As part of its 200th-anniversary celebrations, the Macallan has revealed a collection which nod to the brand’s approach to “time travel” through whisky. The TIME : SPACE collection marks the “200 Years Young” milestone through expressions which traverse the brand's distilling history.
The first is TIME : SPACE, which brings together two whiskies in a dual-chamber vessel. The outer chamber of the vessel contains an 84-year-old whisky, the oldest age statement ever released by the distillery. Two 1940 casks were selected for the bottling; a first fill American oak and second fill European oak cask, both seasons with sherry in Jerez. Bottled at 43.6% ABV after 84 years of maturation, the Macallan has selected this whisky to represent its past.
Master whisky maker Kirsteen Campbell commented: “It was an absolute privilege to be able to reach back in time and select stock from the 1940s to honour and celebrate our 200-year anniversary.
“As a Whisky Mastery Team, our roles are unique in the sense that we get to time travel — selecting whisky from the past crafted by our predecessors, whilst simultaneously laying down casks for future generations of whisky makers and consumers. To nose, taste, and select whisky created over eight decades ago is an exceptionally rare occasion in the life of a whisky maker and one which I will treasure.”
Held in the central chamber of the TIME : SPACE release is a whisky distilled in 2018, the first whisky from the Macallan’s new distillery. The whisky has been selected to showcase the future of the brand.
Campbell added: “For the 2018 vintage, the prospect of selecting a younger cask created a lot of excitement in the sample room — it is an opportunity to give others an insight into the Macallan’s future. This marked the first year of production in our new distillery, which is truly a significant moment to be cherished. Through a fusion of art and science we have ensured the continuity of the character of our whisky.”
Also in the collection is a release paying homage to the “craft of whisky mastery” of the Macallan. TIME : SPACE Mastery features 14 cask types for layers of complexity.
Euan Kennedy, lead whisky maker, explained: “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.”
The Macallan says the Mastery bottling has influences from European and American oak sherry-seasoned casks, American oak bourbon casks, and refill casks. It will be released in a circular vessel representing the “circle of life”.
The Macallan has marked its 200th anniversary in style throughout 2024, with further celebrations including a Cirque du Soleil collaboration and the release of Tales of the Macallan Volume II.
The Macallan TIME : SPACE is available to purchase through invitation from the Macallan. The Macallan TIME : SPACE Mastery will be available to purchase via the Macallan subject to availability and location.
