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This
is an example of one of the page spreads from The Malt Whisky Guide. Below
is the text from the pages, illustrating the detail of information on
each distillery. Valueable for any enthusiast, bar or retail outlet.
Macallan's claim to the throne as King of Scotch comes form their insistence on certain practices. Macallan matures in 100% ex-Oloroso sherry casks making it one of the heaviest and richest malt whiskies in the world. It also makes it one of the most expensive to produce. Macallan sources Spanish grown oak each year that is made into sherry butts in Jerez and then loaned to sherry bodegas for one year's fermentation and up to two years maturation of sherry. The casks are then shipped over to Speyside in one piece rather than being broken down into staves, as is the practice with ex-bourbon casks coming over from America.
All of this extra care and attention means that the casks used by Macallan are around five times more expensive than the ex-bourbon casks. On top of this, Macallan also use Golden Promise Barley for around 30% of their malting requirement. Golden Promise is now becoming very hard to find as it offers a low yield to farmers and distillers.
The Macallan distillers are a stubborn bunch but they do get the results from their insistence on high quality ingredients for their whisky. Presently consumer demand for the older expressions of Macallan is pushing the price of the stock through the roof and there looks to be no shortage of collectors and imbibers. Macallan is probably the most collected alcoholic brand name in the world and there is a network of collectors throughout the world.
