

That seemed to work out for them: Along with Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, Macallan makes up one third of the entire world’s single malt whisky market. Macallan was one of the first distilleries to recognize the marketability/flavor/general sexiness of single malt, which the company really started publicizing in the 1970s. It just means your malt whisky was made at one distillery. It’s easy to get confused, but the term “single malt” doesn’t mean a whisky was made in one barrel (though there is “single barrel” whisky). By 2013, the company announced plans to build a 100 million pound production facility. Reid started early, and small - the first whisky Macallan ever produced came out of a woodshed and just two pot stills. Alexander Reid, both a barley farmer and schoolteacher, founded The Macallan Distillery in 1824, a year after the Scottish Excise Act legalized distilling. The palate is even more complex with tasting notes of orange and almond, with hints of nutmeg, licorice and leather, followed by gentle finish.Macallan Exists Because a Schoolteacher Wanted to Get You Sauced. Once in the glass, the 1990 is ready to drink with an absolutely sublime and smooth mouthfeel, filled with aromas of honey, vanilla, and caramelized apple. At that point, the casks are emptied and make their way up to Speyside, Scotland, where casks are finally filled with spirit for maturation.Īs a result of those casks, the 1990 has a distinct, 100% natural rosewood hue.

These casks are left to have this specific sherry season the wood for two more years.

Once dried, the casks are crafted and filled with dry, oloroso sherry. All the staves are left there for another year to dry. To preserve the integrity of this wood that fosters all the color and the flavors, the wood is allowed to air-dry naturally for one year before being shipped to Jerez, the Spanish region famous for producing sherry, a fortified wine. Once the oak trees are grown, The Macallan says it harvests them sustainably, cutting them into staves to make casks. The Macallan Fine and Rare collection in Speyside, Scotland national brand ambassador for The Macallan in 2016. “One of the greatest things about my role is sharing special moments with people, and those moments are made even more exceptional with exceptional whisky,” says Raies, who became the first ever female U.S. Raquel Raies, regional education manager for The Macallan, overseeing all brand ambassadors in the U.S., described experiencing the Fine and Rare collection as “taking a journey back in time to celebrate something spectacular.” These vintages are only available in very limited quantities, coming predominantly from single casks, and only a small number of bottles are released each year. First assembled in 2002, The Macallan Fine and Rare Collection is currently comprised of 58 individual releases, spanning eight decades, from 1926 through 1990. But even well before the arrival of COVID-19, premium spirits producers have been developing highly-curated, exclusive catalogs intended to draw in collectors with bigger budgets.Īmong the most well-stocked collections is that of single-malt Scotch whisky maker The Macallan. Whiskey sales, especially those for Scotch whisky, have been mixed since the onset of the pandemic.
