MACALLAN
| Distillery Opened | Capacity | Malting Floor | Washback Type | Number of Washbacks | Number of Spirit Stills | Number of Wash Stills |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1824 | 11 Million litres | / | Stainless Steel / Wood | 22 Steel / 6 Wood | 14 | 7 |
The Macallan distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Craigellachie, Moray. The Macallan Distillers Ltd, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Edrington Group which purchased the brand from Highland Distillers in 1999.
All colour in The Macallan
whiskies, bottled by the distillery, is natural. Only the interaction
of the ‘new make’ spirit with the oak of the maturation casks delivers
the rich and natural diversity of colour throughout the range, from
light oak through to darkest mahogany. These natural colours remain
‘fixed’, as opposed to artificial colour which fades relatively quickly
in bright sunlight.
Macallan carefully select
the finest quality spirit from their stills to ensure the creation of
the best single malt whisky. This finest cut ensures Macallan
produce a signature viscous mouth-feel and fruity aroma and flavour.
This small portion, or ‘cut’ is incredibly selective and one of the
finest in the industry. It is primarily responsible for the full-bodied
richness of The Macallan new make spirit. This clear
colourless spirit is selected at just under 70% alcohol by volume.
Distinctly robust and characterful this ‘new make’ spirit is the
starting point for all Macallan.
Originally, The Macallan was matured only in oak sherry casks brought to the distillery from Jerez, Spain. Beginning in 2004, The Macallan introduced a new main product, the Fine Oak series, with the whisky mellowed in bourbon oak casks as well as sherry ones.
Macallan
produces a number of expressions in its core Sherry Oak series, the
most generally available being the 12-year-old, although the 18-year-old
is widely distributed, alongside a 10-year-old cask strength expression
at 58% ABV. Expensive Macallan 25- and 30-year-old versions can also be found.
More recently, starting in 2004, The Macallan
for the first time started to offer single malt expressions vatted with
whisky matured in used casks other than ex–sherry casks as part of the
Fine Oak range. Macallan also markets special scotches in duty-free shops at airports such as the 1824 Collection.
In 2009, The Herald reported that Macallan was "the world’s third largest-selling single malt (behind Glenfiddich and Glenlivet) with over 500,000 cases a year, and second largest by value”. In 2011, Edrington Group reported that prior-year sales of The Macallan were up 8% to over 700,000 cases and the BBC also reported that an office was being opened in New York to continue growth in the American market.
- 1824: Alexander Reid founded the Macallan distillery under the name Elchies Distillery.
- 1886: James Stuart buys the Elchies Distillery (Macallan distillery).
- 1892: Roderick Kemp buys the distillery and rename in Macallan - Glenlivet.
- 1965: Macallan's stills increased from 6 to 12.
- 1968: Macallan is introduced on the London Stock Exchange.
- 1974: Macallan's stills increased to 18.
- 1975: 3 more stills added to Macallan Distillery.
- 1984: Macallan launch the first official 18 year old single malt.
- 2001: Macallan's visitor center is opened.
- 2009: Macallan capacity increased by another 6 stills.
