A Celebration of Time, Area, and Whisky, With The Macallan’s Jaume Ferras

This week The Macallan has formally introduced the most recent version to the two hundredth 12 months celebrations with the TIME:SPACE Assortment; it is a two half launch containing three whiskies.

As Inventive Director of The Macallan I’ll take you behind the scenes within the new TIME:SPACE Assortment. From deciding on the primary whisky from the brand new distillery to how on earth you pour the 84-year-old whisky from its twin decanter.

Defending The Oldest Scotch Whisky

At 84 Years Outdated, TIME:SPACE incorporates the oldest single malt whisky that The Macallan has ever launched. 

The strategy we now have taken at The Macallan, since our origin in 1824, is to all the time be certain that we solely use the best uncooked supplies. The distinctive measurement and form of our stills give the spirit most contact, serving to to pay attention the ‘new make’ spirits and supply the wealthy, fruity, full bodied flavors synonyms with The Macallan.

To today, the only best affect on our single malt is our sherry seasoned oak casks from which its whiskies derive their distinctive flavors, aromas, and pure shade. Our funding and understanding in sherry seasoned oak casks have formed our signature model and the standard and consistency synonymous with our model. Our dedication to understanding how the wooden influences our whiskies is instrumental within the creation of The Macallan and can stay so into our future.

We’re very palms on in understanding the event of our maturing whiskies and have a big technique of assessing our maturing shares. For instance, on common each dram of The Macallan may have obtained a median of 630 nosing checks.

When it’s felt that sure casks can maintain maturing for longer and obtain nice age, they’re nurtured much more to make sure the cask, and the distinctive single malt it incorporates, are each working collectively harmoniously, till we really feel it’s the proper time to launch that whisky and share it with the world to take pleasure in.

Introducing The Whisky From The New Distillery

At The Macallan, we noticed the chance of releasing a whisky from our new Distillery as a big new chapter—we’re lucky to have 200 years of remarkable whisky making, distilling heritage and data to attract from.

Important effort and time had been put into the design of the brand new Distillery to make sure that we delivered an distinctive new make spirit produced in the identical method we all the time have; drawing on the identical water and uncooked supplies, whereas our curiously small stills and processes that outline our distinctive spirit. Through the transition in 2018, our groups went to exacting requirements to safe the continuity of the only malt high quality and signature style.

The maturing shares from the brand new distillery have been carefully monitored to make sure we now have an entire understanding of how they develop. As the concept of showcasing the primary ever whisky from the brand new Distillery as a part of our 200-year anniversary celebration started to take form, we appeared on the number of whiskies we might choose from—we needed an unbelievable whisky to take pleasure in, however one which was additionally classically The Macallan.

We targeted on a choice of whiskies which had been maturing in distinctive Sherry seasoned hogshead casks. As these are a smaller cask than a sherry butt, there may be extra contact between the whisky and the high-quality wooden, this has allowed a depth of character to develop which feels past its years.

Creating Standout Packaging For A Historic Scotch Whisky

At The Macallan we’re very lucky to have a Inventive Crew who envisage daring concepts and convey them to life, and it was vital for us to steer the inventive course for the TIME:SPACE COLLECTION in our anniversary 12 months.

We additionally work very carefully with our trusted, long-term companions. It’s these partnerships and collaborations that helped us to ship our imaginative and prescient for the TIME:SPACE COLLECTION each creatively and technically.

We consider whisky making is like time journey. Every bottle we launch right this moment encapsulates the previous, whereas the spirit we lay down in cask within the current day holds the promise of a future but to unfold.

To seize the essence of time journey, TIME:SPACE options two important whiskies offered in a ground-breaking twin chamber idea vessel—our time machine.

The only malt Scotch whisky offered within the outer, halo-shaped chamber, represents the previous. It’s the oldest launch thus far by The Macallan, a 1940 classic bottled in 2024, matured to a outstanding 84 Years Outdated.

As a counterpoint to the Nineteen Forties classic, the only malt nestled inside the interior chamber is a style of the long run. Bottled in 2024, this 2018 classic is 5 Years Outdated and is the primary launch from our new distillery.

How To Pour The TIME:SPACE Whisky?

The TIME:SPACE vessel itself is round, fusing each craftsmanship and up to date engineering collectively. The round design of the vessel does imply that it can’t be put down carelessly. That is to create a connection between the whisky and the proprietor, as they need to take care of it and take care when dealing with. To guard the whiskies, the TIME:SPACE vessel might be displayed in a bespoke sculpture in addition to Serving Cradle to create an expertise for consumption. The Serving Cradle needs to be used when pouring from both vessel, in addition to permitting for TIME:SPACE to be taken to completely different areas to be loved.

As soon as the vessel is positioned within the serving cradle, the 1940 classic within the outer chamber is accessed through an over cap on the high of the vessel. We now have designed pourers that are housed in a hidden drawer within the Serving Cradle, and they need to be used to make sure each final drop might be poured with precision.

Entry to the interior chamber is through a detachable ornamental cowl. When that is taken off, the interior chamber might be eliminated as an impartial vessel for ease of serving with a pourer.

A Sculpture Primarily based On Nature

Each a part of the design of TIME:SPACE has a goal, and a narrative to inform. For instance, the show sculpture is constituted of layers of European and American oak, in honor of the wooden we use for our casks. 

There are 200 spikes on the show sculpture, one for every year in our historical past, and these spikes are impressed by the 485 acres of nature that encompass our Distillery on The Macallan Property in Speyside. This land is residence to over 400 species of tree, intensive wildlife, and almost two miles of the enduring River Spey, one of many best Atlantic Salmon rivers on the earth.

Nature actively safeguards its future by creating quite a lot of protection mechanisms equivalent to thorns, barbs and spikes. This resilience is obvious all through The Macallan Property within the protecting burr of chestnuts, the thorny stems of roses and the formidable spikes that cowl thistles, the nationwide flower of Scotland.

The colour purple has been chosen resulting from its deep and longstanding significance for The Macallan.

Elsewhere, the presentation field for TIME:SPACE Mastery has been impressed by the world of origami, as we sought to create 200 spikes utilizing paper artwork. This outstanding presentation field bursts to life visually when it’s opened, and on the coronary heart of the presentation is the round vessel for TIME:SPACE Mastery, adorned in purple.

What To Anticipate From TIME:SPACE Mastery

The whiskies of the TIME:SPACE COLLECTION all inform completely different tales. The 2 whiskies in TIME:SPACE inform a narrative of time journey, transferring between the previous and the long run.

For TIME:SPACE Mastery, we needed to replicate on the legacy of Whisky Mastery at The Macallan all through the final 200 years and create one thing which was with out query classically identifiable as The Macallan.

Embracing 200 years of historical past, we took inspiration from previous Whisky Masters and the sheer number of casks accessible to create layers of complexity with unbelievable depth of aroma, texture and taste. These layers had been captured by rigorously deciding on contributions from a various array of casks throughout quite a lot of cooperages, bodegas, oak origins, seasoning kinds and cask sizes.  This course of is an artwork type and noticed our Whisky Masters try to discover a stability in all the weather, for them to work harmoniously collectively.

It’s a extremely complicated whisky, however unmistakably The Macallan. A becoming tribute to mark our 200-year anniversary.

The Macallan’s TIME:SPACE Mastery shall be accessible to buy instantly from The Macallan, topic to availability and placement, in addition to through The Macallan Society Poll within the UK and Europe that can open 10 September at 12:00 BST. You have to be a part of The Macallan Society to enter the poll. The worth shall be RRSP $1,500 (£1,100).