The Whiskyphiles

Macallan

The-Macallan-distillery

History The Macallan distillery was founded in 1824 by Alexander Reid as the Elchie’s Distillery, a barley farmer and school teacher. Farmers had been making whisky on their farms in the area for centuries, distilling their surplus barley during the quieter winter months. In 1892 the new owner Roderick Kemp changed the name to Macallan-Glenlivet. From the original 2 stills it was expanded in 1954 to 5 stills before a new stillhouse was built in 1965 to house 7 stills. This expansion continued throughout the 1970’s reaching 21 stills by 1975. In 2001 The Macallan distillery opened its new visitor centre. In September 2008, the 21 stills used to produce 6 million litres per annum were insufficient to cope with demand and 6 stills in the old stillhouse were re-commissioned into action to increase output to 8 million lpa. In 2012 the 3rd rebuild of the distillery was announced, building commenced in December 2014 and the new building opened on 2nd June 2018 at a cost of £140 million. The expectation is to increase output by a further 1/3rd.

From its founding by Alexander Reid, through the subsequent owners of The Macallan distillery in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and into the present century, The Macallan has been recognised for the quality of its product above all else. This is the foundation for the worldwide fame of The Macallan.

The Whiskyphiles tasting notes

Official Bottling
  • Macallan 10 Year Old Sherry Oak (2014) – The Macallan 10 Year Old Sherry Oak (40%, OB, 2014) 40% ABV, Discontinued; £60 Score: 80/100 What they say: The Sherry Oak range is exclusively matured in sherry seasoned oak casks from Spain and America for a beautifully dark, full flavoured single malt whisky. The Macallan imports the majority of all new sherry seasoned casks […]
  • Macallan 12 Year Old Fine Oak (2014) – The Macallan 12 Year Old Fine Oak (40%, OB, 2014) Category: Speyside single malt scotch whisky Origin: The Macallan Distillery Bottling: Edrington ABV: 40% Cost: £59.95 What they say: Triple cask matured in a complex combination of European and American oak seasoned with sherry and American oak seasoned with bourbon. A lighter style of Macallan […]
  • Macallan 12 Years Old Double Cask (2016) – The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old (40%, OB, 2016) Category: Speyside single malt scotch whisky Origin: The Macallan Distillery Bottling: Edrington ABV: 40% Cost: £48.45 What they say: Double Cask 12 Years Old Exclusively sherry seasoned whisky with the perfect balance of European and American oak maturation to create a distinctive American oak style […]
  • Macallan 12 Years Old Sherry Oak (2014) – The Macallan 12 Year Old Sherry Oak (40%, OB, 2012) 40% ABV, £75 Score: 82/100   What they say: Colour: Rich gold ABV40% (USA 43%) Nose: Vanilla with a hint of ginger, dried fruits, sherry sweetness and wood smoke Palate: Deliciously smooth, rich dried fruits and sherry balanced with wood smoke and spice Finish: Sweet […]
  • Macallan Amber (2015) – The Macallan Amber (40%, OB, 2015) Speyside single malt scotch whisky 40% ABV, £45 Score: 78/100 What they say: Colour: Amber Nose: Polite, almost apologetic at first, with a floral, citrus sweet nose that gains presence, commanding a chorus of vanilla notes over freshly harvested grain.  Raisin, sultana and cinnamon look on as toffee apples […]
  • macallan-edition-no-1 Macallan Edition No.1 (2017) – The Macallan Edition No.1 (48%, OB, 2015) Category: Speyside single malt scotch whisky Origin: The Macallan Distillery Bottling: Edrington ABV: 48% Cost: £75 What they say: The Macallan Edition No.1 The Macallan Edition No. 1 is the debut expression in the Edition Series. It celebrates The Macallan’s unparalleled oak cask management policy that oversees the […]
  • Macallan Edition No.2 (2017) – The Macallan Edition No.2 (48.2%, OB, 2016) Category: Speyside single malt scotch whisky Origin: The Macallan Distillery Bottling: Edrington ABV: 48.2% Cost: £76.83 What they say: The Macallan Edition No.2 The second release from the Macallan Edition series is a collaboration between Master Whisky Maker Bob Dalgarno and the three brothers behind El Celler de […]
  • The Macallan Fine Oak Triple Cask Matured (Masters' Edition) Macallan Fine Oak Triple Cask Masters’ Edition (2013) – The Macallan Fine Oak Triple Cask Matured Masters’ Edition (40%, OB, 2011) NAS, 40% ABV, €30 for 70cl Score 69/100 What they say: The Macallan fine oak is triple cask matured in a unique, complex combination of exceptional oak casks; European oak casks seasoned with Sherry, American oak casks seasoned with Sherry and American oak […]
  • Macallan Gold (2014) – The Macallan Gold 1824 Series Category: Speyside single malt scotch whisky Origin: The Macallan Distillery Bottling: Edrington ABV: 40% Cost: £36.95 What they say: The Macallan Gold – Exclusively matured in sherry oak casks from Jerez, Spain. The Macallan 1824 Series has been created to showcase the beautiful range of natural colour found in our […]
Independent Bottling
Cadenhead
  • Macallan 25 Years Old 1989 Authentic Collection (2014) – Macallan-Glenlivet 25 Years Old 1989 Authentic Collection (51.4%, Cadenheads, Bourbon Barrel, 2014) Single malt scotch whisky 51.4% ABV, £130 for 70cl from Wm Cadenhead’s Score: 87/100 What they say: Macallan 25 Year Old 1989-2014 Cadenhead’s Single Malt Scotch 51.4% ABV. Speyside whisky from Scotland, Cadenheads bottling Bourbon Barrel What I say: Sampled (blind) at the […]
Darkness!
  • Macallan 15 Years Old PX Finish Darkness! (2015) – I found this much more heavily sherried than the official Macallan bottlings I have sampled recently (mostly from the 1824 (colours) range and the younger age statements), but not over-poweringly so. We really enjoyed this, many thanks again to Tom and Maverick Drinks. 89/100
Gordon & MacPhail
  • macallan-1997-bottled-2015-speymalt-gordon-macphail-whisky Macallan 1997 Speymalt (2016) – Speymalt from the Macallan Distillery 1997-2015 Category: Speyside single malt scotch whisky Origin: The Macallan Distillery Bottling: Gordon & MacPhail; Speymalt ABV: 43% Cost: £59.00 What they say: Distilled at The Macallan Distillery in 1997 and bottled in 2015 by Gordon & MacPhail under their Speymalt label. Colour: Dark Gold. Body: Medium, creamy and smooth. […]
  • Macallan-2006-Speymalt-Gordon-MacPhail Macallan 2006 Speymalt (2016) – Lovely, lots of nice things in this dram, crunchie choclate bars and crème brulee with banana and chocolate influences, a real toasty wood flavour too. 86/100
Scotch Malt Whisky Society
  • SMWS 24.128 Posh ladies on the prom! SMWS 24.128 Posh ladies on the prom! (2016) – For me this was a perfect example of a whisky aged to the point of extinction. Undoubtedly beautiful spirit but likely a tired cask after 29 years, strangely little tannic or wood influence was discovered leaving the whole dram like a cream cake. Like cream cakes, you could always have more than one if you were feeling naughty! 84/100