The Macallan

Hello and welcome back to my little passion project in which I look at the whiskies I have met on cruise ships and try to share my joy and knowledge with others.  I want people to see that they can sail the seven seas and see many wonders of art and culture and yet one of the most wonderful landmarks can be in a glass in front of them.

This time I am looking at Macallan, known as the Rolls Royce of whisky. My father-in-law gave the doctors who delivered his daughters bottles of Macallan as thank you gifts.  I used Macallan to toast him at his funeral.  My wife favours the Macallan as a whisky to invest in, either to be sold later or to be given as gifts to our 10 grandchildren in the future.   The 2003 edition of ‘Collecting Malt Whisky, the definitive guide to malt whiskies at auction’ dedicates 8 pages to Macallan and starts it by saying ‘The Macallan, over all the single malts, has held the world record auction price for the longest, over a sixteen year period, currently £18,000, the huge range of bottlings is the largest seen at auction’. It is the only whisky that gets named in the introduction.  It also gets two mentions in the book ‘Whisky Kitchen’ for a Chocolate Lattice and for a Linguine with Strathdon and Walnut sauce, emphasising how well a Macallan can be paired with both chocolate and with cheese.  In Ian Buxton's book ‘101 whiskies to try before you die’ he lists 101 whiskies from around the world that he feels the whisky enthusiast should seek out to complete their education.  Out of the 101 - 3 are Macallan.

When it comes to Scotch, ships seem to focus tasting classes on either Johnnie Walker (see my previous episode) or Macallan.  Which begs the question - “If I can learn about Macallan on the ship why bother listening to this”? Well, there is a lot more to Macallan than what you get at the tastings plus you can watch it many times, when you want AND IT IS FREE.  I am not saying don’t bother with the tastings, especially if you get an offer.  The tasting sessions on board will allow you to taste expressions that you might not always taste, give you chance to talk about them and learn more about how each one is different.

Let’s start at the beginning and maybe shake the tree of legends a bit to see how firm its roots are.  Glenlivet began its story with a bang, literally.  Its origins included a strong character defending himself at gunpoint, pushing forward to defend its name and reputation, passing it on to the next generation. It is a tale  that is legendary.  But it is not the only one by far.  The excise act of 1823 was not a simple bit of legislation that enabled people to just buy a licence and open a distillery.  The act laid down specific requirements on how that was to be done.  This required time to adapt and build.  This is one of the reasons that the act passed in 1823 yet the first licences didn’t come out until 1824.  Glenlivet was the first and got its licence on the 9th November - let that sink in.  With all the status of being the first, and with others also getting licences the same year, the Glenlivet could only have been ahead of the others by a month.  Considering the time it took to meet the standards of the act other distilleries must have already been deep into the process, and many would have been distilling without the licence before that.

Macallan also got the license in 1824.  The founder was Alexander Reid, a former school teacher who had turned to growing barley on an 8 acre area of land on the Earl of Seafield’s estate known as Easter Elchies.  Whilst close in proximity this is not to be confused with Wester Elchies mentioned in the episode about Glenlivet.  Just to add to any confusion, the whisky Reid made wasn’t called Macallan at this point but was under the name of the Elchies distillery which, according to some, MAY have made whisky known by the village’s name of ‘Craigellachie’ not to be confused with the current distillery of the same name that was founded in 1890 and has connections with Dewar’s which was the focus of episode 1.

Alexander Reid died in 1847 and his son, also called Alexander, died only a year later whilst still in his twenties. It was two partners who carried the business on, these were the two James’, Davidson and Priest and it was them who signed an agreement with James Stuart who eventually took over the distillery, saw it through some very difficult times and managed a significant rebuild - there will be more about the current building later.

In 1892 the distillery is taken over by Roderick Kemp.  Kemp is a key figure in the distillery’s history. His family owned and controlled it for many years and set some of the key foundations, such as sherried wood management.  A strong leader Kemp also re-named it as Macallan-Glenlivet, a name that stayed until 1980.

But, hard as it might be to imagine now, Macallan was not a well known household name, the whisky being produced was mainly being used for blending - and in this role it was seen as being one of the best.  Numerous sources mention Macallan as being sought after by blenders who would use it as a ‘top dressing’, something that would raise the blend to a higher level.  Within the series I am doing I have already mentioned blends like Cutty Sark and Famous Grouse, both of which contain Macallan, but they are not alone.  Richard Paterson names Macallan as one of his ‘Great Chieftains’, being ‘elegant and sophisticated, bold and majestic’ and ‘when combined with their counterparts they radiate like a beacon in a dark sea’.

But as we know the world of whisky has ups and down. The problems of prohibition and world war hit Macallan as it did others.  So did changes in trends.  Blended whisky had been influential and positive in establishing whisky as a global success and Macallan has long been a favoured part of that market.  However, the love of the blend was to begin to wane.  People began to want something more.  As people began to learn about whisky they wanted to feed their interests and develop a sense of having something ‘special’.  I remember the actor Gordon Jackson in the role of George Cowley, head of CI5 in the UK TV series ‘The Professionals’.  This was back in 1977 and in one scene he scolded a colleague with the words ‘Good God man, that’s a single malt!’.  It was the first time I remember hearing the term and it stuck with me that a single malt must be something special - and it is.  The age of the single malt was rising and Macallan was prepared for it. Back in 1943 Managing Partner Dr Samuel Shiach began a policy of only selling its produce to cover expenses, the rest of the production was to be laid down for maturation.  This foresight was significant and in March 1980 the distillery launched its first advert as a single malt in an edition of The Times, and later celebrated it as Folio 1 in their Archival series of select bottlings.

As Macallan emerged with its own identity one can not underestimate how strong its impact was.  In the book ‘Whisky and Philosophy’.  Hegel’s ideals are considered in terms of the concept of an ideal whisky. The idea being that an ideal would be something that is true and complete to the concept of what it should be and how that can be applied to the concept of Scotch.  This doesn’t mean that it is the best in every sense - if you prefer a strong peaty whisky then it may not be your favourite but the strong peaty whisky is also not meeting the complete concept of whisky - it would have a leaning to one side of the concept.  An ideal whisky by such definition would need to contain the full range of complexity whilst also obtaining a balance across all components.  This would be an incredible achievement of skill and the one they used to illustrate it was… Macallan.  But I want to take this further.  The book mentions these ideals in relation to the whisky itself but I have argued many times that whisky is more than a drink, it has much more to it.  The ideal whisky has artistry and craft in many forms.  One needs to look at its own philosophy regarding things like sustainability, aspects of marketing, presentation and much more.  The ideal could also be applied to the people who make it.  Macallan does this in many ways.  Including the role of women within the world of whisky. Not only am I grateful for what women have given to whisky but I acknowledge that they have always been an essential part of it.  This is something that the image of whisky within society has falsely represented.  For far too long women were restricted to limited roles and rarely seen as whisky drinkers. Yet women were involved from the very beginning.  If you look back at my previous episodes you will see mention of women such as Grace Gow in Glenturret and Dewars’  Stephanie McCleod.  Macallan is no exception. Roderick Kemp’s leadership was followed by a trust in his name.  In 1918 his daughter, Janet Harbinson, known as Nettie, took on the role of Managing Partner and in 1926 laid down a cask, number 263, that was bottled in 1986 and broke records when a single bottle sold at auction in 2018 for £1.2 million pounds.  Another bottle sold in 2019 for £1.5 million and another in 2013 for £2,187,500. They released a short film in her honour called ‘The Spirit of 1926’.

This raises another aspect of being an ideal whisky in as much as what range of customer it can attract, after all we can’t all afford to pay £1.2 million for a bottle. The answer is that Macallan has a very wide appeal, remember it is popular in blends so there will be many who unknowingly appreciate it.  As a single malt its range of expressions, and price points, are extensive, making them very interesting to collectors.  The core base range has various age statements and a choice of purely sherry oak expressions and fine oak ones that add in the american oak influence. The number of special releases are incredible and often link around themes and world famous artists of various disciplines.  The £1.2 million pound 1926 bottle was not just a bottle.  It was hand painted by Ireland’s Michael Dillon and featured Easter Elchies House, home of the Distillery.  Macallan is well known for its collaborations with others, each set being works of art in many ways and far too many for me to list here, but well worth looking into.

 As a quick side issue - It is said that impersonation is the highest form of flattery -

There is a single malt formed by two separate distilleries.  How is this possible? By making it within the world of fiction.  Created by prop company Independent Studio Services the ‘single malt’ from ‘Dipton’ in Ross-shire - don’t try to find it on a map - has featured in many films and TV shows such as -

The Shield, Bones, Grey's Anatomy, The American Office, Burn Notice, Sons of Anarchy, Castle, Community, Modern Family, Pretty Little Liars, Breakout Kings, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Banshee, Chicago P.D., The Player, Zoo and Mr Mercedes

The whisky in question is Glencallan. It comes in a number of fictional age statements and is formed by a combination of the names of Glenlivet and Macallan. 

Macallan itself is no stranger to the world of film playing a significant role within a famous franchise - this is a good example of one of the collaborated sets I mentioned earlier.  If Macallan was a person what sort of person would that be? Someone with a sense of style, lots of charisma, someone who is strong and bold yet comfortable in all situations.  A person that somehow spans generations, managing to be traditional and yet modern, classic yet cutting edge.  Someone who is familiar, reassuring and yet there is a hint of danger, something of the maverick.  Macallan has a special relationship with James Bond, their Bond collection has a representation for all 6 decades of the official franchise, each with those extras such as included artwork.  The link with Bond is a real one and one of the rare moments when a whisky can come out of one type of Bond and go straight into a different Bond.  Macallan can be seen within the films themselves as it has become Bond’s preferred whisky.  Keen observers may even notice little easter eggs within the films, for example there is a scene in the film ‘Skyfall” in which Bond is set the task of shooting a dram of whisky that is balanced on Severine’s head and remarks that the exercise was ‘a waste of good scotch’.  The Scotch in question is, of course, a Macallan.  BUT to be precise it is a 50 year old fine and rare Macallan, and the film was made during Bond’s 50th anniversary, and was a 1962 vintage, with 1962 being the year the first official Bond film was released.  It is not the only fine detail within this franchise, another example is the ‘Diamonds are Forever’ 55th anniversary release using whisky distilled in the year 2 007.

Another significant collection is the 6 Pillars Collection.  6 whiskies aged 50, 55, 57, 60, 62 and 65 years each within their own purpose designed Lalique Crystal decanter.  But what are the 6 pillars?

I first came across these in a small booklet written by Charles MacClean called ‘The Macallan - Pillars of Spiritual Wisdom, written in 1998.  Approaching 30 years later and the Macallan website has updated them.  The 6 pillars lay down the distillery’s core belief, its principles and ethos.  So, with so much more to say than I could possibly have time to, I am going to finish by quickly looking at these pillars.

1. - In 1998 this was Uncompromising selection and related to the insistence of using the barley strain ‘Golden Promise’, even when other strains gave higher yields. This is no longer the case. A harsh reality of life is that low yielding strains can not meet high and rising demands plus there is immense risk in being restricted to a single variety.  Distilleries are forced to review their choice of barley as diseases develop and strains suffer requiring a constant process of development. The modern version of the first pillar has now moved to be ‘Mastery’ , an unwavering commitment to craftsmanship and excellence.
2. - Previously this was ‘Singularly complex Fermentation’ and related to the specific cocktail of yeast strains designed and tested to be best for what they wanted.  The modern version is ‘Exceptional Oak Casks - I will come to this later.
3. - The order of the 6 pillars have changed but the former number 3 is still there, but in a different position.  It is ‘curiously small stills’.  It is an odd one and something that frequently comes up at tastings.  The fine taste profile could suggest a tall still and yet Macallan utilises a traditionally small still with descending lyne arms and no reflux bowl.  The size enables a higher ratio of liquid to copper contact.  The broad head of the still results in less force in upward flow.  If you blow into a narrowing straw the air pressure will be increased and the air will come out at great speed.  Expel the same amount of air through a wide pipe and one’s breath is expired before you can get much force behind it.  A similar thing is happening within the still.  Rising vapours in a tall and thin still has a chimney effect that can rush the vapours through, whilst a shorter, broader still can disperse this energy outwards and retain the vapours for longer- increasing the time in contact with the copper.  The descending angle of the lyne arm means that once the vapour has crossed over it can get to the condensers quickly by forming droplets and rolling downwards - The result is a distillate than has had the cleaning effect of the copper contact without losing much of the flavour profile.
4. - This leads us to the next stage - ‘A preciously fine cut’, (the newer pillar relates to it’s natural colour - more on that later), Macallan is known to only use a small, best pick of the distillate to take forward to the next stage.
5. - Originally this was ‘Exclusively Sherry Casks’.  This is a key part of its identity but is not as simple as it sounds.  The modern version to this is ‘Sherry Seasoned’.  There would have been a time when Macallan would have used only sherry casks which would have been made from European Oak.  As time has gone by this has changed.  They have been able to expand the scope of their expressions by the use of American Oak - a difference in tree type from which the wood is sourced - and it is worth mentioning that Macallan were amongst the first distilleries to be actively involved in this, right down to the selection of trees and which part of the tree to be used in making the casks. They now use three types of cask. casks made from American Oak that have been seasoned in Sherry.  Casks made from European Oak which have been seasoned in sherry and ex bourbon casks..
6. - This is where ‘Naturally fine colour’ originally sat.  Macallan do not add caramel for colour but also are aware that the impact of colour is part of the experience - which they achieve through natural and skilful means.  In the modern version Pillar 6 is the grounds themselves.  It’s Easter Elchies house - the history and the spiritual home. But it is more.  The distillery itself is a work of art.  It has changed dramatically over the decades and can be a shock for those who don’t know.  Ask yourself how you imagine it to be? where does your imagination take you? Is it a traditional distillery of stone with pagoda roofs venting peated smoke? Or, considering the amount in volume it makes, is it more like an industrial unit with large metal tanks and miles of venting pipes?  Opened in 2018 taking around 400 workers to build at a cost of £140 million pounds, it has a total of 36 stills and much much more, it is … modern, natural, sensitive, sustainable, beautiful, subtle and…just…wonderful.