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The Macallan has unveiled its latest whisky in the coveted Sherry Oak range, The Macallan 40 Years Old. This collectible, limited-release whisky represents only the second non-vintage release of a 40 year old expression to come from the noted Speyside distillery.
The creation of The Macallan 40 Year Old owes its existence to the skill and foresight of The Macallan Master Whisky Maker, Bob Dalgarno. In early 2006, Dalgarno and his team began crafting the annual release of The Macallan 30 Years Old Sherry Oak, for which nine marrying casks were filled and ultimately bottled. However, during the marrying process, the Master Whisky Maker chose lay fill and lay down a tenth cask.
This whisky was kept at its natural strength, and when it reached 35 years of age in 2011 it was assessed again, where a decision was made to let the whisky to continue to mature and evolve. Finally in 2016, at 40 years of age, the time had come to allow this distinct whisky to be removed from the cask and enjoyed.
“This whisky owes its very existence to the insight and intuition of Bob Dalgarno,” said Geoff Kirk, Director of Prestige for The Macallan. “The additional decade of careful maturation through to 2016 has produced an outstanding and distinct single malt to add to the collection of rich, mature expressions from The Macallan. We relished the careful attention that has gone into creating The Macallan 40 Years Old.”
With just 500 bottles being made available worldwide at a suggested retail price of $8,000, the Macallan 40 Years Old is expected to be a highly sought after expression.
