Macallan 1988 Prometheus 30 Year Old

It may be hard to imagine today, but for much of the 20th century, Macallan was primarily a constituent malt in blends. It was not until the 1980s downturn in the market that the distillery decided to focus on its single malt brand. Fortuitously, this coincided with the crest of a wave of enthusiasm for the high quality releases that the distillery had licensed to Campbell, Hope & King and Gordon & MacPhail in the 1960s and 1970s. These remain some of the most collectible on the market. While global single malt sales volume is still lead by Speyside neighbours, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, Macallan is easily the most sought after. So much so in fact, that they had to open a brand new distillery in 2018, a subterranean architectural masterpiece within the Easter Elchies estate, boasting 36 copper pot stills.

This beautifully-displayed single malt was distilled at an undisclosed distillery in Speyside in April 1988 and matured in a single sherry butt for 30 years. It was bottled by The Glasgow Distillery Company, and although the whisky itself is not declared, it has been sourced from Macallan Distillers Limited which is a solid indication that liquid is most likely from the Speyside giant.

The Glasgow Distillery Company was established in 2012 by Liam Hughes, Mike Hayward and Ian McDougall, taking the name from the company which once ran the Dundashill distillery in the early 19th century. Situated in the west of the city, and was the first new distillery in Glasgow for over 100 years when it opened in 2013. Production began in 2014 with the company's first Makar gin running from the stills, and the first single malt was laid down the following year. The distillery produces a variety of single malt styles, all of which are bottled under the 1770 brand name, launched in 2018.

One of 544 decanters.