Macallan

Macallan stands on the Easter Elchies estate above the River Spey near Craigellachie, and was licensed in 1824. Easter Elchies House, the old manor on the estate, appears on the label and gives its name to some releases. Today the distillery is owned by Edrington, and a large new distillery building, with a grass-covered roof set into the hillside, opened on the estate in 2018.

The distillery is known for its unusually small copper stills, which it calls its curiously small stills, and above all for its use of sherry-seasoned oak casks, much of it sourced from Spain. The spirit is unpeated, and the house style is rich and full, with dried fruit, spice and toffee notes from the sherry casks. Colour is said to come from the wood alone.

The ranges a buyer meets include Sherry Oak and Double Cask, which pairs sherry-seasoned European and American oak, at ages such as 12, 18, 25 and 30 years. Older bottles from the Fine Oak range, which mixed sherry and bourbon casks, are still around. Limited releases such as Classic Cut, the numbered Edition series, the Harmony Collection and Easter Elchies Black change from year to year, which is why prices vary so much and why Macallan is a favourite with collectors.

Independent bottlings exist but are less common than for many Speyside distilleries. Gordon & MacPhail has long bottled Macallan, including in its Speymalt range, and bottlers such as Signatory Vintage, Douglas Laing and That Boutique-y Whisky Company have released casks too.