The history of The Macallan can be traced back to the early 19th century in Scotland, where a local farmer and teacher named Alexander Reid distilled surplus barley during the winter months.
In 1824 Reid turned his winter hobby into a profession and purchased 8 acres of land from the Earl of Seafield and established the Macallan Distillery as one of the first licensed whisky distilleries in Scotland.
A Speyside whisky, The Macallan takes its name from the Gaelic Word meaning fertile land and Ellan meaning of St Fillan the place it’s from.
Today the Macallan estate covers almost 400 acres if land, 90 of which are sown in the spring with Minstrel barley, a variety exclusive to The Macallan. For every acre, nearly 2 1/2 tonnes of barley is harvested, which yields around 1,800 bottle of liquid gold.
The Macallan barley is distilled in ‘curiously’ small stills and given their unique size and shape allow the whisky to experience the maximum contact with the copper resulting in a rich, full-bodied flavour. The Macallan stills are so famous they are on the back of the Bank of Scotland 10 Pound note.
With great pride in its whisky, The Macallan only collects and matures 16 per cent of the spirit after its initial distillation. This small portion is one of the small portion or ‘cut’ is one of the smallest in the industry and contributes significantly to Macallan’s value. The final single malt whisky has full-bodied richness and robust taste.
In Australia The Macallan is best known for its new range of Speyside Single Malt – which pays homage to the founding of the distillery – the 1824 Collection. Each of the 3 single malts in the 1824 Collection draw their names from the deep colour of the liquid inside the bottle – Amber, Sienna and Ruby.
The Macallan Amber is aged in a mix of first and refill American bourbon casks and name reflects the colour that results from such ageing.
The Macallan Sienna is deeply coloured due to a higher proportion of Spanish sherry oak matured whisky in the blend with first fill American oak season with dry Oloroso sherry.
The Macallan Ruby is vatted only from first fill casks, giving it a gorgeous deep red hue. Macallan Ruby has spent the longest time (at least 12 years) in the very finest and most expensive sherry casks money can buy.
Drink your Macallan neat or on the rocks safe in the knowledge you are ‘getting what you pay for’!