The 23-year-old whisky in release NO.04 is from an original bottle distilled by the Macallan distillery and bottled by independent bottler the Hart Brothers. The whisky was distilled in 1971, a year which saw the United Kingdom and Ireland switch to decimal currency, the eruption of Sicily’s Mount Etna, the first Disneyland resort open in Florida, and launch of the iconic Rubik’s Cube.

ABOUT THE MACALLAN DISTILLERY

Located in the Speyside region, the Macallan distillery was first legally licenced to Alexander Reid in 1824. Originally one of Speyside’s farm distilleries, previously unlicensed whisky stills had operated at the Macallan distillery site. In 1868 the Macallan distillery was taken over by James Stuart who rebuilt the distillery plant, although in 1892 his ownership ended when the Macallan distillery was sold to Roderick Kemp who had formerly owned the Talisker distillery. Kemp’s successors retained ownership until 1996 when the distillery was taken over by the Edrington Group.

These changes in ownership have ensured the Macallan distillery’s continued expansion, from the original plant housing two stills in a wooden shed to a total of twenty-one stills by 1975. As with virtually every Scottish distillery, the Macallan distillery was traditionally used as a malt for blending. A downturn in the blended whisky market in the 1980’s ensured the Macallan distillery shifted its focus to the emerging demand for single malts. A decision to mature the distillery’s maltings exclusively in ex-sherry casks saw the distillery become the first distillery to create ‘bespoke casks’, selecting the trees to provide barrel timber and specifying the coopering process and oloroso sherry used for seasoning.

ABOUT THE HART BROTHERS

This 1971 distilled single malt was aged for 23 years before being selected for release by independent bottler the Hart Brothers in 1994. The Hart family were originally licenced as publicans in Paisley, a mill town on the outskirts of Glasgow from the late 19^th century. In 1964, brothers Iain and Donald Hart formed the Hart Brothers company, a spirit wholesaler and Scotch whisky blenders, with the aim of sourcing vintage casks of single malt whisky unavailable elsewhere. As independent bottlers the Hart Brothers further matured rare malt whiskies until they were selected by the firm’s master blender for release as single cask bottlings. This heavily-sherried vintage dram will be certain to give the drinker a taste of the Macallan distillery’s traditional sherry dominant malt expression and maturation style.