The Macallan is a single malt scotch whisky first made in 1824 by tenant farmer and former schoolteacher Alexander Reid (1782–1847) at Easter Elchies in the heart of Speyside, Scotland. From its humble beginnings, the Macallan has exploded both in size and reputation, to the point where it serves for many as the embodiment of scotch luxury: fans have tagged it the “Rolls-Royce of whisky” and the “Dom Perignon of scotch.” In 2014, a Macallan bottling—called simply M—sold for a whopping world-record price of $604,205 to a Hong Kong collector at auction. So strong, in fact, is the collectors’ market for older expressions of the brand that it has been plagued by a rash of counterfeit bottlings.
While the whisky made at Easter Elchies always had a reputation for quality even as the distillery passed through several hands after the death of Reid’s son in 1848, its survival, like that of many single malt Scotch whiskies, originally depended on supplying liquid for blending houses to sell under brand names such as the Famous Grouse. It wasn’t until the latter half of the twentieth century that the distillery—owned by the Kemp family since 1892 when distiller Roderick Kemp (1838–1909) bought it, modernized it, and renamed it the Macallan-Glenlivet after the stream on which it was situated—would release its range of distinctive malt whiskies, which are classically characterized by flavors born of mashing Golden Promise barley, distilling in squat pot stills, and maturing in Spanish sherry oak casks. (The Kemps sold the brand to Highland distillers in 1996.)
The Macallan was bought by the Edrington Group (now simply Edrington) in 1999, which markets and bottles the Fine Oak range, the Sherry Oak range, the 1824 series, and the Fine and Rare series, along with limited editions. See Edrington. The Macallan ranks consistently as both a bestselling and top investment-grade brand of Scotch.
In 2018, the Macallan opened a striking new state-of-the-art combined distillery and visitors’ center that uses a flowing, grass-covered roof to blend into the landscape. Its stillroom, with thirty-six new pot stills, is designed to be easily expanded, should the brand’s sales continue to swell.
See also single malt.
Bruce-Gardyne, Tom. “The Macallan: A Brand History.” Spirits Business, December 2018.
By: Heather Greene
Pot stills and their heat exchangers at the Macallan distillery, Craigellachie, Scotland.
Courtesy of Edrington.
Pot stills and their heat exchangers at the Macallan distillery, Craigellachie, Scotland. Source: Courtesy of Edrington.