Macallan 1948 Select Reserve 51 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 magnificent bottle of Macallan was distilled in 1948 and matured for over half a centur. It was bottled on the 26th of November 1999. The 1948 Select Reserve was chosen from just three Spanish sherry oak casks, all distilled from choice barley harvested in the late summer of 1947.

Macallan decided to allocate each bottle an individual date rather than the more conventional bottle number. Of the 366 bottles released, not one bottle carries the same date as any other. This particular bottle is labelled the 11th of May.