Macallan 1841 Replica Single Malt

Macallan 1841 Replica Single Malt

$890 AUD

41.7% ABV

70 cl

This is the third in a series of controversial replica bottlings of Macallan from the distillery. Whatever the provenance of the bottles that were replicated, the whisky is highly regarded (the late Michael Jackson gave this selection a 95 point score), ensuring that this is one of the most popular of these famous bottlings.

This particular bottle has been faithfully recreated from an original 1841 Macallan by Priest & Davidson, owners of the distillery at the time. The bottle, complete with the flaws common in glassware of its time, the labels, and the nose and flavour of the whisky (especially citrus and summer fruits and peat smoke), mirror the original as closely as possible. The original 1841 is the earliest known bottle of The Macallan in existence and one of the oldest surviving of any whisky bottle. It was probably originally a wine bottle, dating from the late eighteenth / early nineteenth century, and procured locally for Priest and Davidson’s own requirements.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Incongruously, very fresh. Fudge with vanilla essence and pistachio nuts.

Palate: Silky. Fresh, appetising. Sweet but not cloying. Light, fresh, delicate, notes of orange-blossom honey.

Finish: Very gentle acidity gives balancing dryness. (Michael Jackson).

This product is located in Australia.

Distillery

Macallan Distillery

This is the ne plus ultra in Speyside malt whiskies and has set a standard to which many aspire but few succeed.

Sadly, when Alfred Barnard visited the distillery in 1886 he was so unimpressed by it that he dismissed it in seven lines of what was a very heavy tome. Or perhaps he was simply shown the door in the mistaken belief that he was just another carpetbagger from the South! 

This was in sharp contrast to the warmth of the welcome I received when I retraced Barnard’s footsteps 100 years later to be the guest of two of Scotland’s whisky legends – Willie Phillips as managing director and Sandy Curle, the distiller-in- chief at Macallan since 1972. 

Despite Barnard’s neglect, Macallan has a rich history and much of it is recorded in some detail. It is also reflected in how the company has projected itself, not least by representing some of their excellent products against a suitable historic backdrop. Legitimate from 1824 onwards but almost certainly with a darker earlier history, Macallan is a wonderful fusion of tradition and modernity. The latter is reflected in the decision to build a completely new distillery, which went into production in 2017.  We all wait with baited breath to see if it will be a match for its forerunner and it will be a long wait given Macallan’s policy on maturation. However, there is plenty of maturing stock to ensure that interest in, and devotion to the Macallan make does not waiver in the meantime.

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