Macallan 25 Year Old Anniversary Malt

A late 1990s/early 2000s expression of Macallan 25 year old. The anniversary malts were vintage dated 25 year old expressions from Macallan released each year, until they were dropped in the early 2000s. The series began in 1983 and featured 18 anniversary malts, being phased out in the early 2000s for the standard 25 year old. This bottling is a Remy australia Import so is likely a 1990s or very early 2000s edition.

Macallan

Perhaps one of the most well known Scotch whiskies throughout the globe, The Macallan is a brand commonly associated with all things luxury. The world’s second best selling single malt, only being beaten by Glenfiddich, Macallan joined the ranks of legal distilleries in 1824 when a licence was acquired. Originally being a small farm distillery it has seen a substantial number of renovations and expansions throughout the following two centuries. 12 wash stills and 24 spirit stills now sit inside the distillery, a necessary amount to keep up with the extreme demand the brand maintains. Although primarily known for their use of large ex-sherry butts sourced from a number of sherry houses, Macallan also utilises American oak bourbon casks. The distillery was bought in 1996 by Highland Distillers, now known as the Edrington group, and forms the core of their portfolio along with Highland Park, Glenrothes and Glenturret.

Macallan was a prominent feature in blends before the 1980’s and only when the industry faced a major downturn did the brand decide to focus on its single malt production. This shift in focus allowed it to thrive throughout the late 1970’s and into the early 1990’s. One of the components of Macallan’s success throughout this time was their use of the ‘Golden Promise’ barley variety. A product of gamma ray mutation, Golden Promise provided an excellent, flavour driven malt that held up very well against a strong cask influence. This combination of flavourful malt and Macallan’s exceptional quality sherry casks are what built Macallan’s reputation into what it is today. The distillery transitioned away from Golden Promise in 1994 in favour of a higher yield, although less flavourful, malt. Consequently, bottles distilled prior to 1994 are highly sought after amongst collectors.