Gold
2013
Macallan's 1824 Series is continued with
the release of Amber, Sienna and Ruby
2014
Macallan announces the build of a new,
£100m distillery; the 1824 Series is extended
with 'M' and Rare Cask, Reflexion, No 6
released
2015
Rare Cask Black released
2016
Edition No. 1, 12 year old Double cask
released
2017
Folio 2 released
the new distillery is commissioned
2018
Fine Oak changes name to triple Cask.
The Quest Collection is released for
duty free
Macallan M Black, Genesis, Concept No.1,
a 72 yearold, a 52 year old released
2019
Macallan estate, Edition No 5 released
Concept no2 released
2020
Capacity: 15.000.000 Ltrs
Output: 12.000.000 Ltrs
2020
Double Cask 15 and 18 years releasd
and also The red Collection
2021
The 3e and Final Bottling in the Concept Range
is launched, Tales of The Macallan also released
Volume 1
2022
The Harmony Collection, a 30 years old
Double Cask and the 81 year old The Reach
are released
The Cooerage which stood at The Glenrothes
is moved to The Macallan

CAPACITY (MLPA)
9
CONDENSER TYPE
Shell and tube
FERMENTATION TIME
Minimum 48hrs
HEAT SOURCE
Steam
MASH TUN TYPE
Lauter
NEW-MAKE STRENGTH
70%
SPIRIT STILL CHARGE (L)
3,900
SPIRIT STILL SHAPE
Onion
STILLS
21 (7 wash, 14 spirit)
WAREHOUSING
Dunnage and racked
WASH STILL CHARGE (L)
12,950
WASH STILL SHAPE
Onion
WASHBACK TYPE
24 (18 stainless steel, 6 wood)
WASHBACKS
24
WATER SOURCE
Boreholes on Macallan Estate
YEAST TYPE
Liquid (cream) yeast

The Edrington Group
1999 - present
Highland Distillers
1996 - 1999
Macallan-Glenlivet Limited
1970 - 1996
R Kemp Macallan-Glenlivet
1946 - 1970
Roderick Kemp's Trust
1909 - 1946
Roderick Kemp
1892 - 1909
James Stuart & Co
1868 - 1892
James Priest and James Davidson
1847 - 1868
Alexander Reid
1824 - 1847

FAKE MACALLAN SCANDAL
August 2017
As an investigation is launched into a ‘fake’ 1878 Macallan sold for $10,000 a glass by a Swiss hotel, the incident recalls an infamous saga from more than a decade ago. Richard Woodard reports.

Macallan antique bottles
Hefty purchase: Macallan acquired about 100 antique bottles, creating replicas of some of them
The emergence of what appears to be a fake 1878 bottle of Macallan single malt Scotch whisky at a hotel in St Moritz recalls a wider-ranging scandal of the 1990s and the early 2000s. As the investigation by the Hotel Waldhaus am See continues, there’s an uncanny sense that we’ve been here before.
From the mid-1990s, something changed in the rare whisky auction market. The trickle of antique bottles had swollen to a flood, and this sudden succession of obscure expressions – previously unheard-of 19th-century bottlings, whiskies from long-closed Campbeltown distilleries – appeared never-ending.
They were mostly in excellent condition and they didn’t appear in isolation – instead, they came in batches of up to four identical bottles. Some went to auction, fetching (at the time)
Many were duped, some completely, others because they simply wanted to believe that the facsimile in front of them was the genuine article. But objections were raised, particularly by company archivists, and by some retailers and collectors.

Macallan vintage guide
Reading matter: Macallan published this guide before the scandal broke
This rumbling of discontent led a group of people – Scotchwhisky.com chief engineer Dave Broom (then writing for Whisky Magazine), Diageo’s Dr Nick Morgan, archivist Iain Russell (then at Chivas Brothers, now with Glenmorangie) and paper conservator Doug Stone – to launch their own investigation into the affair.
It also led some companies – Chivas Brothers, Diageo and Allied Distillers (now part of Chivas) – to reject a number of fake whiskies offered to them.
In many cases, the companies’ archivists and experts felt that something didn’t quite ring true about the bottles they were being offered. This gut instinct was then reinforced by simple fact-checking and detailed inspection: labels with ‘strength’ spelled incorrectly; the types of grammatical error made by a non-English speaker; a ‘19th-century’ Talisker bottle sporting a line-drawing of the distillery, complete with 1960s metal chimney.
Many of these bottles were identified as coming from Italy. And, in Italy, one single malt stood above all others in terms of collectability: Macallan. No surprise, then, that a large number of 19th- and early 20th-century Macallans began to appear on the market.

Between 2000 and 2002, Macallan acquired about 100 antique ‘Macallan’ bottles at auction and from private collectors, in turn offering some of these for resale via its own online auction.
At the same time, the company announced plans to launch a ‘Replica’ range of single malts based on the taste and packaging of some of the bottles. There was even a book – The Definitive Guide to Buying Vintage Macallan – with a chapter devoted to the 19th-century bottles and the chance to buy them at auction through the Macallan website.

Macallan 1878 and cork
Timely reminder: The 1878 Macallan recently opened at Hotel Waldhaus am See
The sceptics were swift to voice their concerns. Those who tasted the ‘original’ 1861 (to be recreated as the first of the replicas) found it remarkably fresh and ‘contemporary’; there was no record of a company called ‘Macallan & Talisker Distilleries Ltd’, which appeared on some of the labels; and Roderick Kemp, also named on those labels, did not own both distilleries at the same time (he sold his interest in Talisker to fund his purchase of Macallan).
Macallan was made aware of these concerns as early as December 2001, with experts offering to run forensic tests on labels the following month. Eventually, UK paper expert Peter Bower (recommended by Doug Stone) and ceramics and glass expert Simon Cottle were called in to the examine the collection in July-August 2002.
They immediately identified four ‘19th-century’ bottles as fakes, including an 1893 Macallan that used 20th-century paper and named ‘John Euring’ (rather than ‘Ewing’) on the label.
But, those glaring examples apart, the experts decided the collection was genuine – or so Macallan said at the time. Strong doubts persist to this day as to the precise conclusions drawn, as well as the scope of the investigation.
The experts confined their findings to the materials: the bottles were Scottish and from the 19th century (or the 18th century in a couple of cases), and the paper used for the labels was from the right period. It’s also unclear whether the neck tags showing the ‘vintages’ were checked.
At the time when many of these fake bottles surfaced, it was still relatively easy and cheap to find antique bottles and paper. To paraphrase the words of Dave Broom at the time: just because a painting has a 19th-century canvas and frame, that doesn’t make it a Monet.

Macallan 1870
Victorian era: Macallan offered this bottle at auction with a reserve price of £8,500
In 2003, Macallan went further, submitting liquid from 16 bottles dated from 1856 to 1919 for laboratory carbon dating. All were found to contain post-1950 liquid. A second tranche, sent in January 2004, met with similar results.
The fallout from the saga led to more questions being asked. Why, when Macallan had the initial test results on the whisky in December 2003, did it wait until May 2004 to make them public? Why did it continue with the online auctions when there were already doubts about provenance? Why persist with the Replicas series – 1861, followed by 1841 and 1876 – when investigations were under way?
And, bringing things up to date, why continue to display some of these 19th-century bottles at the distillery when so many people have raised so many concerns about their authenticity? Some have now been withdrawn from public view pending further tests, but the company insists that this is a ‘precaution’ and that it still regards the bottles and labels as genuine.
What will these ‘further tests’ on the distillery bottles cover? The inks used on the labels, as well as the printing techniques, typefaces and the adhesive used to fix them to the bottle? These are all aspects that are routinely examined when authenticating fine wine.
Meanwhile, that Macallan Replica series of bottlings – which turned out to be replicas of fakes – sold for about £100 a bottle when everyone thought they were based on the genuine article. Now, when we all know they’re fake, they fetch several hundred pounds each.

MACALLAN EXCEPTIONAL SINGLE CASK LAUNCHED
November 2017
Speyside single malt Macallan has launched its Exceptional Single Cask range – a series of seven whiskies matured for between 12 and 22 years.
Cask strength: The range includes malts that have surprised Macallan’s whisky makers
The cask strength whiskies have been drawn from seven ex-Sherry casks, filled between 1995 and 2004 and bottled without artificial colouring.
Charlie Whitfield, manager of brand education and prestige whiskies at Macallan, said the range had been inspired by the ‘whisky maker’s bench’ found in the single malt’s sample room.
‘This stunning new range, bottled at cask strength, presents those particular cask samples which have taken our whisky makers by surprise,’ he added.
‘The Macallan’s Exceptional Single Cask range provides an opportunity to experience those moments.’
The Macallan Exceptional Single Cask range is available now in the US, with an estimated retail price of US$250-1,300 per bottle. The range will later be released in ‘select international markets’.
Looking back to 2004, the shock that greeted the news that Macallan’s antique collection was riddled with fakes was tempered by the thought that at least all was now in the open, that people wouldn’t be fooled by these bottles again. The recent episode at Hotel Waldhaus am See, which occurred in one of the world’s leading whisky bars, shows that that is emphatically not the case.
The inescapable conclusion is that the initial moral of the story as written by Dave Broom in Whisky Magazine in 2004 – that of ‘caveat emptor’ or ‘buyer beware’ – remains undimmed more than a decade later. Especially if the whisky in question costs the equivalent of US$10,000 for one small glass.

MACALLAN SHERRY OAK 40 YEARS OLD UNVEILED
December 2017
Speyside single malt Macallan has launched a 40-year-old limited release whisky, priced at US$9,000 a bottle and billed as the ‘pinnacle’ of its Sherry Oak range.
Macallan Sherry Oak 40 Years Old
Rare beast: Only 465 bottles of Macallan Sherry Oak 40 Years Old will be released globally
Macallan Sherry Oak 40 Years Old is only the third non-vintage release of a 40-year-old expression from the distillery, and follows a similar release in 2016.
The whisky was matured exclusively in three oloroso Sherry-seasoned oak casks – two butts and one hogshead – and only 465 bottles will be released worldwide, bottled at a strength of 44% abv.
Macallan said the distillery’s ‘robust, fruity and full-bodied’ new make spirit had been transformed into a whisky ‘of great richness and character’ by its maturation.
The whisky is said to have ‘hints of sultanas, ginger and wood spice against a backdrop of sweet cinnamon and citrus’ on the nose, and a palate of ‘soft cinnamon spices, leading into date and figs’.
Macallan master distiller Nick Savage said: ‘After a gentle slumber for over 40 years in our exceptional, Sherry-seasoned oak casks, this rare single malt is full of rich flavour and a beautiful natural colour.’
The whisky will be released in late December, with 70 bottles allocated to the US.

MACALLAN LAUNCHES FIRST LONDON WHISKY LOUNGE
Febrari  2017
Macallan has opened its first whisky lounge in the UK at Four Degree restaurant in Vauxhall, London.
Macallan whisky lounge Four Degree
Whisky lounge: Macallan’s first UK Lounge has opened in Vauxhall, London
The lounge features ‘contemporary modern design, complete with frosted glass for privacy’ and hosts London’s largest official collection of Macallan 40 Year Old.
In addition to Macallan whiskies, the lounge stocks a range of the ‘most exclusive’ whiskies from around the world, including expressions from Scottish distilleries such as Bruichladdich and Highland Park, Japanese distiller Suntory and indepenedent bottler Samaroli.
Alongside the whisky selection, Four Degree’s whisky lounge will serve a range of Euro-Japanese dishes including A5 wagyu sirloin with ponzu sauce, garlic chips and spring onion, as well as freshly-prepared sushi from a dedicated sushi bar.
Cocktails include a blend of Akashi whisky, momo fruit liquor and homemade chestnut honey, said to offer ‘the perfect bitter-sweet combination’ of flavours.
‘Guests will be able to enjoy an exceptional range of Macallan whiskies, along with specially curated cocktails and tasting flights, said Macallan’s head of brands Chris Anderson.
‘Four Degree’s superb cuisine and artistic ambience make it an ideal destination for those wanting to savour some of the finest whiskies in the world.’
Four Degree is open daily for lunch and dinner, with live music in the evenings from Thursday to Saturday.

‘HOLY GRAIL’ MACALLANS SET FOR AUCTION
March 2018
Two rare bottles of 60-year-old Macallan, not seen at auction for more than three decades, are set to smash records when they are sold by Bonhams in Hong Kong this May.
Macallan Peter Blake Valerio Adami
‘Holy Grail’: The two 60-year-old whiskies are among the most sought-after Macallans
Distilled in 1926, bottled in 1986 and last auctioned in the 1980s, the two bottles feature labels designed by Peter Blake and Valerio Adami, two leading figures of the Pop Art movement.
Only 12 bottles of each edition were produced, and were originally offered as corporate gifts to Macallan’s most valued customers.
The bottles are packaged in ‘tantalus’ cabinets, specially commissioned to echo the traditional distillery spirit safe, and each has a pre-sale estimate of HK3.6m-4.6m (£330,000-425,000).
‘These bottles are exceptionally rare,’ said Daniel Lam, Bonhams’ head of fine wine and whisky in Hong Kong.
‘The exceptional calibre of the whisky, combined with the wonderful artwork from two towering figures of 20th-century Pop Art – Peter Blake and Valerio Adami – represent a unique marriage of excellence.
‘Only 24 of these bottles were produced, and the sale is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for collectors to acquire the Holy Grail of Macallan.’
Sir Peter Blake is best-known for his artwork for the landmark Beatles album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in 1967, and designed an artwork incorporating eight decades of Macallan miniatures to celebrate his 80th birthday in 2012.
Italian artist Valerio Adami is renowned for painting bold, flat forms outlined in thick, black lines, in a style reminiscent of comic art.

In April 2017, a collection of Macallan – The Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Series – set a new world record price for any lot of whisky sold at auction, fetching more than HK$7.72m (US$993,000) at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong.
The Bonhams Rare and Fine Wine and Whisky Sale is scheduled for Friday, 18 May at 6pm, at Bonhams, Suite 2001, One Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong.

MACALLAN 50 YEARS OLD UNVEILED
March 2018
Speyside single malt Macallan has launched Macallan 50 Years Old, a £25,000 Scotch whisky limited to only 200 bottles worldwide.
Macallan 50 Years Old
Half-century: Only 200 bottles of the £25,000 single malt will be available globally
Macallan said the new release reflected the distillery’s ‘journey of discovery in the modern era’, adding that it was created at a time when Macallan was thinking of the future by increasing its number of stills.
These ‘curiously small’ stills helped to concentrate the flavours of Macallan’s new make spirit, it added, giving it a ‘robust elegance’ to be combined with the influence of ex-Sherry, European oak casks from Spain.
Macallan 50 Years Old is described as a ‘rich and complex’ single malt, presenting ‘sweet oak vanilla and blackcurrant characters, with a beautiful, vibrant amber natural colour’.
‘After being left to mature for half a century in our exceptional Sherry-seasoned oak casks, this wonderfully rare single malt is full of rich flavour and beautiful natural colour,’ said Nick Savage, Macallan master distiller.
‘With a finite volume of 200 bottles worldwide, this is a highly limited and expertly crafted release, providing the chance to own something world-class and extraordinary.’
Bottled at 44% abv, Macallan 50 Years Old is packaged in a solid oak box, featuring an etched face inlaid with a matt gold badged age statement.
Available now, only 200 70cl bottles are on sale, priced at £25,000 each.
The launch comes a day after Macallan announced a wholesale revamp of its core single malt line-up, including the axing of the colour-led 1824 range.

MACALLAN AXES 1824 RANGE IN GLOBAL REVAMP
March 2018
Luxury-focused Speyside single malt Macallan is axing its colour-led 1824 range, part of a wholesale revamp of its whisky portfolio.
Macallan 12 Year Old trilogy new design
New look: The changes aim to make it easier for drinkers to choose the right product
The rethink also sees the rebranding of Macallan’s Fine Oak range – which uses ex-Bourbon as well as American and European oak ex-Sherry casks – as Macallan Triple Cask Matured, to bring it in line with Macallan Sherry Oak and Macallan Double Cask.
The plans also include the discontinuation of Macallan’s 1824 series – a range of four NAS The range was criticised by some whisky enthusiasts, and Ruby was discontinued last year thanks to a lack of available stock.
Now Amber and Sienna will also be withdrawn, while Gold will be absorbed into the Double Cask range as Macallan Double Cask Gold.
Meanwhile, there are plans to release higher-strength and higher-age variants of Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old following the ‘global success’ of the expression since its initial release in 2016.
Macallan said the range changes were made ‘following feedback from customers and consumers’.
The changes also involve a new bottle design, described by Macallan as ‘a bold new look’ and said to have been inspired by the packaging of Macallan Rare Cask and Rare Cask Black.
The new bottle has broad shoulders, with a chevron cut into the bottle near the neck, and also includes an anti-refill closure and the use of anti-counterfeit technology.
‘With this bold new design we want to do justice to the extraordinary whisky inside the bottle which, of course, is what we at The Macallan and every whisky fan worldwide really cares about,’ said Glen Gribbon, Macallan marketing director.
‘We think the new bottle looks as good in a world-class bar as it does on a table at home being shared with friends.
‘In addition, we have invested thousands in developing anti-refill and anti-counterfeit technology to help protect consumers.’
Discussing the renaming of the Fine Oak range, Gribbon added: ‘We want to make it easy for our fans to select a whisky that’s right for them. What could be simpler than one, two, or three cask types?
‘By consolidating our core range to Sherry Oak, Double Cask and Triple Cask Matured, we’re able to highlight the variety of whisky coming out of our distillery and also to encourage new and existing fans to try The Macallan across a variety of occasions.’
The new range and redesigned bottles will begin a global roll-out from April this year.
Macallan’s new, £100m-plus distillery, which began production trials late last year, is due to open to the public this summer.

MACALLAN 1926 MALTS FETCH WORLD RECORD $1.2M
April 2018
Two rare bottles of Macallan 1926 single malt whisky have set a new world record after they were sold by Dubai Airport retailer Le Clos for US$1.2m.
Macallan 1926 at Le Clos, Dubai Airport
Record-breakers: The whisky was distilled at Macallan in 1926 and bottled in 1986
The bottles, with labels designed by artists Sir Peter Blake and Valerio Adami, were bought by an international businessman for his private collection for US$600,000 each, setting a new record for the most expensive pair of whisky bottles sold.
The spirit was distilled at Macallan in 1926 and matured for 60 years in ex-Sherry casks before being bottled and released in 1986.
Of the 40 bottles produced, Sir Peter Blake – the pop artist famed for designing the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band cover for The Beatles – and Italian graphic artist Valerio Adami designed the labels for 12 bottles each.
These were originally offered as corporate gifts to Macallan’s most valued customers, but have since become some of the most sought-after bottles by whisky collectors.
‘These represent some of the most exclusive bottles ever produced, making this an iconic sale that will be remembered worldwide for years to come,’ said Geoff Kirk, Macallan’s director of prestige.
‘It is incredibly rare for The Macallan 1926 to be made available for purchase, and the sale offers whisky connoisseurs the chance to secure historic bottles emblematic of 20th-century pop culture.’
Le Clos said that each of the two bottles had originally sold for £20,000, with the last known individual bottle sold at auction by Christie’s in 2007 for US$75,000.
The world record price for a single bottle of whisky remains the $628,000 paid for The Macallan M Impériale at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong in 2014; however, an Impériale holds six litres, or the equivalent of just over eight-and-a-half 70cl bottles.
But the sale by Le Clos may not hold onto its record-breaking status for long: it comes a few weeks before two more of the Blake and Adami bottles are due to be auctioned by Bonhams in Hong Kong.
The bottles each have pre-sale estimates of HK$3.6m-4.5m (US$460,000-573,000), but could well exceed those amounts.

Farbe sticht Alter
Macallans neue Single Malts: Auf dem Holzweg
Stuart MacPherson ist Master of Wood beim Whiskyhersteller Macallan. Der wagt jetzt ein ganz neues Konzept: Statt nach Alter werden die neuen Single Malts nach Farben klassifiziert. Da gibt das Holz der Fässer den Ton an - und deren vorherige Nutzung den Geschmack des fertigen Whiskys.
Herr MacPherson, der Single-Malt-Absatz steigt. Bei Sherry und Portwein ist das nicht so. Aber sie brauchen Sherry- und Portweinfässer für die Whiskyproduktion. Haben Sie als Master of Wood ein logistisches Problem?
MacPherson: Wir müssen eben sicherstellen, dass wir genug Weine haben, die wir für die Aromatisierung der Fässer benötigen. Wir arbeiten mit zwei Sherryproduzenten zusammen: Gonzáles Byass und Williams & Humbert, außerdem mit ein paar kleineren unabhängigen Bodegas. Der Sherry muss zwischen 12 und 18 Monaten in den Fässern lagern, damit wir sie verwenden können. Wir haben knapp 60.000 Fässer auf Lager und damit reichlich Spielraum für Lagerung unseres Macallans.
Wie teuer ist ein Premium-Sherryfass?
MacPherson: Ein Sherryfass mit 500 Litern Fassungsvermögen kostet rund 780 Euro. Ein Bourbonfass hingegen nur um die 90 Euro, aber die sind auch deutlich kleiner, rund 225 Liter. Für die neue 1824 Series verwenden wir ausschließlich ehemalige Sherryfässer aus amerikanischer und spanischer Eiche. Macallan nimmt in diesem und dem kommenden Jahr 18 Millionen Euro für neues Holz in die Hand. Wir investieren viel Geld in diesem Bereich. The Edrington Group alleine ist für rund 90 Prozent der Sherryfass-Importe in Schottland verantwortlich, 80 Prozent davon gehen zu Macallan.
mm: Es gibt ein Video in Macallans Youtube-Channel. Das sieht allerdings aus, als hätte Greenpeace das gedreht, um die Zerstörung alter Eichenwälder anzuprangern. Man sieht, wie eine alte Eiche fällt, und Tonnen von Holzbrettern auf den Lagerplätzen der Fasshersteller.
MacPherson: Wir müssen uns in puncto Nachhaltigkeit wirklich nichts vorwerfen. Wir reden gern über das, was wir in Nordspaniens Wäldern tun. Wir fällen nicht nur Bäume, wir pflanzen Bäume. Wir arbeiten dabei eng mit der spanischen Forstbehörde zusammen. Es gibt dort seit unserer Arbeit mehr Eichen als vorher. Wir sind wahrscheinlich die einzige Destillerie, bei welcher man den gesamten Prozess - vom Fällen des Baums bis zum Befüllen des Fasses - mitverfolgen kann.
Was ist am wichtigsten für die Qualität des Fasses und schließlich des Whiskys?
MacPherson: Bei Macallan verwenden wir drei verschiedene Fässertypen: Spanische und amerikanische Sherryfässer und amerikanische Bourbonfässer. Diese haben alle verschiedene Aromen und Charakteristika. In erster Linie ist natürlich das Holz entscheidend - für die 1824 Series werden ausschließlich ehemalige Sherryfässer verwendet. Aber es gibt weitere Faktoren: Wie die Lagerung oder die Verarbeitung. Man kann sich bei der Hitzebehandlung zwischen dem sogenannten Toasting und Charring entscheiden. Unsere Sherryfässer werden meist getoastet - das dauert länger, ist aber auch sanfter zum Holz. Das Charring, bei dem die Innenseite bei recht hohen Temperaturen verkohlt wird, ist eher bei den Bourbonfässern üblich.

The Macallan: Zwei Flaschen Whisky für 1,2 Millionen US-Dollar
26.04.2018
Teuerster Whisky der Welt
Zwei Flaschen Macallan für 1,2 Millionen US-Dollar verkauft
Oldtimer und Kunst top: Diese Liebhabereien bringen am meisten Rendite
Shopping am Flughafen kann schon mal ins Geld gehen - auch wenn die Läden mit vermeintlich günstigen Preisen vor allem für Spirituosen werben. Ein anonymer Sammler hat am Flughafen Dubai beim Spirituosenhändler Le Clos 1,2 Millionen US-Dollar für zwei Flaschen Whisky ausgegeben, wie die Tageszeitung "Die Welt" berichtete.
The Macallan: Master of Wood Stuart McPherson im Interview
Der Weltrekordpreis ist allerdings nicht ausschließlich dem Inhalt der Flaschen geschuldet. Wertvoll ist vor allem das Design der beiden Flaschen des seltenen, 1986 abgefüllten Single Malt Whisky Macallan 1926. Insgesamt wurden von dem in Sherry-Eichenfässern gereiften Whisky nur 40 Flaschen produziert - und je zwölf wurden von von den Pop-Art-Künstlern Sir Peter Blake und Valerio Adami gestaltet. Blake war unter anderem Mitgestalter des Beatles-Albums "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".
Die Flaschen waren vor 32 Jahren zunächst für je 20.000 britische Pfund an ausgewählte Kunden verkauft worden; zuletzt ging eine der Flaschen 2007 beim Auktionshaus Christie'

THE ADS THAT MADE MACALLAN
February 2019
Macallan is perhaps the most famous single malt whisky on the planet today – but, 40 years ago, it was barely known outside Speyside. Its transformation from local hero to global powerhouse was kickstarted by a low-key but exceedingly clever ad campaign. Richard Woodard reports.

Heavenly creatures: Macallan’s ads in the 1980s and 1990s were highly inventive
Last year, Macallan launched a new global marketing campaign. Costing a reputed US$18m, Make the Call has as its centrepiece a 90-second video in which a shirtless man freefalls from a high mountaintop to his apparent doom, before sprouting wings and soaring triumphantly to safety. ‘Would you risk falling,’ the caption enquires, ‘for the chance to fly?’

In its scope, ambition and production values – not to mention its cost – it says much about a whisky that has evolved from farm distillery by-product to the world’s most lucrative single malt, a luxury lifestyle brand with a new, £140m distillery home. The ad features no swirling glass, no hero bottle shot, no reference to whisky at all bar the mention of the Macallan name at the end.

Forty years earlier, in 1978, Willie Phillips applied for a new job: that of managing director at Macallan. He recalls: ‘I stayed in Elgin overnight and thought I’d better go to the bar and ask for a Macallan so I knew a little bit about it before I went to the interview.

‘I looked everywhere on the bar, but I couldn’t see it. I was very disappointed, because I thought: “Gee whizz, this job might not be what I thought it was.” So I asked the chap behind the bar and it was on the gantry – it was on optic.’

The anecdote says much about the status of Macallan in those days: a blender’s malt, well-regarded on Speyside, little-known beyond its borders. Phillips got the job and became part of a team – alongside Hugh Mitcalfe, who died earlier this year, Frank Newlands and the owners, Allan and Peter Shiach – that was determined to change that.

‘It was tiny back then,’ says Phillips. ‘Possibly selling 2,000 cases at the time. But the family had laid down stocks from 1968, and 1968 plus 12 is 1980. So we started marketing in 1980.’

That marketing was built on the quality and quantity of Macallan’s whisky inventory, as Hugh Mitcalfe later explained. ‘I was amazed,’ he said. ‘There was stock of such quality that you wouldn’t have seen anywhere else in Scotland. It was a marketing person’s dream.’

The communications campaign that followed was foreshadowed in 1973, when the Shiachs had enlisted two advertising executives, art director David Holmes and copywriter Nick Salaman, to design a ‘brochure’ to attract overseas distributors.

The result was The Remarkable History of The Macallan-Glenlivet, a kind of artist’s folio telling the story of the whisky in copperplate writing and watercolour pictures. ‘A piece difficult to toss into the bin,’ as David Holmes, who died last year, wrote in his memoir David Holmes’ Book.

In 1979, Phillips and Mitcalfe went back to Holmes and Salaman, who by this time were working at London ad agency Holmes Knight Ritchie. Mitcalfe’s brief was simple: ‘We want a greater voice than our situation merits.’

Phillips adds: ‘As we talked about what we wanted, I could see their eyes getting brighter and brighter. Then I said: “Your total budget, gentlemen, is £25,000.”’

At the time, that was just about enough to buy a single-page ad in The Sunday Times colour supplement. ‘We chose otherwise,’ wrote Holmes in his memoirs. ‘A more work-intensive, targeted campaign to reach opinion formers.’

The 200-plus ads that followed over the next 16 years broke new ground, both in content and placement: small spaces next to The Times crossword, seen as the perfect spot to catch the eye of Macallan’s target consumers: ‘Quite educated, not stand-offish, who enjoyed a little joke,’ as Salaman describes them.

The ads were witty, quirky and clever, combining Salaman’s verbal dexterity with Holmes’ artistic skill, and his ability to discover and use talented illustrators, including Sara Midda, Carolyn Gowdy, Michael O’Shaughnessy, Brian Grimwood and Axel Sheffler (of The Gruffalo fame).

Early examples, such as A Place Called Macallan and The Snow on Benrinnes… set the scene gently, never overpowering the reader with too much information. ‘They wanted to creep up on the market,’ says Salaman. ‘When you enjoy The Macallan, you’re part of the club. It wasn’t a loud trumpet, but one insistent horn that we blew.’

Many of the best examples came from simple but amusing anecdotes, such as Fetch, featuring a dog called Macallan, A Tale of a Luggy Bonnet and Nae Macallan… Nae Fish. The stories came from the people who worked at the distillery and, in time, from Macallan’s growing army of fans, The Advocates of the Macallan.

There was The Complaint, where a correspondent – later revealed to be Willie Phillips’ brother Jack – bemoaned Macallan’s move to a cork stopper because his surreptitious attempts to sneak a dram could now be overheard.

To the Sherry-woods celebrated May Day and the advent of spring. Salaman recalls: ‘I walked into Chelsea Arts Club and there was [TV newsreader] Reggie Bosanquet with a few friends sitting on high stools at the bar. Then Reggie just called out: “Hooray! Hooray! The 1st of May! Outdoor fucking starts today!” Well, we had to clean it up a bit, so it became “outdoor sipping” instead.’

As time passed, the campaign grew and diversified, including a ‘crossword clue’ that doesn’t mention either Macallan or whisky; the use of photography in No 1 in Dallas, playfully linking the Moray village of that name with Dallas the TV soap; large-format poster ads such as Take Away the Nectar! and The Colossus of Nose (the tiny figures ascending the edifice are Holmes and Salaman) – and even a cinema spot, The Long Sleep, featuring the voices of Brian Blessed as a slumbering cask of Macallan and Miriam Margolyes as an impatiently empty bottle.

Through it all, the inimitable tone of voice remained constant, as did the strapline: ‘The Macallan. The Malt.’ ‘The idea struck us from The Glenlivet,’ remembers Salaman. ‘They were using a kind of slogan of about four lines at the time, and we said: “We’re not going to do that.” The more you talk, the less credible you are.’

‘I remember with the tagline, we went through various options,’ adds Phillips. ‘The Superb Malt; The Wonderful Malt; The Superior Malt. Nick Salaman said: “Why not The Macallan, The Malt?” Well, Hugh [Mitcalfe] immediately jumped on that.’

Not everyone was happy with the switch from Macallan to The Macallan, however. ‘There was a complaint from The Glenlivet,’ recalls Phillips. ‘Hugh was a lawyer, and he wrote back that he didn’t think anywhere it said that you could register the trademark of the definite article.’

The whisky too was part of the PR offensive, from the 25-year-old Anniversary Malt to 50-year-old and 60-year-old releases. ‘It was part and parcel of getting the name of Macallan known outside Speyside,’ explains Phillips. ‘Hugh was a marketing genius, because he never, ever exploited those stocks, he used them for Macallan publicity.’

David Holmes’ influence extended beyond the ads; as his son Rupert recalls, he painted the famous watercolour of Macallan’s home, Easter Elchies House, designed numerous labels and packs, and briefed Sir Peter Blake on the label design for the first Macallan 60-year-old, 1926 release – now one of the most sought-after whiskies on the planet. Holmes also designed the tantalus cabinet that houses the bottle.

Meanwhile, the ads themselves are now enjoying a new lease of life, commemorated in an ongoing, 24-part series of Macallan single malt releases known as The Archival Series.

However well-regarded it may be, the true test of any marketing campaign is its ability to sell more of its product. By 1988, Macallan had won The Queen’s Award for Export – an accolade marked by one of Holmes’ and Salaman’s typically wry ads, A Point of Etiquette.

Success brings admirers, and in business they tend to be acquisitive. In 1996, Macallan was bought by Highland Distillers, and the old guard of the Shiachs, Phillips, Mitcalfe and co. were out. A new phase was dawning for Macallan, one of lifestyle and luxury, rather than pithy advertising aimed at an educated but perhaps narrow audience.

In 2018, Macallan opened its astonishing new distillery, a shrine to four decades of success that have utterly transformed what was once the Speyside insider’s single malt. Phillips and Mitcalfe were not invited to the launch party, but Holmes and Salaman were.

‘We had a great time,’ Salaman says. ‘We wore tam o’shanters, and I think they were a little concerned about who we were until we explained that we were the ones who were there at the beginning with those funny little ads.

‘Looking back now, it was an awful lot of fun. People think that whisky is a very important thing, but really you’re selling pleasure and happiness. The drinks business is part of the entertainment business.’

The Long Sleep (1990):
Macallan 50 Years Old unveiled

March 2018
Macallan 50 Years Old unveiled
The £25,000 Speyside single malt whisky will be limited to only 200 bottles worldwide.

Macallan Sherry Oak 40 Years Old unveiled
Macallan Sherry Oak 40 Years Old unveiled
The US$9,000 single malt is billed as the ‘pinnacle’ of the distillery’s Sherry Oak range.

Macallan Exceptional Single Cask launchedS
17 November 2017
Macallan Exceptional Single Cask launched
The seven single cask single malts have been matured for between 12 and 22 years.

PETER BLAKE MACALLAN SELLS FOR £615K
March 2019
A rare bottle of Macallan 60-year-old with a label designed by pop artist Sir Peter Blake, has sold at auction for £615,000.

Macallan 1926 60 Year Old sold at Bonhams Edinburgh in March 2019
Valuable asset: The 1926 Macallan, with a label designed by Sir Peter Blake, sold at Bonhams Edinburgh this week
The bottle of 1926 Macallan is one of just 12 featuring the Blake labels, which were created by the Speyside distillery in 1986.

It had been estimated to sell for between £500,000-£700,000 when it went for auction at Bonhams in Edinburgh on 6 March.

Bonhams whisky specialist in Edinburgh, Martin Green, said: ‘Only 12 bottles of the Macallan 60-year-old 1926 were issued with the label designed by Sir Peter Blake, who is known throughout the world for co-creating the cover for the Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

‘It is very exciting to have sold one of these incredibly rare bottles here in Scotland for such a very high price.’

During the 1980s and ’90s, Macallan produced two sets of 12 bottles drawn from a single ex-Sherry cask. Half were adorned with a label designed by Blake, while the other 12 featured a label designed by Valerio Adami.

Several bottles have been sold in retail and at auction over the past year, some of which have broken auction records.

The highest price fetched for a Sir Peter Blake Macallan remains the £751,703 paid at a Bonhams sale in Hong Kong in May last year.

In October 2018, an Adami bottling fetched £848,750 at Bonhams’ Edinburgh auction.

However, the world record for the highest price paid for a bottle of whisky at auction is held by another 1926 Macallan with a hand-drawn label designed by Irish artist Michael Dillon, which sold at Christie’s in London in November for £1.2m.

Bonhams’ Edinburgh auction also saw the sale of two 1926 Dalmore 50-year-olds, one of which surpassed its pre-sale estimate by £7,000 by fetching £27,563 – the other sold at £17,563 – plus a Springbank 1952 which sold for £18,813.

Latest rare Macallan misses auction record
LATEST NEWS
MACALLAN’S ‘BASE JUMPING’ ADVERT BANNED
Macallan’s Make The Call advert, featuring a man jumping off a cliff, has been banned in the UK for promoting ‘risky behaviour’.

The 90-second advert was released in November 2018 as part of Macallan’s first global marketing campaign.
It features a man jumping from a cliff and falling through the air before sprouting wings and flying. His actions are accompanied by the tagline: ‘Would you risk falling… for the chance to fly?’
Six complaints were made to the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), challenging whether the ads were ‘irresponsible and linked alcohol with daring, toughness or irresponsible behaviour’.
The ASA upheld the complaints, noting that the advert was reminiscent of the extreme sport of base-jumping.
At the start of the advert, a man can be seeing peering over the edge of a cliff and clenching his fists, giving the impression that ‘he was nervous about jumping and was building up the courage to do so’.
The ASA said: ‘In that context, we considered that the act of jumping off the cliff was very dangerous, potentially fatal, and consisted of extreme risk-taking behaviour.’
It ruled: ‘Whilst we acknowledged that some elements of the ad were fantastical, such as the distance the man fell through the clouds, and the sprouting of wings which enabled him to fly away instead of hitting the ground, we considered, nevertheless, that the central message of the ad, which was explicitly highlighted through the tagline “Would you risk falling ... for the chance to fly?”, was one of promoting risky or daring behaviour to reap possible rewards.
‘Although the character was not seen consuming alcohol at any point, we considered the ads made a clear association between an alcoholic product and potentially very dangerous, daring behaviour and concluded that they were irresponsible.’
Macallan’s owner, Edrington, had argued that the advert was intended to be mystical, and ‘clearly removed from the real world’.
It said the tagline ‘Make the Call’ was used globally to reflect the brand’s philosophy, and referred to its own history of making tough decisions.
It claimed that the story was ‘simply a metaphor about making decisions’.
A spokesperson for Macallan said: ‘The Macallan co-operated fully with the Advertising Standards Authority in response to a small number of complaints about our brand’s global awareness campaign.
‘Prior to launching the campaign, we worked closely with the relevant bodies including Clearcast, ITV and Instagram who all deemed the campaign 100% acceptable.  
‘In light of the ASA ruling, we have acted to address their concerns and removed the campaign film from relevant channels accessible by the UK audience. As phase one of the campaign is now complete, we will take onboard the ruling as we plan for next phase of the campaign.
‘The overall theme of the global campaign is about bold decision making and targeting a new generation of consumers. This will continue to be the focus of the global campaign, though we will of course take on board the ASA’s comments in relation to the film elements in the UK market as we develop the campaign in the future.’
At the time of its release, Edrington heralded the advertising campaign – the first of its kind for the Scotch whisky brand – as marking ‘a new chapter in the history of The Macallan’.
It was released to cap off a ‘momentous year’ for the brand, which opened its new £140 million distillery in Speyside in June.
The Make The Call film was directed by RSA Films’ Juriaan Booij, and filmed by John Mathieson, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer behind Gladiator and X-Men.

Macallan Whisky Master Distiller Moves To Small, Re-Invented Distillery
It was recently announced that Nick Savage, the Macallan's master distiller and the man in charge of making one of the world's most popular and renowned Scotch whiskies, will be stepping down from his role to join Bladnoch, a small, re-invented distillery in the Lowlands of Scotland.

It's been an exciting few years for the Macallan. The opening of their brand new state-of-the-art distillery was a major event in 2018, and over the year numerous world whisky records were broken at auction. The highlight came when a one-of-a-kind Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old designed by Irish artist, Michael Dillon, sold for over US$1.5 million. It was, all in all, a great year for Macallan whisky. So, much is uncertain now that Nick Savage, the man who was with the brand through all its recent successes, is leaving to join the Bladnoch distillery. Savage will be joining the Bladnoch team in July, as the new master distiller, working alongside distillery manager Neil Bulloch.

Nick said of his decision to join the distillery team: 'The vision and ambition shown by David Prior and the team at Bladnoch Distillery, together with the phenomenal efforts since 2015 with the re-generation of the historical site, played a huge part in my decision to join the Bladnoch business. The opportunity also allows me a new challenge in Single Malt Lowland Scotch Whisky from a 200 year old distillery. Combined with the passion and drive that the Bladnoch team have for the ultimate quality, I’m extremely excited to be a part of the amazing future of the brand.'

Bladnoch CEO and owner, David Prior, stated: 'It’s a great privilege to welcome Nick Savage to the Bladnoch business. He has an impressive track record with a number of significant whisky companies and brands, most recently as Master Distiller for The Macallan. His youthful, positive and energetic approach will add great value to our team and business, as

will his technical and operational skills. With the Visitor Centre opening in mid-June and Nick joining the business we are excited to undertake the final phase in bringing this amazing Lowland Single Malt distillery back to the whisky world.

MACALLAN ESTATE FEATURES HOME-GROWN BARLEY
May 2019
Macallan has introduced a new core range single malt containing a proportion of whisky distilled from barley grown on its Easter Elchies estate.

Macallan Estate
Home-grown homage: Macallan Estate has been made to honour the distillery’s Speyside location
Macallan Estate is a no-age-statement whisky matured exclusively in Sherry-seasoned butts and hogsheads, and bottled at 43% abv.

It’s said to have aromas of ‘wood spice and orange oil’, and flavours of ‘candied raisin, fresh fig, sweet fresh orange and delicate fresh citrus’.

Macallan claimed its home-grown barley has only previously been used to produce whisky for the ‘most exclusive and sought-after’ releases in its prestige range.

The barley grown on Easter Elchies’ 100 acres of fields changes every few years, and has included Golden Promise, Minstrel and Momentum varieties.

Sarah Burgess, whisky maker for Macallan, said: ‘Our Easter Elchies estate lies within the legendary Speyside region of Scotland, a place of timeless natural beauty, and a place that we are proud to call home.

‘With its wonderful sweet citrus hints and warming wood spice, The Macallan Estate is a rich, satisfying and complex spirit that pays homage to the fertile Speyside lands where The Macallan is located.’

The whisky is presented in a gift box with aerial photography of the estate’s barley fields that surround Macallan’s new £140 million distillery.

Macallan Estate will be a global release, available initially from select whisky retailers in the US and Europe from July for around £195 per bottle.

2019 MACALLAN - NEW RELEASES
MACALLAN
Highland Single Malt 2019 Edition
18 year old
The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Year Old is widely recognised as one of the World's finest whiskies. When matured exclusively in Oloroso sherry casks from Jerez, Macallan's rich, fruity and full bodied...

MACALLAN
Sherry Oak 2019 Release
25 year old
This distinguished single malt is matured exclusively for twenty-five years in Oloroso sherry seasoned oak casks from Jerez, Spain. Laying undisturbed in the same casks for a quarter of a century,...

MACALLAN
Rare Cask Batch No. 1 - 2019 Release
The first batch of the 2019 Macallan Rare Cask showcases the unique quality and character of this Speyside giant.  With less than 1% of the distillery's output going into the Rare Cask series,...

MACALLAN
Masters Of Photography 7 Magnum Edition
The Macallan Masters of Photography: Magnum Edition marks the seventh limited edition release in The Macallan Masters of Photography series. This awe-inspiring collection of images, taken by six...

MACALLAN NAMED AMONG WORLD’S TOP ATTRACTIONS
August 2019
Macallan distillery in Speyside has been named one of the world’s 100 must-visit destinations by Time magazine, ranking alongside the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge park at Disneyland, and Australia’s Uluru.

Macallan distillery in Speyside visitor attraction
Global destination: Macallan’s uniquely-designed distillery is one of Time’s must-visit attractions
The subterranean Scotch whisky distillery, which opened to the public in June 2018, was named among the influential US magazine’s 2019 Greatest Places.

Designed by Rogers, Stirk, Harbour + Partners, the £140 million distillery is housed within an underground space fitted with an undulating, grass-covered roof to mimic the rolling hills of the surrounding Spey countryside.

Macallan’s original distillery, which is also situated on the Easter Elchies estate in Speyside, was decommissioned in October 2017.

Since its opening, the new Macallan distillery has won a series of accolades for its unique architecture, including the RIAS Award 2019 and the RIBA Award for Scotland 2019, and is shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize, which will be announced in October.

Time’s second annual list of the world’s top destinations features a selection of museums, parks, restaurants and hotels compiled by its own editors, correspondents and industry experts.

The nominated locations were then evaluated based on key factors, ‘including quality, originality, sustainability, innovation and influence’.

In the round: Macallan’s 36 copper pot stills are arranged in circular ‘pods’

Commenting on the selection criteria the magazine’s editorial team wrote: ‘How does one measure the greatness of a place – in miles covered, dollars spent, or visitors captivated?

‘Such metrics can play a part, but also important is something that many travelers [sic] aspire to experience: the sense that one has stumbled upon the extraordinary.’

The list also features two other UK landmarks: the V&A Museum in Dundee, and the University Arms Cambridge.

Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, said both the V&A Dundee and Macallan distillery ‘represent the very best of Scotland’s tourism experience’.

She added: ‘Whisky tourism continues to grow and last year visitor numbers to distilleries hit two million for the first time ever.

‘The Macallan distillery is an architectural wonder and in its innovative telling of the story of whisky is helping to lead whisky tourism.’

Visits to Scotland’s whisky distilleries have increased by 56% since 2010, according to figures compiled by the Scotch Whisky Association, which the body has claimed reflects a ‘growing curiosity about Scotch whisky’.

Macallan expects to eventually welcome around 50,000 visitors a year through its doors alone.

Igor Boyadjian, managing director for Macallan, said: ‘We look forward to continuing to welcome visitors from all across the world to our brand home, which is a reflection of the vision, commitment and collaboration from our team and partners.

‘Together, their unwavering commitment to excellence enabled us to deliver this unique and striking piece of contemporary architecture.’

Laurie Piper, operations manager of Moray Speyside Tourism, added: ‘News that the new Macallan distillery has reached Time magazine’s 2019 World’s Greatest Places list is no surprise to us here in Moray Speyside – we’ve seen the effect it’s already had on tourism in the area, and as the true home of malt whisky, it can only be a good thing for the region’s tourism industry that such a fantastic, inspirational and innovative building at the heart of Speyside is recognised at worldwide level.’

Other worldwide drink destinations that made the Time 2019 Greatest Places list include the DogHouse Hotel and Brewery in Columbus, Ohio; House of Sandeman in Porto, Portugal; the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel, Singapore; and CO Cellars in Burlington, Vermont.

‘ULTIMATE’ WHISKY AUCTION SET TO FETCH £4M
September 2019
Nearly 500 rare whiskies and nine casks with a combined value of about £4m will be sold later this month in what is billed as ‘the most valuable collection of whisky ever to be offered at auction’.

Macallan Fine and Rare bottles
Fine and Rare: There are no fewer than 178 bottles of Macallan’s series in the auction
The Sotheby’s sale on behalf of an American connoisseur known only as ‘The Ultimate Whisky Collector’ includes 394 lots, 467 bottles and nine casks, spearheaded by an extremely rare bottle of Macallan 1926 60 Years Old, drawn from the fabled Cask #263.

Macallan dominates the sale – comprising half the lots and a combined estimated value of more than £2.2m – but there are also rare bottles from Samaroli, Gordon & MacPhail, Bowmore and Port Ellen, among others.

The Ultimate Whisky Collection begins as an online sale, with bidding due to open on 27 September, and culminates in a live auction on 24 October at Olympia, London, alongside RM Sotheby’s annual sale of collectible motor cars.

‘Collecting whisky over these past 20 years has been a real passion of mine, though it was not something I set out to do,’ said ‘The Ultimate Whisky Collector’, who spent his youth in the UK, but now lives in North America.

‘I have always loved drinking whisky – as family and friends will attest, to this day I can be found most evenings with a cigar in one hand and a glass in the other – but I was a wine collector first. I then found myself looking at unique bottles of Scotch, initially attracted by the beauty of the labels.’

Independent’s day: The sale includes a number of whiskies from Italian bottler Samaroli

He became a particular fan of single malts from Macallan, Bowmore and Highland Park, with US-based whisky specialist Jonathan Read playing a key role in developing the collection.

Among the Macallan highlights of the sale is a 178-bottle collection of Fine and Rare spanning seven decades, from 1926 to 1991, including a bottle of Macallan 1926 60 Year Old from the same cask as the legendary Peter Blake, Valerio Adami and Michael Dillon Macallans. It is expected to fetch up to £450,000.

There are two Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Collections on offer, housed in hand-made cabinets designed by British craftsman James Laycock, and also expected to sell for up to £450,000 each.

Laycock also designed the wall-mounted cabinet that houses a collection of 46 Macallan Fine and Rare miniatures, dating from 1937 to 1991, and expected to fetch up to £88,000.

Beyond Macallan, there are a number of famed releases from Italian bottler Silvano Samaroli, including Bowmore 18 Year Old Bouquet (high estimate: £30,000), Laphroaig 15 Year Old Sherry Cask 1967 (£30,000) and Springbank 12 Year Old (£17,000).

Gordon and MacPhail bottlings include Mortlach and The Glenlivet 70-year-old Generations releases (£20,000 and £19,000 respectively), Macallan Queen Mother’s 80th Birthday (£12,000) and single malts from Glen Grant, Linkwood and Macallan Speymalt.

James Laycock designed this to house 46 Macallan miniatures

Islay single malts include all Black Bowmore bottlings, the Bowmore Trilogy series of Black, White and Gold Bowmore, and a complete vertical of Port Ellen Annual Releases, plus a 40-year-old Ardbeg 1965.

Also on offer are the oldest bottlings from Glenfiddich (64-year-old from 1937, plus two releases of its 50-year-old) and Balvenie (50-year-old from 1937), as well as four expressions from Dalmore aged for 50 years or more, and a Highland Park 50-year-old alongside Orcadian Vintage Series releases from 1964, 1968, 1971 and 1976.

The casks on offer, with a combined estimated value of more than £336,000, include Bowmore and Laphroaig from 1995, Octomore from 2012, and casks from Dalmore, Bunnahabhain, Clynelish, Highland Park and Springbank.

‘The Ultimate Whisky Collection comprises what is undoubtedly the most comprehensive catalogue of whisky ever to be offered by a single owner in a single auction,’ said Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s newly appointed spirits specialist.

Sotheby’s Wine chairman Jamie Ritchie hailed the sale as a ‘historic moment’ for spirits, reminiscent of the auction house’s first wine sales in New York in 1994, and in Hong Kong in 2009.

HOW CAN A WHISKY BE WORTH $60,000?
January 2019

Into the warehouse, enveloped by the time-infused smell of dunnage, all bung cloth, damp earth and whisky-steeped wood. Someone should bottle it. (©DB Unlikely Ideas 2019). Hands clamped to ice-cold glasses, the aromas reluctant to move, grumpy at being disturbed after 72 years of slumber.

It’s pale, paler than you expect – a good thing for a whisky of this age. Less oak, more oxygen. It flickers into life (see my official tasting notes to find out how), revealing how the years have not just been about slow absorption, but also a steady peeling away, so that concentration and opening are revealed as part of the same thing. The Lalique decanter skims the cask end, its gentle flow a dramatic contrast to the skyscraper thrusts of the rest of the series.

It was A Moment. No question about that. I know that this is the only time I’ll taste it. Sniff gently and wet the lips. I’ve noticed that time seems to stop for a second when I taste a spirit of this age, whether it’s Black Bowmore, some pre-phylloxera Cognac, or this Macallan, the oldest whisky released by the distillery. There’s a pause, a mental gasp, as the mind gets to grips not just with the flavours, but with all which has happened since the cask was filled.

Time capsule: Macallan 72 Year Old in Lalique – The Genesis Decanter is representative of another era

Moon landings, wars, summers of love, new ways of communication, changes in climate. This was made the same year Dolly Parton, Sly Stallone, Syd Barrett and, er, Donald Trump were born.

They put you in a different place, these whiskies. Even if they don’t work, even if they are too astringent and tannic, they speak to you, of men you will never meet, a time you have never seen; messages in bottles which have only now reached a distant shore. You know you are blessed to be in this job at this moment.

The tasting was the culmination of a day which had started with Highland cows posing as if in some Landseer painting, a smirr over the Spey as we go into the fishing hut for drams and warmth.

It had been a chance to get my head around the new Macallan and the way it flows across the estate from the river, to the cows and barley on the farm beside the hummocks of the new distillery, then rising up to the earth-brown warehouses. Water, to earth, to air. It’s a self-contained world, a Macallan world, or rather a world created by Macallan, culminating in a distillery which looks, and sometimes behaves, more like a modern art gallery: the Scottish equivalent of the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, but with the equipment still left in. I’m inside it now, glass in hand, still inhaling, the whisky now starting to open in the warmth. What would the guys have made of all of this?

What were they thinking in 1946 as the distillery sputtered back into life, still with barley rations, still using peat? Optimistic, or stunned by conflict? Was the stillman thinking of being home or on the Front when he was making the cut; did the mashman see fallen friends when the tun was being filled?

Changing landscape: Those that worked at Macallan in the 1940s wouldn’t recognise the distillery today

What was in the mind of the warehouseman as he filled the casks, sending them off to blenders and merchants, to be opened who knows when? Family, love, the morning dram? It’s unlikely to be what might happen in seven decades time. But in a world in the process of renewal there were some constants: the barley would be sown, the salmon would run and whisky would be made. Distilling as an attempt to regain normality.

Reality crashes back in as the conversation restarts. There’s 600 decanters we’re told. Each will cost US$60,000.

We might never get used to prices like that, but they are becoming more familiar, part of whisky’s evolution, the next pool in the river, the next leap of faith (or hope). I can never quite be inured to the fact that a bottle can cost twice the average yearly wage, the same price as a car, or a luxury watch.

I try to rationalise it via the latter. I can appreciate the craft in its construction, but the time is the same whether you are looking at a Swatch, phone, computer clock or a Patek Philippe. A fine watch doesn’t qualify you for better time. I do, however, understand why they are collectible and beautiful pieces of functional art. You want to spend US$60,000 on a watch? Go ahead. Knock yourself out.

Why then is there this niggle about whisky playing in the same realm? It isn’t simply that nothing is worth that, because these decanters will sell, proving some people clearly think they are.

Is it because whisky is something I care about, because, once, I could afford pretty much all of it and now resent that some is (way) beyond my reach? Could it be because it’s evidence of whisky getting a bit uppity? That last one’s a very Scottish reaction. There’s a saying here, ‘I kent his faither’ (translation: ‘I knew his father’, meaning the father was better, yet made no fuss about it).

Saying that, however, also suggests that whisky shouldn’t exist in this domain, a peasant with his mucky boots, sitting at a table in a three-Michelin star restaurant. Why shouldn’t it? Bugger that. Bring me the tasting menu, thank you garçon. There’s your beginner’s guide to the contradictory nature of the Scottish psyche.

In other words, I’m conflicted. Not resentful, but not wholly accepting. Maybe I can’t get my head around it because it is impossible to assess a whisky at this price in a normal way. Can you ever say anything is worth US$60,000 if you’ve never had that amount of money to spend? Strangely, it’s easier to assess whiskies at £3,000 than it is when they are 10 or 20 times that amount. This exists in its own bubble. 72 years, 400 litres in total, Lalique, amazing packaging. Why not US$60,000?

And yet, when I look back at the day, it’s not just that moment of time stopping then scrolling backwards as a remarkable liquid touched my lips; it’s also standing by the Spey, a dram of 12-year-old, talking about fishing with the ghillie.

The river flows, changes, yet stays a constant. You need that in whisky, that anchor to place and people. You might have a 72-year-old, but you need the 12 even more. I’ve sat at the top table and loved it. I’m back at the river, with mud on my boots, and am happier there.

MACALLAN 1979 JOINS FINE AND RARE SERIES
September 2019
Macallan has added a 40-year-old 1979 vintage to its Fine and Rare collection, priced at £11,100 per bottle.

Fine and Rare: Macallan 1979 has been bottled at 40 years of age
Said to contain notes of ‘gentle peat smoke, oak spice and warning ginger’, the whisky has been matured in a single ex-Sherry puncheon before being bottled at a cask strength of 57.2% abv.

The whisky joins Macallan’s Fine and Rare collection of limited edition premium whiskies, said to portray ‘the very best array’ of malts the Speyside distillery has to offer.

Jaume Ferras, prestige marketing director for Macallan, said: ‘This expression delivers an insight into the long-standing heritage of our brand.

‘It is a reflection of the time in which it was distilled – an era of global progression, and an age where our award-winning single malt was also growing and developing.’

The year the whisky was distilled was the same in which Peter Shiach was appointed as the company’s new chairman, a man whose influence is said to be ‘still evident in the brand today’.

The equivalent of 338 standard 70cl bottles are available for purchase worldwide in 75cl and 70cl sizes – the latter priced at £10,300 per decanter.

An unspecified number of 5cl tasting samples are also available in some international markets, priced at £750 each.

LUXUS GELD ANLAGE:
1,7 Millionen Euro für eine Flasche Whisky
25.10.2019-16:04
Eine Flasche des 60 Jahre alten Macallan 1926 Single Malt aus Schottland.
Bildbeschreibung einblenden

In London wurde die bislang teuerste Flasche Malt verkauft. Die Preise sind in den vergangenen Jahren rasant gestiegen. Da kann keine Geldanlage der Welt mithalten.

Ob Sportwagen, Gemälde oder Schmuck: Luxusgüter haben ihren Preis. Und der nimmt seit Jahren kontinuierlich zu. Neuestes Beispiel ist Whisky. Hier wurde diese Woche wieder einmal ein neuer Rekord erzielt: Für eine einzige Flasche eines 60 Jahre alten Macallan 1926 Single Malt aus Schottland wurden 1,5 Millionen Pfund gezahlt – also rund 1,74 Millionen Euro. Bislang war die teuerste Flasche 1,2 Millionen Pfund wert – diese wurde vor 11 Monaten versteigert. Damals wechselte eine Flasche Macallan 1926 aus demselben Fass für 1,2 Millionen Pfund den Besitzer. Zuvor wurde, ebenfalls wieder ein Macallan, für 84.8750 Pfund verkauft. Zum Vergleich: Noch im Jahr 2014 lag der höchste für einen Whisky jemals erzielte Preis bei rund 470.000 Euro. Eine Flasche diesen Macallan kostete im Jahr 2007 sogar nur 75.000 Dollar.

Der Preis für Whisky steigt seit Jahren stark an. Das geht aus mehreren Indizes hervor. Über die vergangenen zehn Jahre haben sich die teuersten Whiskysorten um 540 Prozent verteuert, geht aus dem Knight Frank Rare Whisky 100 Index hervor, der die Preisentwicklung der 100 seltensten Whiskys miteinander vergleicht. Der Vergleich der 50 seltensten Whiskys ergibt sogar ein Plus von 765 Prozent in zehn Jahren – umso seltener, umso wertvoller ist momentan die Devise. Zum Vergleich: Der deutsche Aktienindex Dax gewann in diesem Zeitraum lediglich rund 140 Prozent. Dieses Jahr wurden die teuersten Whiskysorten allerdings nur rund 23 Prozent teurer. Andy Simpson, der sich für diesen Index verantwortlich zeigt, kennt für den vergleichsweise moderaten Anstieg die Gründe: Ein starker Preisverfall für Whiskys der Sorte Macallan gekoppelt mit einem vergleichbar großen Angebot habe den Index etwas zum Stottern gebracht. Macallan ist deswegen so wichtig, weil die Marke sich bewusst auf absolute Luxusspirituosen spezialisiert hat – was auch schon die Rangliste der drei teuersten Whiskys zeigt. „Im Jahr 2019 rechnen wir aber mit einem deutlich besseren Resultat“, sagt Simpson.

Ein Grund für die stark steigenden Preise ist vor allem die stark steigende Nachfrage aus Asien. Auch wenn der neueste Käufer nicht bekannt gegeben wurde, so spricht doch vieles dafür. Dort wachsen die Vermögen schnell, viele Superreiche wohnen in China, Japan oder Singapur. Europäische Luxusgüter genießen einen Kultstatus. Beispiel Whisky: Es gebe ein „riesiges Interesse an Whisky“, sagt Richard Harvey vom Auktionshaus Bonhams. „Überall im Fernen Osten werden Whisky-Bars eröffnet.“ Ein Drittel bis 40 Prozent aller Verkäufe des Auktionshauses gingen in diese Region. Auch unabhängig von der asiatischen Nachfrage wird Whisky immer beliebter: Dazu gehören schottische Sorten wie Dalmore und Port Ellen, aber auch japanische aus den Destillerien von Karuizawa und Yamazaki.

Die nun versteigerte Flasche ist Teil einer Kollektion, die aus 460 Whiskyflaschen und neun 9 Whiskyfässern besteht. Die Sammlung gehört nach Angaben des Auktionshauses Sotheby‘s zu den wertvollsten der Welt gehören und gehörte einem Whisky-Enthusiasten aus den Vereinigten Staaten. Die Flasche aus dem Macallan-Fass Nummer 263 bezeichnete das Auktionshaus als „Heiligen Gral“ des Whiskys.

Was macht diesen nun so teuer? Das Alter und der Wert von Whisky werden nach der Zeit bewertet, die dieser im Fass gereift ist. Der nun verkaufte Macallan wurde zum Beispiel im Jahr 1926 gebrannt und 1986 in Flaschen abgefüllt – übrigens wie alle der drei teuersten Whiskys. Der nächste Punkt, mit dem der Macallan punkten kann, ist die Seltenheit: 12 Flaschen wurde ein Etikett vom italienischen Künstler Valerio Adami gegeben. Weitere 12 Flaschen wurden mit einem Etikett von Peter Blake verschönert, der auch das „Sgt. Pepper“-Album der Beatles gestaltete. 2 Flaschen wurden privat direkt verkauft. Und weitere 14 Flaschen gehören zu der nun verkauften „Fine and Rare“-Serie. Wie viele es davon noch gibt, ist unbekannt. Drei der Flaschen befinden sich noch im Besitz der Destillerie. Sechs sind in diesem Jahr wieder aufgetaucht. Eine ging bei dem großen Erdbeben in Japan im Jahr 2011 zu Bruch. Und eine weitere soll einfach getrunken worden sein.

Geschmack ist „unglaublich komplex“
Und was macht diesen Whisky nun so besonders? Tim Triptree vom Auktionshaus Christie, der dort eigentlich der internationale Direktor für Wein ist, lobt überschwänglich die Liebe zum Detail der Destillerie Macallan: „Sie produziere ausschließlich außergewöhnlich geschmackvolle Whiskys“, so der Fachmann. Ihre Liebe zum Detail sei unglaublich und sie seien von der Qualität ihrer Produkte besessen. „Sie fahren sogar in spanische Wälder, um nach einer speziellen Eiche zu suchen, damit sie das bestmögliche Holz für ihre Fässer bekommen“, erzählt er. Das sei entscheidend dafür, dass die Whiskys nach 60 Jahren des Reifens nach solch hochkonzentrierten, reichen und vollmundigen Aromen schmecken. Die Farbe sei nach so langer Zeit im Holzfass bernsteinfarben mit etwas Mahagoni.

Und der Geschmack? „Er ist unglaublich komplex“, so Triptree. Der Geschmack sei so konzentriert und er habe so viele Aromen, dass er sich vorstellen könne, dass er jedes mal im Glas anders schmecken und riechen würde. „Er schmeckt nach Gewürzen des Waldes, ein paar Vanilletöne sind drin und nussige Eigenschaften, Zimt, Weihnachtskuchen – alle möglichen Aromen“, sagt Triptree. Was er selbst mit so einem Whisky machen würde? „Er wurde produziert, um getrunken und genossen zu werden“, so Triptree – obwohl es ein ziemlich teures Vergnügen wäre.

Rotwein aus Burgund treibt Wein-Index an
Und sonst? Auch Wein verkauft sich sehr gut im Moment. In den vergangenen zehn Jahren stieg der entsprechende Index um 142 Prozent, in den vergangenen 12 Monaten immerhin noch 9 Prozent. „Guter Rotwein aus Burgund hat den Index angetrieben, war aber auch für die größten Kursstürze verantwortlich“, sagt Nick Martin, der den Wine-Owners-Index zusammenstellt. „Das reflektiert die Volatilität von ,Blue-Chip-Herstellern‘ wie Rousseau und Domaine de la Romanée Conti, die schwindelerregende Höhen erreicht.“ Spezialisierte Weingüter hätten mehr Probleme, so sei der Burgunder-Index in diesem Jahr um 10 Prozent gefallen – sei aber immer noch über zehn Jahre mit 191 Prozent im Plus.

Wein wird allerdings anders bewertet als Whisky: Der Wert von Wein wird nach dem Jahr der Ernte der Traube bestimmt. Die Flaschen werden für gewöhnlich 16 bis 24 Monate nach der Ernte abgefüllt–das heißt, der alte Wein steckt in einem fast ebenso altem Gefäß. Der inoffiziell teuerste Wein der Welt wurde im Jahr 2000 für 42.4000 Euro ersteigert. Es ist ein Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon, Jahrgang 1992, für eine 6-Liter-Weinflasche. Da er aber auf einer Wohltätigkeitsauktion ersteigert wurde, fließt er nicht in die offiziellen Ranglisten mit

MACALLAN REVEALS COLOUR-FOCUSED EDITION NO 5
September 2019
Speyside distillery Macallan has released Edition No 5, the latest single malt to join its annual limited Edition series.

Colour palette: Macallan Edition No 5 is is decorated with a unique purple label created by Pantone
A no-age-statement single malt, the whisky has been matured in American oak casks before being bottled at 48.5% abv.

The new bottling is designed to showcase the colour of Macallan’s whisky, following Editions No 1 and No 2, focused on cask influence; Edition No 3, which explored the impact of aroma; and Edition No 4, which was focused on structure.

Sarah Burgess, whisky maker for Macallan, said: ‘Whilst colour development starts with mixing basic colours with precision to achieve different shades, when it comes to whisky making, it is the knowledge and understanding of a specific palette of colours from the cask which is the starting-point.’

Edition No 5 is said to have ‘100% natural’ colour and is bottled without the use of spirit caramel.

The whisky is said to be full of ‘oak, nutmeg and ginger’ notes on the nose, with flavours of ‘poached peaches and ripe pear’ on the palate.

To emphasise the connection with colour, the bottle’s label has been decorated with ‘a uniquely bold shade of purple’ developed by designers at the Pantone Colour Institute in New Jersey.

The whisky is available from specialist retailers, Heathrow Airport and the Macallan distillery, priced at £92 per 70cl bottle.

Edition No 5 is one of the latest additions to Macallan’s various limited edition series, following the recent release of the distillery’s 40-year-old Fine and Rare 1979 single malt.

NEW MACALLAN MASTER WHISKY MAKER NAMED
October 2019
Speyside single malt Macallan has appointed Kirsteen Campbell as its new master whisky maker – the first time that a woman has held the senior whisky production role in the distillery’s 195-year history.

Kirsteen Campbell at Macallan distillery
Blend to malt: Campbell will transition from her current role as The Famous Grouse master blender
Campbell, who currently works for Macallan parent company Edrington as master blender of The Famous Grouse, will transition into the role to lead a new ‘Whisky Mastery Team’ at Macallan.

She takes on the newly-created role of master whisky-maker, following the departure in July of previous Macallan master distiller Dr Nick Savage, who left to become master distiller at recently revived Lowland distillery Bladnoch.

The distillery said the shake-up would see maturation and whisky-making ‘working hand-in-hand from the very beginning of the journey to bring out the best of spirit and wood’.

It added: ‘As part of the new approach, apprentices with natural sensory talent will learn the art of whisky-making from the depth and breadth of experience within the Whisky Mastery Team.’

Campbell, originally from Thurso, has also worked at the Scotch Whisky Research Institute (SWRI) and joined Edrington in 2007 as a whisky quality technologist.

She has a degree in Food Science and a Diploma in Distilling, and has also worked on Cutty Sark, Naked Grouse and Glenrothes while at Edrington. She was named master blender of The Famous Grouse in 2016.

‘I feel a real sense of honour and pride to be entrusted as the custodian of the Macallan, charged with leading the Whisky Mastery Team in the creation of the Macallan’s remarkable single malt whiskies,’ said Campbell.

‘Having been part of the wider Edrington whisky-making team for over a decade, I’m really looking forward to working more closely with the team at the Macallan.’

The new team comprises: Kirsteen Campbell, master whisky maker; Stuart MacPherson, master of wood; Sarah Burgess, lead whisky maker; Polly Logan, whisky maker; Steven Bremner, whisky maker; and Russell Greig, sample room assistant.

No replacement for Campbell in her current role has yet been announced by Edrington.

MUSIC INSPIRES MACALLAN CONCEPT NO.2
October 2019
Macallan Concept No.2
Music malt: Macallan Concept No.2 takes its cues from mixing house tracks
Macallan Concept No. 2 is a no-age-statement single malt from the Speyside distillery matured in Sherry-seasoned American oak casks.

Whisky maker Steven Bremner used his passions for blending malts and mixing house music as his inspiration for the release.

He said: ‘Music has inspired many aspects of my life, both creatively and practically, as has whisky, so the creation of Concept Number 2 allowed me to look at my two passions through a different lens.

‘Creating a track and crafting a single malt can take a similar path. Beginning with the layering of sounds just like the layering of different flavours from specific cask types.

‘Each different cask brings its own influence to the character of the liquid, like each instrument, or sound, adds depth to a track. In both cases, we can alter each different element to play up or down particular sounds or flavours.’

Macallan Concept No. 2 is bottled at 40% abv, and described as having aromas of ‘rich toffee apple… warming oak spice and blackberry’ with notes of ‘almond, cinnamon and gentle rounded wood spice’ on the palate.

It is now available to buy in the Macallan Boutiques in Taiwan and London Heathrow airports, and will be released in Dubai Duty Free in December 2019.

It will be available at key international airports from January 2020 for around US$150/ £120/ €135.

A Dream of Old
THE MACALLAN RED COLLECTION
The Macallan Red Collection reflects our deep respect for time, tradition and craftsmanship. The distinctive colour celebrates the rich range of reds present naturally in The Macallan—in every step of the process
The Macallan Concept series was launched in October 2018 as a range of travel retail-exclusive whiskies designed to challenge the convention of whisky makingacallan has released the second expression in its Concept series, a single malt inspired by its whisky maker’s passion for DJing.
REFLECTING THE MACALLAN'S EXCEPTIONAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE
It is a deep respect for tradition and craftsmanship that has shaped The Macallan, from our origins to the present day.

This vision and dedication has shaped our practices for almost two centuries, and is realised in the release of our newest collection. The Red Collection is an exquisite range of distinguished and rare single malt Scotch whiskies, shaped by the actions of our founder Alexander Reid and key characters in our history, who have laid the foundations for our single malt today.

This collection celebrates the rich range of reds present naturally in every step of our process, it weaves its way through our history, and reflects our deep respect for tradition and craftsmanship. The Red Collection features a carefully curated selection of ongoing aged expressions and high aged guest releases.

THE HEART OF THE RANGE
At the heart of The Red Collection is The Macallan 40 Years Old, The Macallan 50 Years Old and The Macallan 60 Years Old. These remarkable single malts, which will anchor the range for years to come, and are the oldest ongoing expressions we have ever offered.

From time to time they will be joined by special high aged guest releases, commencing with The Macallan 71 Years Old, The Macallan 74 Years Old and The Macallan 78 Years Old. These incredibly rare single malts are among the world’s oldest Scotch whiskies, with The Macallan 74 Years Old and The Macallan 78 Years Old being the oldest bottlings ever released in our history.

Distilled decades ago in our signature curiously small copper stills, each expression in The Red Collection has been matured in oak casks under the watchful eye of several generations of whisky makers. Over time, these exquisite single malt whiskies have slowly been shaped and influenced by the carefully selected wood to deliver extraordinarily elegant aged whiskies.

CREATING THE WHISKY
Each of the ongoing releases in The Red Collection has been signed by Kirsteen Campbell, who was appointed Master Whisky Maker at The Macallan in 2019 and is the first woman to occupy the role in our history. Sarah Burgess, Lead Whisky Maker for The Macallan, has signed the initial guest releases.

Created from some of the world’s oldest and rarest casks it is an incredible privilege to have crafted The Red Collection, the pinnacle of The Macallan’s portfolio.

Kirsteen Campbell, Master Whisky Maker at The Macallan
RED Collection Portrait illustration full lineup
THE RED COLLECTION AT AUCTION
An extremely rare set of The Red Collection with illustrated labels, signed by artist Javi Aznarez and the Whisky Makers, sold at auction at Sotheby's London on the 31st October.

The auction raised funds for food charity, City Harvest London, who distribute 80,000 meals a week to vulnerable people across the city using food industry surplus. The sale price of £756,400 equates to almost 2.5m meals being provided to people in need.

A Deep History

BEHIND THE COLOUR RED
The colour red has deep and long-standing significance for The Macallan. The red thread begins with Alexander Reid, the farmer and teacher who founded The Macallan in 1824. His surname means ‘the red one’ in Scots and was originally associated with red hair.

Almost a century later, in 1903, owner of The Macallan, Roderick Kemp, launched The Macallan Choice Old range. It was reportedly shipped in cases labelled with distinctive red print to distinguish it from The Macallan’s existing whiskies, which were transported in packaging featuring black ink.

And almost eight decades later, in 1980, red was to feature strongly in the release of The Macallan’s then oldest vintage, a 40 Year Old single malt whisky. Allan Shiach, owner-operator of The Macallan at that time, tied a red ribbon around the sought-after bottlings to denote their age and value.

BROUGHT TO LIFE AGAIN
The three characters played a pivotal role in the history of The Macallan, and have been brought to life through an animated film created to introduce The Red Collection. We collaborated with celebrated Spanish painter and illustrator Javi Aznarez whose striking graphic art has featured in the Hollywood film 'The French Dispatch'- the latest release by respected director Wes Anderson. Aznarez's work was also instrumental in the storyboard development for the Hollywood film 'Greta' by director Neil Jordan in 2018.

The animation is set to music performed by Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti, one of the world’s most influential classical artists of today.

Together these characters in the film showcase the pursuit of uncompromised excellence for which The Macallan is renowned and reveal the legacy of craftsmanship, innovation and knowledge that sustains The Macallan to this day.


The Macallan has revealed Folio 6, the latest instalment in the Scottish distillery’s Archival Series which takes inspiration from classic advertising campaigns of the brand

Folio 6 celebrates a 1984 campaign which told the story of then chairman of The Macallan, Allan Shiach. He is portrayed doing a sword-dance over a crossed brush and pen.

“Crafted to pay tribute to the playful sword-dancing Chairman advert of the 1980s, Folio 6 is a captivating single malt whisky which truly reflects the iconic status of the artwork it celebrates,” said The Macallan whisky maker, Polly Logan.

“Offering a fruity nose of orange and poached pear, along with notes of vanilla and warming cinnamon and nutmeg spice, a lovely hint of rich milk chocolate develops before giving way to a long, ginger finish. With its warming flavours, Folio 6 offers a unique way to experience The Macallan and its world-famous advertising campaigns of days gone by.”

Launched in 2015, the Archival Series showcases how The Macallan grew from its origins as a Speyside farmstead to world-renowned whisky brand, through the company’s print, press and film advertising campaigns of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

The Macallan Folio 6 has an abv of 43% and is priced at rrp £250. The bottle is presented in a book-shaped tin.

In global travel retail Folio 6 will be exclusively available from The Macallan Boutiques in Dubai DXB, London Heathrow and Taiwan Taoyuan airports from the first quarter of 2021.
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The Macallan single malt Scotch whisky and Bentley Motors have announced a partnership with a key focus on sustainability.

The partnership was announced alongside the launch of a new Hybrid Bentley and as part of their Beyond100 strategy to become the world’s leading sustainable luxury mobility company.

The Macallan has announced its sustainability strategy, with key goals of achieving carbon neutrality on The Macallan Estate by 2030, and a full fleet of electric passenger vehicles on the estate by 2025.

Following the partnership announcement, the Scotch whisky brand will take delivery of two hybrid Bentleys this year.

“The Macallan and Bentley Motors each have a rich heritage and shared values of mastery, craftsmanship, creativity and innovation. Our collaboration presents a remarkable opportunity to compare our time-earned knowledge and learn from each other,” said Igor Boyadjian, managing director for The Macallan.

“A key focus of the partnership will be our commitment to a more sustainable future. The breath-taking natural landscape at The Macallan Estate provides the perfect platform for us to embark together on this exciting and extraordinary journey.”

The partnership will initially be focussed on the brands’ missions to reach carbon neutrality, innovative research into the sourcing of materials, and collaboration in finding and sharing sustainable, local suppliers.

“Transforming Bentley into the world’s most sustainable luxury car company is an exciting journey, and I’m delighted to be working with The Macallan with one common goal – to both lead our fields as we work towards a more sustainable future,” said chairman and chief executive of Bentley, Adrian Hallmark.

“We will learn from each other in the coming months and years to advance our programmes together, and on the way work on some truly extraordinary experiences, projects and products. Our brands are two that share the same ethos - the passion for exceptional quality, respect for artisanal handcraftsmanship, and now a drive towards genuine, world-leading sustainability. I’m looking forward to the adventure together.”

In the future, the partnership promises to deliver jointly-developed products and collaborative events.
Concept No.1 was a no-age-statement whisky unconventionally matured first in ex-Sherry casks before being additionally matured in ex-Bourbon barrels – usually the process occurs the other way around

In Collaboration with Casa Cacao
OCT 12 · 3 MIN WATCH
COLLABORATIONS PARTNERSHIPS OUR WHISKY
Continuing our long-standing partnership with the Roca brothers, The Harmony Collection Rich Cacao is a collaboration with Jordi Roca and Casa Cacao to bring the worlds of chocolate and whisky to life.

The Harmony Collection Rich Cacao is the first release in a series exploring the world of sustainable packaging. It brings together innovative techniques with materials from the natural world at the end of their life, to see them reborn with a renewed purpose.

CASA CACAO
In 2020, the Roca brothers opened Casa Cacao, a hotel and chocolate factory in central Girona, Spain, the same town as their three Michelin star restaurant El Celler de Can Roca. Led by pastry chef Jordi Roca, Casa Cacao comprises 15 hotel bedrooms, a chocolate workshop, chocolate shop and chocolate factory.

The Macallan Whisky Maker Polly Logan travelled to Girona to visit Casa Cacao, and she immersed herself in the world of chocolate, exploring their chocolate-making process and learning about the distinctive flavour profiles.

Working in collaboration with Jordi Roca, acknowledged as one of the best and most creative pastry chefs in the world, and with exceptional chocolatier, Damian Allsop, I went on a journey of discovery, learning of the craftsmanship, passion and creativity which goes into making chocolate.

Polly Logan The Macallan Whisky Maker
MEET JORDI ROCA
Jordi Roca is the youngest of the renowned Roca brothers; heirs of a long-standing family tradition and legacy that led them to create El Celler de Can Roca. Named the ‘World’s Best Pastry Chef’ in 2014 by Restaurant Magazine, he has a passion for making sweet dishes.

Jordi learned his craft from British chef and Master Chocolatier, Damian Allsop, who taught him the foundations needed to become one of the world’s most creative and distinguished confectionary experts.   

Jordi Roca at Casa Cacao for the Harmony Collection
COLLABORATIVE CREATIVITY
Curiosity has always been key to the brothers’ collective spirit and sense of adventure. Although their approach aims to go beyond what has been seen before, their inspiration is often founded in the stories and experience of different places, people and cultures; transformed to reflect a unique Roca perspective on the world of cuisine and the cuisine of the world.

Jordi Roca wanted to create his own chocolate; he delved into research and traveled to the plantations, to get to know the people and the communities, and there he got to know cacao. He learned about the lifecycle of cacao, the people involved , and how to help sustain it.

As Casa Cacao roast and process the cacao beans, they are left with kilos of peeled cacao skins. Struck with the question of what to do with it, Jordi and Damian were inspired to turn this excess into paper, to wrap their chocolate bars in.

Cacao is more than just chocolate. It’s like a glass of fine whisky, it can transport you to places you didn’t know even existed.

28 November, 2022
The Macallan has introduced a new single malt whisky into The Red Collection, The Macallan 77 Years Old.

The Red Collection, a range of rare single malt Scotch whiskies, inspired by the significance of the colour red throughout the history of the brand, features a curated selection of ongoing aged expressions and occasional high aged guest releases.

The Macallan master whisky maker, Kirsteen Campbell, said: “The Macallan 77 Years Old is an incredible new high aged guest expression for The Red Collection, which has been crafted from some of the world’s oldest and rarest casks. It is a peerless single malt whisky that has slowly matured over seven decades until it reached peak perfection.”

The new high aged single malt is the first guest release to be inaugurated into the collection since the launch of the range in 2020, a rare whisky dating back to 1945, it is among the world’s oldest Scotch whiskies and is one of the oldest bottlings released by the brand.

The new expression is encased in a handcrafted oak presentation box, created in the UK, with the bottle itself being hand finished and signed by The Macallan master whisky maker, Kirsteen Campbell.

The Macallan 77 Years Old has an rrsp of US$87,000 / £65,500 and will be available from The Macallan Estate Boutique, The Macallan’s network of domestic and travel retail outlets, and in countries around the world from this month.
may 2022
We are pleased to share that booking is now open for a range of immersive experiences at The Macallan Estate.
With limited spaces available, these experiences will give you a unique insight to the history, heritage and dedication that shapes how we create our single malts. From a day learning about our history through an immersive theatre experience or our Discovery and Mastery Experiences, discover new ways to enjoy The Macallan.


The Macallan Estate has added availability for our Discovery and Mastery Experiences on Thursdays and Fridays, with limited spaces to book until October 2022. Delve deeper into the whisky making process with these experiences, exploring the journey from acorn to glass while celebrating our rich heritage.

We are delighted to introduce the first release of The Macallan's newest collection of single malt whiskies - The Home Collection, The Distillery.
This release brings our home to yours, as we celebrate The Macallan’s time-honoured traditions and community spirit, encapsulated at The Macallan Distillery and around the world.
Home Collection, The Distillery is now available to purchase on The Macallan Online Boutique subject to availability. It will be sold together with a set of three art prints by the artist, exclusive to online boutique purchases. This expression will be available for individual purchase at The Macallan Estate and The Macallan Airport Boutiques, subject to availability at the time of your visit

HOW THIS MASTER WHISKY MAKER FUSES TRADITION AND INNOVATION IN A SINGLE MALT05 DECEMBER 2022 - 9:00 AM
How this Master Whisky Maker fuses tradition and innovation in a single malt
With The M Collection, a limited-edition release of single malt whiskies, The Macallan’s Six Pillars find expression in the bottle.

Natural Colour, Mastery, Curiously Small Stills, The Estate, Exceptional Oak Casks and Sherry Wine: the names of The Macallan’s Six Pillars evoke a sense of place and mystery befitting this legendary distillery.

“The Six Pillars are the foundation stones that have illuminated the path to our unique whisky and act as a prism into the world of The Macallan” is how The Macallan’s Master Whisky Maker, Kirsteen Campbell, explains it to The CEO Magazine.

Hailing from Thurso, a windswept coastal town at the tip of Scotland, the smells of fermentation and distillation were the perfume of her childhood.

But her destiny – to become the Speyside whisky house’s first-ever Master Whisky Maker – was written upon graduation; when a role in a spirits laboratory uncovered her remarkable sense of smell. “That discovery set my career path for the future,” she reveals.

Joining Edrington, The Macallan’s parent company, as a Whisky Quality Technologist in 2007, Campbell became Master Blender for Cutty Sark, before assuming the same role for The Famous Grouse and the Naked Grouse. She arrived at The Macallan in 2019.
macallan-whisky

Telling a story
It seems only natural that the girl from the Scottish Highlands is overseeing the bottling of these six unique attributes into a range of limited-release, single malt whiskies under the umbrella of The Macallan M Collection.

“The Macallan M Collection gives us the opportunity to clearly and emotively tell the story of the six pillars that reflect the heritage, craftsmanship and uncompromising excellence that has distinguished our single malt for almost 200 years,” Campbell explains.

“The collection features an array of colors embodying our unique attributes and reflects the emotions which drive the brand.”

“We are proud to have crafted the first three releases in the collection,” she enthuses. “M showcases The Macallan’s Natural Colour, M Black focuses on our Mastery and M Copper highlights the Distillery’s Curiously Small Spirit Stills, which remain key to crafting our precious spirit to this day.”

Bottled in Lalique crystal decanters, the presentation for each bottle is a visual masterpiece and comes with a price tag to match, starting at US$6,750. The collection has been designed with keen single malt whisky connoisseurs in mind – “collectors who have a high level of knowledge, experience and appreciation for whisky and The Macallan”, Campbell points out.

Crafted to be enjoyed
As part of the campaign around the release of The M Collection, the distillery collaborated with Nick Knight, the renowned luxury fashion photographer whom Campbell describes as “one of the world’s most influential and visionary image makers”.

“The dedication he shows to his craft and pushing the boundaries of creativity brought a bold and dynamic style to The M Collection,” she says.

And while Campbell acknowledges the ever-increasing interest in rare and collectable whiskies as an investment of passion, she says that The M Collection, as with other rare single malt whiskies, has been crafted to be enjoyed.

“M, in particular, is the embodiment of our Natural Colour, so I would recommend pouring a serve slowly over a large, transparent cube of fresh ice and serving it in a clear rocks glass, so that the color can be the hero of the serve,” she explains.

“The Macallan M Collection gives us the opportunity to clearly and emotively tell the story of the six pillars that reflect the heritage, craftsmanship and uncompromising excellence that has distinguished our single malt for almost 200 years.”


For Campbell, becoming one of the custodians of The Macallan is a career pinnacle. “I feel very honored to be entrusted with creating this remarkable single malt whisky with The Macallan Whisky Mastery Team,” she says.

“The Macallan has been recognized for its outstanding quality above all else. Today, this remains the foundation for the worldwide recognition, so it is our responsibility to build on the close to 200 years of history of the brand and to continue the legacy.”

Campbell hints that there’s plenty more to come, as well.

“I have been privileged to be involved in some incredible projects and I am very much looking forward to continuing to deliver our exciting future projects and innovations,” she says.

THE THREE HERO PILLARS, EXPLAINED
NATURAL COLOUR: All color in The Macallan whiskies, bottled by the distillery, is natural. Only the interaction of the ‘new make’ spirit with the oak of the maturation casks delivers the rich and natural diversity of color throughout the range, from light oak through to darkest mahogany.

MASTERY: The Macallan carefully select the finest quality spirit from its stills to ensure it creates the best single malt whisky. This finest cut ensures it produces its signature viscous mouth-feel and fruity aroma and flavor. This small portion, or ‘cut’ is incredibly selective and one of the finest in the industry.

CURIOUSLY SMALL SPIRIT STILLS: The Macallan’s Curiously Small Stills are amongst the smallest on Speyside. Their unique size and shape give the spirit maximum contact with the copper, helping to concentrate the ‘new make’ spirit and provide the rich, fruity, full-bodied flavors characteristic of The Macallan. There are 24 of these spirit stills, crafted from copper, each holding an initial ‘charge’ of 3,900 liters.
The Macallan launches 81-year-old single malt
09 February, 2022

The Macallan launches exclusive GTR collection
06 September, 2023

The Macallan has introduced The Macallan Colour Collection, a new range of age statement whiskies, exclusively available in global travel retail.

The collection comprises five age statement single malt Scotch whiskies, including a 12, 15, 18, 21 and 30 years old, to showcase the natural tones derived from maturation in The Macallan’s sherry seasoned oak casks.

Kirsteen Campbell, master whisky maker at The Macallan, said: “The Macallan Colour Collection is a visual celebration of our commitment to natural colour and sherry seasoning, with each of the five distinctive whiskies taking travellers through a sensory journey of the spectrum of natural hues derived from maturation in The Macallan’s sherry seasoned oak casks.”

The Macallan Colour Collection is a collaboration with US graphic designer David Carson, who took inspiration from Jerez where The Macallan’s sherry seasoned oak casks are created.

The collection is available in The Macallan Global
The Macallan has launched its oldest ever singe malt called The Reach which was distilled during the Second World War.

The 81-year-old has been aged in a single sherry-seasoned oak cask and is presented in a  crystal decanter on a bronze sculpture of three hands.

Kirsteen Campbell, master whisky maker, The Macallan, said: “Created during a turbulent time in the world, this extraordinary expression showcases The Macallan’s history, ingenuity and unmistakable strength of character.

“The creation of many hands, The Reach has been a truly collaborative effort. It’s also a tribute to the people who made this precious whisky, and their enduring spirit which never wavered.


Even if you only have a vague interest in Scotch whisky, you’re probably aware that The Macallan embarked on a massive and – literally – groundbreaking construction of a new distillery in recent times.  Established on the Macallan Estate, just a short distance from the existing/old distillery, the new production facility is exceptional and unique in its design, its layout, its appearance, and its functionality.  The new distillery is also unique in its approach to whisky tourism and how it goes about welcoming visitors.  Visiting The Macallan as a whisky enthusiast can be a tricky venture at the present, and it’s not a simple exercise.  If you’re wanting to visit the new Macallan distillery and to experience one of their tours, here are a few thoughts, tips, and comments following our visit in April 2024…

The new distillery

First of all, let’s establish a few facts and figures to set the scene:  The new distillery was announced in 2012 and construction ran for three years from 2014 until the first spirit flowed off the stills in December 2017.  Designed by renowned architects Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners, the overall cost of the project came in at a reported £140M, which is a lot of no-age-statement bottles you need to sell to pay for the build!  The distillery’s form and layout is partially cut into the hill, and then features a green roof with uniquely shaped mounds that give the impression of the distillery being wholly underground. As you can see on the images below, each mound conceals under it the production hubs (more on these in a moment), and the visitor centre and bar area.  Not surprisingly, the distillery has won a number of industry awards across the disciplines of architecture, design, construction, innovation, and sustainability.  It is entirely unlike any other distillery in Scotland.

Not many people would guess there’s a distillery under these hills!

There’s a self-contained production area under each hill.

The eastern side of the distillery “pops out” of the ground and looks across to the River Spey
(Click each image to enlarge)

The setup

The new distillery was built while the incumbent production site was still operating, and it was simply a matter of “flicking the switch” once it came time to move production to the new facility.  While the entire production area is really just one giant room, it effectively has the appearance of housing three separate, individual distilleries within it.  There’s a single, giant mashtun at one end (with provision for a second mashtun which will be added shortly down the track) and this then provides the wort to each of the three production hubs.  Each of these three hubs is self-contained with its own set of tanks, washbacks, stills, and condensers.  Again, click on each image below to enlarge…

Visiting The Macallan - The giant mashtun
The giant mashtun. The hole in the floor in the foreground is the provision for the second, future mashtun.
Inside the production area
One of the production hubs
Close up photo of the stills
Up close with the stills
Each of the three hubs has seven washbacks and four sets of stills, with a set comprising one wash still and two spirit stills.  If you’ve done the maths correctly, that’s a total of 12 stills per hub, and thus the distillery actually has 21 washbacks, 12 wash stills, and 24 spirit stills in total.  The mashtun alone is an incredible achievement in mashing, with a capacity of 17 tonnes and taking just three hours to complete a mash!  Fermentation is a brisk 48 hours in the 100,000L capacity stainless steel washbacks.  The distillery’s water needs are sourced from four boreholes that are sunk 70m into the ground and are effectively filtered through granite meaning – yep, you guessed it – soft water.     

Macallan has long built its reputation and marketing collateral on its unusually small stills, and they’re delightfully visible and tangible in the new distillery.  (The old distillery didn’t really give you a great sense of things as you were whisked through the stillhouse at a level below the operations floor).  With demand for the brand at such a high – it’s the third biggest distillery in Scotland these days – it must have been tempting to chase efficiency and simply install bigger stills.  However, as we all know, such a move would completely change the character of the spirit, and the distillery is to be commended for sticking with style and tradition.


The foyer and reception area as you enter the distillery

Visiting The Macallan

So those are the cold facts about the distillery.  What about actually visiting The Macallan?  Can you simply stroll up to the door and ask to see around?  Sadly no.  In fact, far from it.  At the risk of being critical, their website makes it unusually confusing to understand the tours available, and the very limited availability makes it surprisingly difficult to book yourself in.  At the time of writing, the distillery is only open for tours four days of the week (Thursday to Sunday).  The number of physical tours actually offered throughout the day is relatively small, and the groups are kept intentionally small.  What this means is that, while each tour is thus intimate and you’re not lost in a crowd, there actually aren’t many spots available, and demand far outweighs supply.  Adding to the complexity is the fact that the distillery only opens up their tours for bookings one or two months at a time, and only one to three months in advance, and they sell out within a matter of days – even hours – after each new block is released.  Most international visitors planning a whisky pilgrimage to Scotland plan their itineraries and book their flights & accommodation well beyond three months of their travel dates, and so it’s an extremely frustrating experience trying to co-ordinate visits to other distilleries or to plan your movements around Speyside while you’re holding out for a golden ticket to The Macallan.

Willy Wonka's golden ticket

Before proceeding any further, let’s establish some terms of engagement:  Whisky & Wisdom is a resource for whisky enthusiasts, and we’ll assume that most people reading this piece are devoted whisky fans who simply want to visit the distillery, see around, understand the processes on site, understand how the distillery’s operations differ from its neighbours, and maybe have a dram or two at the end of the tour.  If the above describes yourself, then I’m not convinced Macallan is entirely catering to you.  Yes, you can do those things, but it’s not as clear cut or as finely tuned as that.  What follows are my personal thoughts and observations, and I readily acknowledge that I’m probably not the typical customer that Macallan’s visitor centre looks to accommodate.  The Macallan is a luxury brand; it aims for a particular market, and there’s no denying that a visit to their distillery is a luxury experience.  It is formatted and priced accordingly.  The brand knows which side its bread is buttered on, and the likes of the whisky fans scrambling all over Speyside to squeeze in as many distillery visits as they can is evidently not their target demographic.   So, if any of the following words below appear critical or negative in their tone, appreciate that I’m writing them from the viewpoint of the avid whisky enthusiast.  And one who’s visited and toured over 100 of Scotland’s distilleries, which brings with it some perspective…


What to expect

The tours aren’t called tours, they’re called experiences, and Macallan’s website makes it a little confusing to ascertain exactly what’s on offer with each experience and how one differs from the other.  You won’t find simple language such as “take a tour of the production floor and finish with a dram”, which is really what most of us are looking for.  Rather, the following extract comes from the blurb for their The Heart of the Spirit experience: “Enjoy a cocktail and explore our universe through an immersive digital experience featuring animation, sound design and specialist projection techniques. Illustrations by Spanish artist and illustrator Javi Aznarez have been animated to tell this tale. Whispers from our past, present and future are narrated in the form of poetry by award-winning Scottish author and poet Jenni Fagan.”   Not exactly “come on down and check the place out”, right?  As recently as March this year, it was not clear which tours actually took you out into the production area, although the website’s text was updated in May and such specifics are now thankfully a little clearer.

After a bit of navigating and some to-and-fro between the pages, you’ll come to understand which experience is The Macallan’s basic tour.  It costs £50, currently lasts for 75 minutes, and includes some drams at the end of the tour.  The tours don’t include a visit to the warehouses per se, however, there is an underground warehouse of sorts within the building which some of the experiences will take you in to.  Here you’ll see some casks curiously suspended out from the concrete wall.  However, you’re in a glass viewing box that is sealed within the space (a bit like looking at the fish at an aquarium), and that magical experience of breathing in the angels’ share is not something you’ll encounter here.  It’s a far cry from walking into a dunnage warehouse (or even a racked warehouse) but I guess it ticks the box of showing visitors what casks of whisky look like.

Inside the vertical warehouse
Inside the vertical warehouse
The format and structure of the tours seem to be evolving, and perhaps they’re still tweaking things as they respond to customer feedback.  For the base tour that W&W undertook in April 2024, we paid £50 for a two hour experience.  However, the first 45 minutes of that tour was simply walking through the (very impressive) onsite library of old/previous bottlings & releases, and being told about the special bottlings from the past that all cost a fortune.  As a former Macallan brand ambassador of sorts, there were aspects of this I found interesting from a historical perspective, but if you’ve turned up just to see the distillery and you’re also keen to get down the road to Cardhu or across the River Spey to Aberlour before the end of the day, it seemed a little pointless wasting precious (and long) minutes being told all about an un-acquirable bottling that was released four years ago and fetched £2.3M at auction.

Visiting The Macallan - inside the archive library
The archive library

Lots of historical bottles on display

The fabled “The Reach” bottling
After 45 minutes walking through the archive bottling library, we made our way into the production area. It goes without saying, but the production area is not just impressive from a visual perspective, but also in its elegance, form, and efficiency.  It’s at this stage that our guide gave a few cursory words about production (e.g. the processes of mashing, brewing, and distilling), and there are a few props, toys, and displays to assist you in your understanding along the way.  Visually, it’s fantastic, but my personal reflection was that the tour format and our guide’s approach didn’t really satisfactorily convey the processes and how whisky is made.  You walked past the stills, rather than had an encounter with them.  If you’re new to the intricacies of whisky production, I’m not sure this tour gave you the most informative or helpful rundown.


On the production floor

Leaving the production area, we adjourned to a separate area downstairs to watch the video about Macallan’s use of casks and their maturation regimen. If you’ve ever wondered about the differences between American oak and European oak, this was actually a pretty informative part of the tour.  We then stepped into the underground “warehouse”, as outlined earlier above.

From viewing the casks on the wall, our group of four adjourned to the bar upstairs and were led through a tasting that featured three whiskies (the 12yo from the Colour Collection, the 15yo Double Cask, and the 18yo Sherry Cask) before then re-locating downstairs to the boutique where we were treated to a dram of The Macallan “A Night on Earth (The Journey)” release.   So, £50 pounds for a tour of a unique distillery that included a whisky cocktail on arrival (which was delicious) plus four drams – two of which were from quite expensive bottlings – and you’d have to say the experience was actually tremendous value for money.   Sure, the whole experience was a bit strained and twee in places, and the 45 minutes devoted to the archived bottlings at the start was all a bit self-indulgent at times…although it’s admittedly also the avenue through which the guides give you the rundown of the distillery’s history.   Did I enjoy my visit on the day?  Ultimately, yes.  Would I recommend visiting The Macallan?  Hmmmm…..it depends on what you’re looking for and your affinity for the brand.  If you love Macallan’s whiskies and want to see how and where it’s made, then you should absolutely endeavour to book in for a visit.  If you want to see the latest in distillery construction and technology then, yes, get yourself inside the building.  If your time in Speyside is limited and you can only squeeze a few distillery visits into your itinerary, then – depending on your favourite brands – there’s perhaps some other distilleries that might be higher on your list.


Choosing your experience

As we go to print, there are actually nine different experiences available when visiting The Macallan, although only three of these are actually distillery tours in the context that most readers would be looking for.  The so-called Mastery Experience is the big one:  It costs £250, lasts for five hours, and includes a meal at the brasserie with matching wines.  Is this what the average whisky enthusiast is looking for in a distillery visit?  No, but as we’ve established previously – that’s not necessarily Macallan’s raison d’etre or target audience here.

The other six experiences are all tasting/dining/bar/shopping experiences.  To give credit where its due, the new distillery incorporates a well-furnished brasserie downstairs and an incredible bar upstairs, complete with views across the Spey and to Ben Rinnes beyond.  It’s an amazing space, superbly arranged and decked out.  If you’re a big fan of The Macallan’s whiskies, you can book in to simply sit at the bar, or you can sign up for a tutored tasting experience, albeit with a price tag – the most expensive option comes in at £175.  (The cheapest is £35 and includes three drams). But, again, bear in mind that you actually need to book in for these in advance, and the slots disappear quickly.    


Visiting The Macallan - The superb bar area upstairs
The Macallan Bar upstairs

Something to keep in mind…

Lest the above sound too critical or dismissive, there’s another aspect to this caper which many whisky enthusiasts conveniently overlook:  Distilleries do not exist as tourist attractions.  They are factories for making alcohol, and they exist so that we can enjoy a delicious dram in 8, 12, 18 years’ time (or whenever).  It is admirable and commendable that so many distilleries have opened their doors and managed to make their production areas accessible for us whilst somehow giving a nod to public safety and not getting in the way of those actually making whisky.  We are quick to criticise a distillery when our visit underwhelms, or to uphold other distilleries as the place to go to.  Let us bear in mind that these places aren’t theme parks, and let’s be grateful that we can actually set foot in the places producing that which brings us joy.

That said, it’s abundantly evident that the new distillery was planned and built with visitors in mind – it clearly wasn’t an afterthought.  Owning company Edrington is a large beast these days, and corporate visitors / corporate entertaining is clearly very much part of the equation at the distillery.    


The summary

If you’ve seen around other Scotch whisky distilleries – particularly the old ones that have grown and been tacked-on to over the years (we’re looking at you, Strathisla and Longmorn) – then visiting the Macallan distillery will definitely give you a new and interesting perspective on the modern engineering of a state-of-the-art distillery.  If you’re more of a whisky anorak, then you’ll probably find the technical and informative aspects of your visit a little underwhelming. Alternatively, if you’re new to this whisky caper and have never set foot in a distillery previously, then you’ll probably walk away having had the time of your life.   But the executive summary is this:  Plan early, book early, and cross your fingers for a slot.

INTRODUCING
TIME : SPACE COLLECTION

Dear willem,
Whisky making is like time travel: what we bottle today was created many years in the past, and the spirit we lay down in casks now is destined for many years in the future. Through time travelling, we learn from the past and look to the future.
To commemorate The Macallan turning 200 Years Young, we embark on a journey where time ebbs and flows and nature protects what is fragile and precious.
Introducing two limited expressions that bring this to life through a new spiky red world, where time travel and nature connect and protecting spikes are the heroes.
DISCOVER THE COLLECTION

TIME : SPACE
A tribute to our past and future, this extraordinary release features an exceptionally rare 1940 vintage, the oldest whisky ever released by The Macallan.

Paired with this is the inaugural whisky from our new Distillery, a remarkable 2018 vintage representing the future.
DISCOVER

TIME : SPACE MASTERY
A testament to our commitment to craftsmanship and innovation. This exceptional release draws inspiration from past Whisky Masters and a variety of cask styles, resulting in layers of complexity and depth of aroma, texture, and flavour.

Housed in a circular vessel symbolising the journey from past to future, this expression invites us to embrace the richness of our history.
DISCOVER

DISCOVER
THE HARMONY COLLECTION GREEN MEADOW
Dear willem
We are pleased to share that The Macallan Harmony Collection Green Meadow will be available in The Macallan Global Boutiques, key airports and selected duty free locations from March 2024 with limited availability.
Created in collaboration with Stella and Mary McCartney, Green Meadow takes inspiration from natural Scottish grasslands and celebrates the lush and fertile lands of Scotland which connects all those who have stood upon them for generations.
Green Meadow is a single malt reminiscent of wild meadow, with a vibrant, primrose scented finish.
DISCOVER

THE HARMONY COLLECTION GREEN MEADOW
The Harmony Collection Green Meadow embraces the re-use of natural materials in its packaging, creating beauty from resources at the end of their natural lives. To mark this deep connection with the land, discarded meadow cuttings have been given new life in this presentation box and bottle labels.
DISCOVER

TASTING NOTES
EXPLORE COLOUR, NOSE, PALATE & FINISH

COLOUR
Spring Morning
NOSE
Fresh orange and lemon, wild primrose, petrichor, honeydew melon, bluebells
PALATE
Rich lemon, barley sugars, creamy vanilla, almonds, fresh oak
FINISH
Sweet, fragrant, long and creamy
ABV
40.2%
“Its deep auburn hue is the first hint of this remarkable whisky’s astonishing depth. Offering notes of dark chocolate, sweet cinnamon and aromatic peat, leading on to treacle toffee, crystalised ginger and charred pineapple, before giving way to an intensely rich, sweet and smoky finish.”
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NOW AVAILABLE
DOUBLE CASK 18 YEARS OLD, 2024 RELEASE

The Macallan Double Cask Collection is a complex sensorial journey. Beautifully balanced by European and American Oak, each cask is sherry seasoned in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.
We are delighted to share that Double Cask 18 Years Old, 2024 Release is now available to purchase from our Online Boutique with limited availability.
With golden hues heightening the colour of the whisky and reflecting the key flavour notes of treacle toffee, sweet ginger, dried fruits and nutmeg, this expression stands proud as a marker of extraordinary craftsmanship.
Click on the link below to purchase this distinct single malt.
SHO

COLOUR
Amber honey
AROMA
Dried fruit, ginger and toffee. Rich orange withhints of clove and nutmeg
PALATE
Rich raisin and sultana with notes of caramel, vanilla and ginger, balanced by wood spice and zesty citrus
FINISH
Warm oak spice with ginger, turning tosweet orange
ABV
43%

The Macallan announces sherry cask partnership
12 September, 2024

Speyside distillery The Macallan as announced a partnership with three sherry cask businesses, concluding a quartet of investments in the sherry-seasoned oak cask supply chain.

The new partnership will see the Tevesa cooperage in Jerez and its two sister sawmills, Forestal Peninsular and Forestal Peninsular de Cantabria, come together to form a new company called Tevasa Forestal Group.

The Macallan will own 50% of the share capital of Tevasa Forestal Group.

“The Macallan has always gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that our single malt Scotch whisky is matured in the finest quality sherry-seasoned oak casks,” said Igor Boyadjian, managing director at The Macallan.

“The joint venture will complete a series of investments that will give us an unparalleled level of ownership in the production process of Sherry-seasoned casks.

“Our partnership with Tevasa Forestal Group is a significant moment for The Macallan as we continue to invest in the craft and mastery of our exceptional product. Tevasa has been a long-standing supplier, crafting the finest European oak casks from Forestal Peninsular staves in which to mature The Macallan. This partnership, along with our other investments in Jerez and Ohio, shows our commitment to the craftsmanship in our Sherry cask supply chain.”

Over the last two years, the Scotch brand has been forging partnerships to ensure its cask supply chain.


Harmony Collection
the macallan harmony IV collection whisky bottle
Harmony Collection
Inspired by our deep-rooted connection to  nature for nearly 200 years, The Macallan Harmony Collection is a limited annual release series that explores our future packaging journey. ​

Each release unveils distinctive and innovative packaging that seeks to bring new life to organic by-products which have ended their usual course. ​It fuses innovative techniques with materials from the natural world at the end of their life to see them reborn with a renewed purpose.

the macallan harmony IV collection whisky bottle
Explore
Harmony Collection Vibrant Oak
The fourth release in the Harmony Collection embraces the re-use of natural materials in its packaging, creating beauty from resources at the end of their natural lives.

Discover
Now showing 3 of 0 products
Harmony I
Continuing our long-standing partnership with the Roca brothers, this is a collaboration with Jordi Roca to bring the worlds of chocolate and whisky to life in Casa Cacao, a hotel and chocolate factory in central Girona, Spain. The Macallan Whisky Maker Polly Logan took inspiration from her time at Casa Cacao to create single malts with indulgent chocolate notes.

the macallan rich cacao whisky bottle and box
Harmony Collection Rich Cacao
Archive
the macallan fine cacao whisky bottle and box
Harmony Collection Fine Cacao
Travel exclusive
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Harmony II
The second release in this innovative collection embarks on a sensorial journey through the wonderful world of coffee, drawing on the skill and expertise of five coffee experts. The Macallan Whisky Maker Steven Bremner created two whiskies with a distinct coffee note, creating a delightful coffee and whisky pairing experience.

the macallan intense arabica whisky bottle and box
Harmony Collection Inspired by Intense Arabica
Archive
the macallan smooth arabica whisky bottle and box
The Harmony Collection Smooth Arabica
Travel exclusive
Now showing 3 of 0 products
Harmony III
The third release in the Harmony Collection has been created in collaboration with Stella and Mary McCartney to celebrate the lush, fertile lands of Scotland that connect all those who have stood upon them for generations.​

the macallan amber meadow whisky bottle and box
Harmony Collection Amber Meadow
Available
£160.00
the macallan harmony collection green meadow bottle and pack side on
Harmony Collection Green Meadow
Travel exclusive
Now showing 3 of 0 products
Harmony IV
This release of the Harmony Collection is a unique collaboration with Cirque du Soleil celebrating 200 years of The Macallan.  

This release reveres the marvels of nature and the infinite potential of the imagination.  Reflective of the sherry seasoned American and European oak casks used at The Macallan, we celebrate the influence of each in these two unique expressions.​

the macallan harmony IV collection whisky bottle
Harmony Collection Vibrant Oak
Coming soon
the macallan harmony IV collection whisky bottle
Harmony Collection Guardian Oak
Travel exclusive

In March 2023, the brand acquired 50% of Grupo Estévez and their Valdespino Sherries, wines and aperitifs, vineyards and bodegas.

Then in September 2023, the brand acquired the Vasyma cooperage in Jerez, which specialises in crafting American oak casks and also in September 2023, entered a joint venture with Coopers Oak, a specialist sawmill in Ohio which is a longstanding provider of American oak staves to Vasyma.
The Reach is limited to 288 decanters worldwide and will be on display at The Macallan Estate Boutique from 9 February 2022 and later in The Macallan domestic and travel retail Boutiques. The RSP is $125,000 / £92,000 / €110,000.

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