Macallan and the time machine, past, present and future of Scotch whisky

A name that has become synonymous with mastery in the art of Scottish whiskey production: Macallan is a “real” legend that began 200 years ago, when in the heart of Speyside, in the Highlands, founder Alex Reid laid the foundation stone of the distillery. A glorious past that now connects to new future horizons with the launch of the TIME: SPACE COLLECTION, the creation of two new whiskeys with a futuristic design with a renewed sensitivity to the natural environment and new ways of communicating.

The first is TIME : SPACEa futuristic wheel with a double compartment which contains in the external chamber the oldest Single Malt Whiskey ever released by Macallan, a union of only two barrels with a 1940 vintage and 84 years of maturation, while in the second compartment a Single Malt is kept which contains the first whiskeys produced by the new distillery in 2018, a glimpse into the future of Macallan.
“It was an absolute privilege to be able to go back in time and select stock from the 1940s to honor and celebrate our 200th anniversary. An exceptionally rare opportunity in the life of a whiskey maker and one that I will treasure,” commented Kirsteen Campbell, Master Whiskey Maker at Macallan speaking to TIME: SPACE. «For the 2018 vintage, however, the selection of a younger cask was an electrifying experience, an opportunity to show a vision of the future of Macallan. Proof that, thanks to the fusion of savoir-faire and science, we have guaranteed the continuity of the character of our whisky.”

By TIME: SPACE only 200 examples were produced, one for each year of the distillery’s existence, set in a hand-crafted oak sculpture designed to accentuate the 100% natural color of this Scotch whiskey and symbolize the circular connection between past and future. The sculpture is adorned with 200 tips that echo the art of origami, to tell how nature preserves what is most precious and fragile.

The second celebratory bottling of the series is TIME : SPACE MASTERY, a very complex 43.6% Single Malt, created by selecting 14 different types of barrels, including European and American ex-Sherry and ex-Bourbon oak. «Inspired by the masters of the past, we explored all the organoleptic nuances present in our cellars to capture the complexity that barrels of different origin, size and content can give to the whisky. The result is a truly special Single Malt, whose heart is the elegance provided by European oak,” explained Per Euan Kennedy, Lead Whiskey Maker at Macallan.

The presentation of TIME: SPACE COLLECTION can also boast a special collaboration: a author short film directed by Serena Corvaglia and with the participation of Kasia Smutniak, created by UNFOLLOW adv and Eliofilm, where some figures of recognized prestige in their fields, such as the gallery owner Lia Rumma, the starred chef Mario Uliassi and the spirits guru Luca Gargano question themselves on the sense of time, a fundamental “ingredient” for achieving excellence and create products capable of challenging time itself.

Kasia Smutniak

Among the most prestigious whiskey brands in the world, in 1996 Macallan became part of the Highland Distillers group, later purchased by Edrington Group, a spirits giant and today owner of the distillery. In a period of whiskey’s golden age, the brand works to reaffirm its leadership which has always been based on a double aspiration: the preservation of traditional production methods and the search for innovative solutions. An example of this is also the new Macallan distillery, inaugurated in 2018, a true masterpiece of contemporary design, made of local stone and wood to pay homage to the raw materials used for the production of whiskey and also to underline the commitment to sustainability: the distillery uses renewable energy sources, minimizes environmental impact and is actively committed to preserving the biodiversity of the area.