Don’t expect this half-century-old whisky to be a sherry bomb

The Macallan is one of the most well known distilleries in Scotland, and it’s really defined by one main characteristic: The whisky is virtually all aged in sherry casks. There are exceptions to that rule, however, and one such case is a new 52-year-old expression released by independent bottler Duncan Taylor.

Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Ltd. is a family-owned whisky business that has been around since 1938. It lays claim to an impressive collection of rare scotch, and also functions as a blender, bottler, and cask broker out of its Speyside headquarters. The company has a series of different brands in its portfolio, but the Rarest Reserve series includes some of the most collectible and valuable whiskies in the lineup. This new 52-year-old Macallan is being released as part of that collection. It’s a 1969 vintage that was aged in an American oak ex-bourbon barrel before being transferred into a first-fill Oloroso sherry cask. That is pretty unusual for the Macallan, a distillery that has built its name and reputation on the use of sherry casks to mature nearly all of its whiskies. That includes those in the core portfolio, as well as high age statement whiskies that have broken records at auction like the 60-year-old Macallan Valerio Adami 1926.

There are some Macallan whiskies that are aged at least partially in bourbon barrels like the Triple Cask expression. And as a representative for Duncan Taylor points out, the distillery has been filling American oak bourbon barrels for many years with whisky that is ultimately used for blending, so those casks are certainly in the warehouses on the premises. This expression, the oldest Macallan release to date from Duncan Taylor, was first released in a run of just over 200 bottles each priced at about US$90,000. The return is made up of whisky from a different cask, and it’s bottled at cask strength of 41.4 per cent ABV with no chill filtration or color added. Official tasting notes describe dark chocolate, cinnamon, honey, and creamy vanilla on the palate, with more tropical notes than usual on the finish. While we weren’t lucky enough to try the whisky, King Charles III and Queen Camilla apparently have more clout—Duncan Taylor poured them both a dram at Edinburgh’s 900th anniversary event at Edinburgh Castle in early July. No word on what tasting notes they came up with.

Duncan Taylor is also releasing a younger Macallan whisky, a 1991 vintage 33-year-old single malt that was aged in an American oak bourbon barrel, finished in a European ex-sherry cask, and is said to have notes of pineapple, creamy toffee, ripe fruit, and spun sugar on the palate. This whisky was bottled at 50.2 per cent ABV.

Both of these single malts are not available as full bottles—instead, Duncan Taylor is releasing them as small 100-ml mini drams, presumably due to the amount of liquid available. The price for the 52-year-old is £7,850, while the 33-year-old is going for a comparably affordable £630. Each comes housed in a case designed to look like a gold bar, and they can be purchased from The Spirits Embassy or BlockBar (there are just 500 of each available). You can also find many other Duncan Taylor expressions available to purchase from websites like Total Wine now.

This story was first published on Robb Report USA. Featured photo by Duncan Taylor