Liquid Renaissance

The actions of distillery staff just after the Second World War laid the foundation for an extremely rare expression of The Macallan. Jacqueline Kot was among the first in the world to sample the unique 72-year-old single malt

An accident of history laid the foundation for an extremely rare expression of The Macallan

In 1946, the year after the close of the Second World War, the first bikini was unveiled in Paris, the Vespa hit the ground in Italy, Tupperware became a fixture in kitchens across the US, and signs of recovery were stirring in the UK. Though rationing was still in force, the BBC returned to television screens and Heathrow Airport opened for commercial flights.

In Scotland, staff at the Speyside distillery of The Macallan began this new era by filling casks with a whisky made from barley malted with peat. Little did they know that the fruit of their labour would christen a new era for the brand 72 years later, the inauguration of a shiny new distillery in Craigellachie.

Earlier this year, a select group of journalists became the first people in the world—aside from the Macallan team—to taste the precious liquid that went into those casks. And precious it is, indeed, with just 600 decanters available worldwide and priced at US$60,000 for a 70cl bottle—a crystal Genesis Decanter made by Lalique, in a design inspired by the architectural lines of the new distillery. The Macallan 72 Years Old in Lalique is the oldest whisky ever launched by the brand.

However, rather than making a sophisticated single malt, master distiller Nick Savage says it is likely the distillery staff of the 1940s intended to use the liquid for blended whisky. “They wouldn’t have put it into the cask specifically for it to continue to be aged,” he says. “They would be distilling and thinking how they can make more money from blends. We are lucky that nobody bought it and that we didn’t use it during the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. They would have had different challenges in their world than we have in today’s world. And we are now able to taste what happened when it was a different world.”

The year 2018 was certainly a landmark one for The Macallan, with the bottling of the whisky coinciding with the opening of its new distillery. Designed by British firm Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the building features a contemporary design inspired by the hills of Scotland. Standout features include an undulating, grass-covered roof and floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the space with natural light. Inside, a glass wall features many of the whiskies bottled by The Macallan, an impressive display of history, and various interactive stations introduce visitors to the brand’s characteristics.

The optimistic outlook accompanying the opening of the new distillery perhaps reflects that felt by the workers filling those casks in 1946, at a time when people and communities were beginning to make plans after emerging from the fog of war.

“We wanted to celebrate the new distillery, and The Macallan 72 Years Old in Lalique was one of the new products that was launched for the occasion,” says Savage. Adds Sharon Gibson, head of creative content, “It was also really important, when we launched the new distillery and it was very much signalling the future of the brand, that we reflect on the past. It was a celebration of both.”

Our tasting experience was also a melding of old and new, with guests led along a gravel path into a warehouse surrounded by liquid history—casks filled with whisky dating back as far as the 1940s—to sample the single malt. Golden amber in colour, the 72 Years Old starts with refreshing citrus notes of lemon and green apple. Both the colour and opening notes are surprising given the whisky’s age. Subtle hints of vanilla and raisins follow, with just a gentle touch of smoke at the end, a unique element in the bouquet of flavours. Smoke is not usually a component of Speyside whiskies. Its pleasing presence is explained by the use of peat rather than coal to malt the barley because of post-war rationing.

After savouring the last drop, we dined on various courses of excellent local produce in the modern glassand-steel structure of the distillery, the view of Easter Elchies House, the spiritual home of The Macallan built in 1700, a constant reminder of the link between past and present. “I bet when the distillers made this 72 years ago, they weren’t thinking of this,” says Savage of this new chapter for The Macallan.