Macallan
Buying the most exquisite, expensive and aromatic whiskey is no longer restricted only to the rich and elite. The internet and online whiskey auction sites make it so easy to buy the most sought after whiskey brands like Macallan.
These auctions offer a wide selection of the rarest and most unique bottles of whiskey to add to your collection. They expose you to a world of whiskeys you never knew about and provide information about them. While auctions were once expensive, if lucky, you may be able to buy your favorite Macallan bottle at a reasonable price.
Online auctions let you bid round-the-clock from the anonymity of your computer, tablet or phone. You can do your bidding at home or office, wherever you are without going to any auction house. Once you bid and buy a bottle, they even safely ship it to you at an extra cost.
That’s the biggest advantage of buying at auctions. However, no matter which bottle you select, make sure it’s within your budget. It is also better to ensure the auction house will be able to ship it to you before paying.
About Macallan
Macallan is one of the most famous, and reputed whiskey brands that are always held in high esteem. It’s one of the best-selling distilleries in the world, selling more than 700,000 bottles a year.
The distillery produces both entry-level scotch and the most coveted bottles. On average, the cost per bottle varies from 50 to hundreds of thousands of dollars. It spans across 390 acres of land in the Scottish Highlands near Craigellachie.
It was founded in 1824 by a barley farmer and school teacher, Alexander Reid and was one of the first Scottish distilleries to get licensed. He started early and small, producing the first bottle of Macallan whiskey in a woodshed with two pot stills.
It was Roderick Kemp who later bought the distillery to spread the word, and let the world know about this outstanding whiskey. It was after Kemp’s efforts that the name became synonymous with quality whiskey and grew multifold to their present million-pound production facility.
Macallan whiskey is made using their estate spring water and the smallest commercial stills. It uses just 16% of the spirit from these stills to fill into casks after distillation.
The distillery is very particular about their casks, proven by the fact that their distillery is the only one in Scotland with a Master of Wood. His responsibility lies in sourcing more than 200,000 barrels from UK and Spain oak trees.
The wood is dried, shaped and seasoned with Oloroso sherry which adds to the whiskey’s richness. The whiskey is a relatively light, heathery and grassy. It’s also one of the few brands without any caramel coloring giving the brown-sugary hue.
Which Macallan to choose
Telling you frankly, any Macallan is a worthy drink and investment. However, if you are new to the brand, then Macallan gold or 10 are all good to start with. For the adventurer, their Rare Cask gives seductive dark honey and dried fruit taste, thanks to its blend of 16 different sherry-cask styles.
Oldest whisky bottle
It was in August 2018 that they released their distillery’s oldest whiskey, the Macallan 72 years Old in Lalique. Only 600 bottles of this whiskey were released, priced at $60,000 each.
Factors to look out for while buying Macallan whiskey
Date of bottling
This is the date when the liquor was bottled. It’s the remaining bottles of a specific year which get rarer, and expensive with the time.Single cask bottles
Single cask, unique Macallan bottles are more in demand. Numbers on the bottle like XXX/250 indicate a single cask edition.Year of distillation
This is the year when the whiskey was distilled and has a huge influence on the bottle’s price.Label and packing
Not many know that bottle labels are important. Bottles with damaged labels are cheaper while bottles without the original box are 30% cheaper.Age
Age is the number of years the whiskey had matured in the cask and not how long it was in the bottle. Most distilleries indicate the age on the label, which is usually between 5 to more than 30 years.Level
You may be surprised to know that even the level of whiskey in the bottle affects its value. It should be into the neck because the level may reduce when the alcohol evaporates. This, in turn, damages the flavor.
Just be careful about what you pay for your Macallan by using the abovementioned tips while selecting your bottle.
How to drink Macallan single malt Scotch whiskey
Like most whiskeys, Macallan is best-drunk straight, or on the rocks. It also goes well with a bit of water, club soda, ginger ale or is used in various cocktails.