Macallan have launched The Macallan Reach, and at 81 Years Old, this rare single malt is the oldest whisky ever released by the distillery.
This historic whisky, crafted from a single, sherry seasoned oak cask, was distilled in 1940 and survived the Second World War, when The Macallan was had to close its doors for the first time.
It is encased in a decanter created from mouth-blown glass, cradled on a bronze sculpture of three hands presenting three characters to tell the story of The Macallan’s legacy. One commemorates the Distillery workers of 1940 who crafted the spirit into existence. Another is the hand of one-time chairman, Allan Shiach, whose grandfather headed the company when the spirit was first consigned to its cask and the third is that of today’s Master Whisky Maker, Kirsteen Campbell, who selected the 1940 cask used to create The Reach, deciding that now was the time to share it with the world.
Kirsteen Campbell, Master Whisky Maker, The Macallan, said: “It is an honour to introduce The Reach. Created during a turbulent time in the world, this extraordinary expression showcases The Macallan’s history, ingenuity and unmistakable strength of character.
“The creation of many hands, The Reach has been a truly collaborative effort. It’s also a tribute to the people who made this precious whisky, and their enduring spirit which never wavered.”
It is limited to only 288 decanters worldwide and will retail at £92,000.
Edinburgh-based Fusion Whisky Limited has launched its latest hybrid whisky, The Kincardine, to celebrate the historic ties between India and Scotland and honour the Scotsman who helped modernise India’s railways.
The seven-year-old malt, bottled at 59.2% abv, is inspired by the life of Victor Bruce, the 9th Earl of Elgin and 13th Earl of Kincardine, who served as Viceroy and Governor General of India between 1894-99.
He is remembered for making massive improvements to India’s rail system, helped secure its economy by stabilizing the rupee, pacified its volatile border with Afghanistan, and sought to alleviate the worst effects of drought and famine through a pioneering work-relief programme.
The Kincardine whisky is a fusion from Glen Elgin and Macallan distilleries in Scotland and single malt whisky from India’s celebrated Amrut distillery in Bangalore.
It has been blended by Bruce’s great-grandson Alex Bruce, Master Blender and Managing Director of Adelphi Distillery, based in Fife.
He said, “With The Kincardine, we’ve blended two single casks of malt whisky from Amrut Distillery in Bangalore with Scotch whisky from Glen Elgin and Macallan distilleries.
“The fruitiness of the mature Speyside malts works beautifully with the Indian whisky, creating a very complex, international flavour.
“It was a genuine privilege to create this whisky in honour of my great-grandfather, and great to develop a product that it is an example of the strong, positive and long-lasting relations between Scotland and India.”
Only 800 bottles of the whisky will be released at RRP £135, although Fusion Whisky said there was scope to produce more variants of both The Kincardine and The Glover in the future.
Fusion Whisky Limited launched The Glover series of premium whiskies last year in honour of “Scottish Samurai” Thomas Blake Glover, which fused Scotch with extremely rare whisky from Japan.
Speyside distiller Macallan has released a new Double Cask 12 Year Old single malt matured in sherry seasoned European and American oak casks.
The new whisky is designed to sit between Macallan’s existing premium Sherry Oak and Fine Oak ranges. The combination of casks gives it a sweet yet balanced honeyed character.
Bob Dalgarno, The Macallan Master Whisky Maker, said, “This is a single malt which showcases a true balance of character which results in a fully rounded and distinctive flavour profile. By combining wood influences, we have been able to produce a new Macallan which sits perfectly between our existing Sherry Oak and Fine Oak ranges.”
Chris Anderson, Luxury Marketing Controller for Maxxium UK, added, “The Macallan Double Cask provides us with the opportunity to offer the trade an additional variant and importantly, a new style of The Macallan at the 12 years old position and price. In turn, this means we can offer the consumer a wider choice of products at this level, and encourage trial and exploration within The Macallan portfolio.”
The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old is available now from specialist whisky retailers costing RRP £55.
The value of rare Scotch whisky sold in the UK has topped £5 http://buylevitra24.com million for the first time, with iconic brands dominating sales.
In the first six months of 2016, collectable bottles sold on the open market rose to £5.771m, more than a 25% increase compared to last year – according to figures released by whisky analysts Rare Whisky 101.
The number of collectable and limited edition bottles saw an even bigger rise of 28.5 per cent http://buylevitra24.com to 26,527 bottles.
Whisky investment analyst and co-founder of Rare Whisky 101, Andy Simpson, said that rare http://buylevitra24.com whisky investment will peak in 2016.
Based on current trends, he predicts the UK rare Scotch auction market to exceed http://buylevitra24.com a total value of £12m, with sales reaching to 55,000 bottles for the full year, and ten times the http://buylevitra24.com volume sold in 2010.
Leading rare whisky brands, Brora and Dalmore, retain their positions http://buylevitra24.com as the top two ranked investor distilleries, while Macallan and Ardbeg occupy the same positions http://buylevitra24.com in the collectors’ rankings.
Simpson said, “For some in the broader Scotch category, export and sales figures still appear challenging. However, the secondary market for rarities shows little of this stress.
“The lack of truly collectable new product releases in recent years continues to fuel demand for older http://buylevitra24.com and discontinued releases where quality and rarity are powerful motivations for purchase.”
He added that the market continues to be heavily polarised, with collectables and limited editions from less sought-after brands declining in value as buyers stick to better-known brands.
The Macallan have unveiled a partnership with Spanish restaurant El Celler De Can Roca, long regarded as one of the world’s best restaurants, to create ‘the ultimate taste experience’. The restaurant is owned by The Roca Brothers Joan, Josep and Jordi, and recently came second in the prestigious World’s 50 Best Restaurants after holding the top spot last year.
Ken Grier, Director of The Macallan, said, “We are truly excited and honoured to be collaborating with the Roca Brothers to launch this major new initiative. Joan, Josep and Jordi are not only inspirational; they are world-class innovators whose commitment to their craft is exceptional. Our collaboration is set to break down classic perceptions of food pairing and enter into a whole new, awe-inspiring world of taste and flavour experience.”
Commenting on the collaboration, Josep Roca of El Celler de Can Roca said, “It is both a pleasure and an exciting challenge to work with The Macallan team. We combine knowledge, effort and hard work to improve in areas that individually we could have never imagined we could achieve, and all that with a strong commitment to innovation.”
The first results of the collaboration will be a series of six charity evenings entitled ‘The Ultimate Dinner with The Macallan and Roca’, taking place in June and July. Don’t get too excited about booking a table however; tickets are an astonishing $10,000 a piece. All net proceeds go to charity.
