Description
Macallan 40 YO Red Collection
This stunning 40-year-old whisky was distilled and drawn from a single sherry-seasoned oak cask and is the oldest expression released by The Macallan to date.
The Reach was started in a bygone era and was born at a turbulent time for Scotch whisky and the world. The result is a homage to Macallan 40 YO Red Collection history and the many hands that made the distillery’s whisky over the past eight decades.
Three bronze hands hold the mouth-blown decanter and represent master whisky-maker Kirsteen Campbell, former Macallan chairman Allan Shiach and, perhaps most importantly, the distillery workers of 1940. The bronze plinth and decanter are housed in a bespoke cabinet made from a fallen elm tree that was planted in 1940 on The Macallan Estate.
This single malt is austere and complex, with a well-incorporated and subtle smokiness from the peat invariably used during this period. It is a deep auburn in colour and presents dark chocolate, leather and caramelised plum alongside treacle and ginger on the palate with a rich resinous finish. A true one-of-a-kind.
The world’s oldest single malt scotch set a record at Sotheby’s auction. Here’s everything we know about Macallan 40 YO Red Collection Single Malt.
If you thought record inflation and the threat of global recession was going to slow down the ultra-premium whisky market, we’ve got some news for you. Earlier this October, Sotheby’s in London listed a single bottle of Macallan 71 YO Tales of The Macallan Single Malt for auction. When the hammer dropped, it was nabbed by a UK private collector for a jaw-dropping $325,740.
This wasn’t an ordinary bottle of Scotch, mind you. The Reach is an 81-year-old offering from the revered Speyside distillery, making it the oldest single malt ever released. The liquid was crafted before the U.S. entered World War II, resting patiently in a single sherry-seasoned oak cask since 1940.
And you should have seen that sort of appreciation coming, according to Jonny Fowle, who heads up Sotheby’s rapidly expanding whisky and spirits division.
“This extraordinary result for the oldest whisky ever to come to auction is thoroughly deserved,” he said in a written statement after the auction closed on October 5. “One of one versions of special single malts are highly coveted, and we saw competitive bids playing out as the sale began to close, pushing the final price ever higher, to nearly three times over estimate. Age, rarity and provenance; once again, the holy trinity for collectors.”
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