Speyside distillery The Macallan has unveiled two new whiskies as part of its Time: Space Collection, including the world’s oldest single malt, to recognize the milestone of 200 Years Young. They are The Macallan £150,000 ($190,000) TIME : SPACE 1940 84 Year Old + a 2018 5 Year Old, and £1,100 The Macallan TIME : SPACE Mastery, a no-age-statement expression comprised of whisky from 14 different cask types.
The first is TIME : SPACE – a dual chamber vessel that includes the oldest whisky released by The Macallan at 84 Years Old which is housed in the outer chamber. Representing the past, this expression has been aged in two casks: a first fill American oak butt and a second fill European oak butt – both seasoned with Sherry in Jerez de la Frontera, and matured in Speyside, Scotland. Bottled at 43.6% ABV, an extraordinary 84 years of maturation has produced rich natural color, exceptional depth and richness and full, long-lasting flavor unique to this rare, aged single malt Scotch whisky.
As a counterpart, the single malt housed in the central chamber is a 2018 vintage, marking a significant milestone as the first ever whisky from The Macallan’s new distillery – a nod to the future of the brand and its commitment to excellence in its whiskies. During the transition to the new Distillery in 2018, The Macallan went to exacting standards to secure the continuity of the single malt quality and signature taste.
The unique vessel is displayed in an oak sculpture which has been purposefully designed to accentuate the 100% natural color of the whisky, and alternate layers of American oak and European oak have been selected to craft the display sculpture, as a homage to the brand’s commitment to sherry seasoned oak casks. With only 200 in existence, one for each year of The Macallan’s History, this dual expression is said to capture the essence of time travel.
Kirsteen Campbell, Master Whisky Maker, The Macallan, commented: “It was an absolute privilege to be able to reach back in time and select stock from the 1940’s to honor and celebrate our 200 year anniversary.
The second release TIME : SPACE Mastery embraces 200 years of history – a one-of-a-kind The Macallan release celebrating the craft of whisky mastery by featuring 14 exceptional cask types, creating layers of complexity with an incredible depth of aroma, texture and flavor.
“Inspired by past masters, we have explored the full extent of our warehouses to capture the complex influences of cask seasoning, oak origin, cask size and distillery character in one incredibly special bottle of whisky – with the elegance provided by European Oak sitting at its heart.” Euan Kennedy, Lead Whisky Maker, for TIME : SPACE Mastery.
The Macallan’s TIME : SPACE is available to purchase through invitation from The Macallan. The Macallan’s TIME : SPACE Mastery will be available to purchase from TheMacallan.com, subject to availability and location, as well as via The Macallan Society.
For United States consumers interested in purchasing The Macallan TIME : SPACE, or other limited-edition releases, please contact Client Services at ClientServies@TheMacallan.com.