A 78 year old single malt from The Macallan's Red Collection, selected by Lead Whisky Maker Sarah Burgess and released in 2020. When it came out it was the oldest whisky the distillery had ever bottled, spirit laid down in hand-picked oak casks and left for close to eight decades.
About This Whisky
The new make came from The Macallan's small copper stills and went into sherry-seasoned oak, where it rested under several generations of whisky makers. Sarah Burgess chose the cask for bottling in 2020 at 42.2% ABV. At that age the strength has fallen close to the legal floor for Scotch, The bottle comes in a wooden presentation box, and the distillery describes its colour as "sunset on the Spey".
Tasting Profile
- Nose: A fresh fruit medley of apple, peach and grape moving into fresh lime and verbena. Antique oak and soft leather move into dark chocolate, dates and raisins, then a rich vanilla cake.
- Palate: Warming oak spice of nutmeg and ginger opens into raisin, prune, date and a hint of almond. Dry yet warming, with treacle toffee and baked apple sweetness.
- Finish: Long and thought-provoking, with every note from the nose and palate returning in turn.
Serving & Food
Serve at room temperature in a small crystal nosing glass, about 20mL per person. It needs no water at this strength. Let it sit in the glass for a while and return to it more than once. If food is wanted, keep it minimal: a few Marcona almonds, a sliver of aged Mimolette or a square of 70% chocolate.
How to Enjoy
A once-in-a-lifetime pour for a milestone dinner, or the anchor bottle in a serious Macallan collection.
Product Details
Producer: The Macallan
Collection: The Red Collection
Age: 78 years old
Region: Speyside, Scotland
Category: Speyside single malt Scotch whisky
Cask: Sherry-seasoned oak
Selected by: Sarah Burgess, Lead Whisky Maker
Year bottled: 2020
ABV: 42.2%
Volume: 700mL
About the Distillery
Red runs through The Macallan's story. The founder, Alexander Reid, carried a surname that means "the red". In 1903 the distillery sold a range called Choice Old, dressed in red, and in the 1980s Allan Shiach began tying a red ribbon around vintage bottles. The Red Collection picks up that thread. It was launched in 2020 with three ongoing ages, 40, 50 and 60 years old, joined by guest releases at 71, 74 and 78 years, and further very old guest bottlings have followed since.