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SIMPLY THE MACALLAN
Two hundred years after its foundation, The Macallan is undoubtedly the most renowned distillery among the many excellent Scotch Whiskies. This supremacy has long been based on the quality of the Single Malts produced at Easter Elchies, a perfect synthesis of solid know-how and a stubborn quest for perfection. There are six pillars supporting this majestic building. Let's discover them...
SIX PILLARS
THE DISTILLERY
2018 saw the birth of the new Macallan, a state-of-the-art building just metres from the historic distillery, in Craigellachie in Speyside. Designed by the internationally renowned architects at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the distillery is right next door to the spiritual Easter Elchies House, an elegant manor house built in the 1700s with arenarialocale. The 390-acre Macallan Estate is set in the beautiful Scottish countryside and even part of the land is still planted with barley, a cereal that will end up in the limited edition The Macallan Estate.
STILLS OF UNIQUE SHAPE
The shape of a still substantially determines the nature of a spirit and each distillery has its own secrets and traditions. The Macallan's stills have a curious shape as they are among the smallest and squattest in Scotland. Their distinctive size and shape, low in height and with a steeply descending neck, means that the white spirit is very heavy and full-bodied, with typical malty and richly fruity notes. At Macallan there are no fewer than 24 copper stills in operation, each with an initial capacity of 3,900 litres.
THE CLASSIC CUT
Macallan's Single Malt Whiskies are double distilled in a batch still. A key moment is the selection of the heart of the spirit, the only part that will be harvested and cask strengthened for many years. The cut chosen by Macallan's master distillers results in a great viscosity on the palate and the fruity aroma and flavour that make the distillery's new make spirit unique and unmistakable. This heart is very selective and contains just under 70% alcohol by volume. The robust personality of the white spirit is the starting point for all Macallans.
ONLY THE BEST CASKS
The oak barrels selected by the distillery's experts have been the signature that guarantees the extraordinary quality of The Macallan for decades. The construction of these barrels, both American and European oak, is followed from the initial choice of wood, with selected partners throughout the chain, including companies that shape the staves and Spanish bodegas that age the barrels with Sherry wine. It is this fantastic fortified wine that helps develop The Macallan's unmistakable deep and complex aromatic bouquet of red fruits, cocoa and dried fruits.
NATURAL COLOUR
The colour of all The Macallan whiskies is natural. The spectacular range of colours, from gold to mahogany, is therefore solely the result of the interaction between the spirit and the ageing casks. These natural colours are permanent, as opposed to the artificial colour which fades over time when exposed to sunlight. Obviously, the Master Whisky Maker is required to be extraordinarily skilled in order to achieve a colour that is as constant as possible between batches.
AN INCOMPARABLE SPIRIT
Finally, there is one last pillar and it is formed by the sum of the previous five. The spiritual home of Easter Elchies, unique stills, a carefully collected heart, oak casks selected down to the smallest detail and the naturalness of the distillate form a new and grandiose harmony that is clearly perceptible in Macallan's Single Malt Whiskies, whiskies of unparalleled complexity, unrivalled in all its facets.
The Macallan A Night on Earth is an annual limited edition celebrating the festivities of Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year. This Single Malt is produced from a selection of American and European oak matured ex-Sherry casks and American ex-bourbon casks. It is presented in an extraordinary package, magnificently illustrated by the French-Japanese artist Erica Dorn, which with its intense red and blue is intended as a tribute to the warmth of the festivity and the colour of Scottish nights.
An exceptional whisky in which the notes of shortbread, dried orange and spices are reminiscent of the Scottish sweets eaten during Hogmanay.
LIMITED EDITION
There are Macallans that everyone should try at least once in their lifetime. Limited editions, the result of a very strict selection of the best ex-Sherry casks. Or whiskies wrapped in precious crystals that bring out the most refined soul of Macallan. Here are some of these gems, treasures coveted by the distillery's many admirers around the world.
The Macallan has long experimented with the organoleptic differences that different species of oak impart to its whiskies.
These series are therefore born from the conviction that it is possible to create complex combinations of aromas and flavours by dosing the personal origins and destinies of the casks. Macallan Double Casks are created from a blend of whiskies aged in both American and European oak casks, both of which are matured with Sherry wine. The former give more smoothness, the latter are usually richer in tannins and spices. The Triple Cask series adds a third type of wood: American oak that has contained Bourbon Whiskey, a riot of vanilla, spices and ripe fruit.
The Sherry Oak series is nothing less than a continuation of Macallan's glorious history, which since the 1980s has established itself as the Single Malt par excellence precisely by focusing on ex-Sherry ageing. The low, wide stills installed at Ester Elchies produce a robust distillate, perfect for significant ageing in casks that have contained this fortified wine. Spanish red oak casks have become extremely rare in recent years, but Macallan is still able to source Galician oak casks through exclusive arrangements. The whiskies in the Sherry Oak series are very rich with deep notes of red fruit, orange, figs and milk chocolate.
