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Macallan is not just an excellent whiskey from the Speyside region of Scotland, but one of the most expensive and famous products produced in this area.
The company specializes in the production of an elite single malt drink, which is popular in many countries. Despite the fact that there are many large distilleries in the vicinity of Highland, it is the Macallan brand that is called the pride of Scotland.
The company is rightfully considered one of the world’s best producers of single malt whiskey: the annual sales of products is about 6 million liters.
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Macallan Whiskey History
In 1824, the first Macallan whiskey was released at a tiny distillery founded by a simple farmer and teacher Alexander Reid on the banks of the Spey River. The company was one of the first in the region to receive a license for the distillation of a malt drink.
During the XNUMXth century, for various reasons, the company changed owners several times, but the dawn of the brand came during the reign of Roderick Kemp. The enterprising businessman upgraded the equipment and brought the plant to a new level. The company’s reputation skyrocketed, glorifying the company not only in Scotland, but also abroad.
By the middle of the 1979th century, production volumes increased several times, and in XNUMX Macallan whiskey first appeared on the advertising pages of The Times.
In the 90s, the company again had to change owners: in 1996 it became part of Highland Distillers PLS, and in 1999 the reins of government were transferred to The Edrington Group.
Among the achievements of the brand is an entry in the Guinness Book of Records, which appeared there after the sale of a vintage whiskey collection for a fabulous amount of 250 thousand pounds.
On the way to fame, the Scottish manufacturer had to go through a difficult path and change more than one owner, keeping only the level of quality and good name unchanged.
Features of the production of Macallan whiskey
Based on a special low-yielding barley variety “Golden Promise”
Which is grown in the fields of the estate “Easter Elchies House”, owned by the company, and spring water from local underground sources.
The distillation system consists of small handmade pot stills.
Providing maximum contact of the drink with copper.
As a result, the bouquet is fully developed, acquires a rich, full-bodied character and a bright fruity aroma, and the texture of the whiskey becomes dense and oily.
By the way, Macallan’s distillation system is featured on the £10 note issued by the Bank of Scotland.
At the selection stage, alcohols are subjected to strict rejection
To create whiskey, only the purest product is separated with an average strength of 72%.
The alcohol content in ready-made drinks varies from 40 to 55%.
Unique oak barrels
Oak barrels used for aging whiskey are made to order in strict accordance with the requirements of the company.
Containers made of European wood give the drinks hints of chocolate and dried fruits, while those made of American wood give shades of coconut, toffee and lemon.
The manufacturer also uses used bourbon and sherry casks, which give whiskey floral-vanilla and fruity accents.
The aging period depends on the product category and can reach several decades.
The rich color palette of Macallan is absolutely natural.
This is the result of the interaction of quality malt spirits with the warm texture of oak wood.
Shades range from light gold to mahogany.
Overview of flavors and types of whiskey Macallan
The number of names of the famous Macallan has several dozen. All of them are distributed in several collections:
Sherry Oak
The line includes 12, 18, 25, 30 and 40 year old single malts.
The deep, intense taste of the drink is ensured by storage in special Spanish sherry casks.
Main notes: dried fruits, spices, mature oak.
Double Cask
The interaction of the classic Scottish single malt with the sweetness of American woods resulted in the birth of two amazingly balanced drinks: the unencumbered golden “Double Cask Gold” and the aged amber “Double Cask 12 Years Old”.
Before the whiskey was stored in special barrels, they were used to mature Spanish sherry.
The prevailing tones in the bouquet: cinnamon, baked apples, honey, ginger, citrus fruits.
Triple Cask Matured
Three types of barrels are used to create a unique collection: 2 types of sherry casks and 1 bourbon.
Whiskey is aged in them for 12, 15 or 18 years.
The Quest Collection
A special line, for which the most unusual barrels from different parts of the world were purchased.
As a result, 4 drinks with different flavors were released: the soft citrus-vanilla “The Macallan quest”, the savory sweet-spicy “The Macallan Lumina”, the complex fruity-caramel “The Macallan terra” and the rich woody-spicy “The Macallan Enigma”. “.
The Masters Decanter Series
An original collection of drinks poured into designer decanters. The bouquet becomes more complex as you move from the first product of the line to the last.
The tones of the palette also change: from the light amber whiskey “The Macallan Reflexion” to the rich “The Macallan M Black”, the color of which is hidden in a black bottle.
Fine & Rare
Rare mahogany shade whiskey presented in a single copy.
The aroma teases with soft notes of vanilla and raisins, which are replaced by a bright ensemble of apples, lemons and oranges.
Balanced, rich taste surprises with the perfect combination of spices: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves.
The spices are replaced by sweet tones of vanilla and chocolate with a warm woody-citrus aftertaste.
Limited Releases
A selection of the brand’s finest single malt whiskeys, each with its own unique creation story.
Among the assortment of the collection stands out bright amber whiskey with a half-century exposure “The Macallan 50 Years Old”.
The complex bouquet contains tones of vanilla, spices, fruits and a subtle peaty hue.
Rare collector’s items in exclusive bottles also deserve special attention.
Travel Retail Exclusives
Travel series. You can buy drinks from the line at airports in different countries.
Past Releases
The collection includes drinks that were produced by the company before.
How to spot fake Macallan whiskey
Due to the great popularity of the brand, the alcohol market is flooded with fakes of Macallan whiskey. To protect yourself from acquiring counterfeit products, you should study the signs of genuine products:
High-quality whiskey of elite varieties is necessarily accompanied by the labeling “Deluxe” or “Premium”.
Before purchasing, you should visit the official website of the brand and carefully consider what the original bottle and label of a particular drink looks like.
The color palette of real Macallan whiskey varies from amber to different shades of brown.
The drink should be absolutely transparent: without turbidity and sediment. It will not be superfluous to shake the bottle: in genuine whiskey, the bubbles are large and do not burst for a long time.
The aroma of the original whiskey is not sharp, with notes of oak, citrus, vanilla, flowers, but not alcohol.
The consistency of the aged drink should be thick, viscous, oily.
The packaging of real whiskey should have a presentable appearance: an evenly pasted label without errors in the inscriptions, a high-quality bottle made of thick glass, etc.
It is better to buy elite alcohol in specialized points where you can get acquainted with the quality certificate. The price of such drinks cannot be low.
Relevance: 30.01.2019
Tags: Whiskey and bourbon, Whiskey brands