W
L
THE WHISKY CONNOISSEUR
BY DAVID GREEN, THE RED FOX
This month, we are off to Speyside and to perhaps one of
the most recognisable names in the world of whisky. The
Macallan is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery based just
outside Craigellachie, Moray, north east of Scotland.
Founded in 1824, The Macallan was one of the first Scottish
distilleries to be legally licensed, today it is one of the largest in
Scotland. In fact, it is third in total world sales for single malts,
producing and selling 000’s of bottles worldwide every year.
Located on a 390-acre estate in the Scottish Highlands, using
water from springs beneath its estate, The Macallan makes
single malt whiskies using the smallest commercial stills in
Speyside. Their unique size and shape gives the spirit maximum
contact with the copper, helping to concentrate the new-make
spirit with rich, fruity, full-bodied flavours. These stills are so
famous that they appear on the back of a Bank of Scotland £10
note.
Look closely and you’ll see bottles of The Macallan in well
know films and TV shows. In Suits, Harvey Spector drinks
Macallan 18, and Bond is seen toasting with a ‘Macallan 50’ in
Skyfall. The Macallan is one of the most sought-after whiskies
for collectors having built a strong reputation for quality malt
whisky; rare expressions can change hands for thousands of
pounds, and prices for such bottles are continuously going up.
In 2014, a decanter of The Macallan ‘M’ whisky sold at auction
in Hong Kong for a record breaking $628,205 and earlier this
year a collection of Macallan single malts set a new world
record price for any lot of whisky sold at auction, selling for
$993,000.
The distillery invests a lot of time and effort into sourcing and
making casks for maturing their spirit, and it makes sense, as
it’s the single greatest contributor to the outstanding quality,
natural colours and the distinctive aromas and flavours of The
Macallan malts. They are said to spend more per cask than
any other distillery, they really do love their casks, so much so
that they are the only Scotch distiller with a dedicated job role
‘Master of Wood’ who’s job it is to purely oversee the casks.
All the colours in The Macallan whiskies are natural. The
interaction of the spirit with the casks delivers the rich and
natural diversity of colour throughout the range, from light
oak through to darkest mahogany. Great skill is required by the
Master Whisky Maker to achieve consistency of natural colour
from bottling to bottling.
For me, any Macallan dram is worthwhile. For those new to
the distiller, Macallan Gold, a blend of 9 to 15 year old casks, or
Macallan 12 Year Old Fine Oak are both good starting points.
Although you can still find age statement whiskies in the range,
Macallan, like many other distilleries, have been moving in the
direction of NAS (No Age Statement).
My pick of this month, Sienna, is one such no age statement
release and forms part of the 1824 Series which takes its name
from the year that The Macallan was founded. Sienna is the
second-darkest whisky in the 1824 Series and has been matured
in American oak as well as sherry casks and balances rich dried-
fruit sweetness with some lighter, spicier notes.
On the nose it has a buttery creamy quality with thick sweet
malty goodness where the bourbon seems to meet you first with
the sherry playing catch-up just ever so behind. On the palate
this whisky is silky smooth, with medium oils in your mouth
combined with just a sprinkling of spice, mostly due to the
slight hike in ABV, which for me is a welcomed thing. I really
get fruitcake-sweet aromas with dates, figs and raisins and then
a hint of oranges and apples, before vanilla returns in grandeur.
The final fanfare is gentle, smooth and warming.
The Red Fox has recently been voted in the top ten whisky
pubs in the UK by The Good Pub Guide so to celebrate we are
holding a whisky weekend from the 8th to 10th November, we
will feature a number of malts from The Macallan range, check
our www.redfox.pub for more information.
Sienna is available at The Red Fox or grab a bottle for £74.55 at
www.thewhiskyexchange.com
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