In what should come as no surprise, the Macallan just announced that it is releasing another exorbitantly expensive, ultra-aged whisky that comes in a decanter unlike one you’ve ever seen before. After all, what else else can we expect from the Scottish distillery that has shattered auction records and seems to release another high-end, luxury bottle every few months?
The latest release is called the Time : Space Collection, and it’s actually a pair of whiskies from the Macallan that couldn’t be more different from each other—one representing the past and the other the future. The first is the oldest whisky to date to be released by the distillery, an 84-year-old single malt that was produced in 1940. This whisky was aged in two different sherry-seasoned casks, a first-fill American oak butt and second-fill European oak butt, for 84 years and bottled at 43.6 percent ABV. This liquid can be found in the outer chamber of a circular decanter that comes housed in an oak container made from layers of American and European oak, the same types that were used to mature the whisky. Tasting notes include charred pineapple, crystalised ginger, aniseed, blackberry jam, and sweet woodsmoke on the palate.
The second single malt is on the opposite end of the maturation spectrum, a 2018 vintage aged for just five years that comes from the first batch of whisky produced at the new distillery, which opened that same year. It was bottled at a strong 54.9 percent ABV, and has notes of baked apple, buttery pastry, icing sugar, citrus, and vanilla shortbread on the palate. This liquid can be found in the inner chamber of the vessel. Both whiskies have no color added, as is the case with all Macallan whiskies.
“As a whisky mastery team, our roles are unique in the sense that we get to time travel—selecting whisky from the past crafted by our predecessors, whilst simultaneously laying down casks for future generations of whisky makers and consumers,” said master whisky maker Kirsteen Campbell in a statement, who also said including the five-year-old from the new distillery could offer a glimpse at the Macallan‘s future.
But that’s not all. There is another new release called Time : Space Mastery, and this is one that will likely be much easier for you to actually get your hands on. There is not a whole lot of information about exactly what this single malt is, other than that it’s drawn from 14 different types of casks including sherry-seasoned European and American oak, ex-bourbon barrels, and refill casks. This whisky comes in a circular vessel inside a red case with 200 spikes representing the Macallan’s 200 years of history. Time : Space Mastery will be available to purchase this October at the Time : Space Experience in New York City, an immersive event taking place from October 9 – 12. For $75 per ticket, you can sip on cocktails from the Dante N.Y.C. team, learn about rare Macallan whiskies, and have a chance to buy the new whisky.
The Macallan is not providing an exact price for Time : Space, instead directing interested parties to contact the client services department to secure one of the 200 bottles the distillery will release. As always, you can find other expressions from the Macallan available to purchase now from ReserveBar.
