In the ranking chart of world whiskies, the name of the Macallan stands at the top by itself. Making its competitors quake in their boots, the Speyside distillery’s iconic single malts trump any others in reputation alone and have set records upwards of $1 million at auction — more than once. To sip on any whisky from the Macallan that eclipses the 30-year mark would yield some serious bragging rights. But you’d have to find a bottle first, and also have the bankroll to front it. Now, there’s a company that’s made these expressions available in new and fancy vessels.
Looking like something from Europe’s Gothic era of the 19th century, 31-Year and 32-Year Scotch whiskies from the Macallan are now available as part of the Reserve Collection from the World Whiskey Society — a producer of highly-coveted expressions from around the globe. Aside from the year marker on the labels and the slight difference in liquid color, these two single malts are indistinguishable from the decanters alone. Limited to just 71 bottles, the 31-Year was aged in Oloroso sherry casks and features a malty palate with notes of apple pie and rye bread. As for the 32-Year, limited to 120 bottles and aged in a refill hogshead cask, the creamy profile offers notes of spice, leather, orange, and some floral hints.
The World Whiskey Society launched back in 2020 as a non-distiller producer, which means that it bottles and releases, and sometimes ages, spirits from other distilleries. In the high-end spectrum, such as big names like Bhakta and The Last Drop, non-distiller brands usually find value in their own curation of the liquid stocks themselves and find ways to make them unique. For WWS, it’s also about the vessel in which that liquid is delivered. From the storytelling of its Doc Holliday series to the unique 15-year-old Kentucky bourbon that rested for some time in Japanese shōchū casks, its whiskeys have always come inside unique bottles or with memorable labels or bottle toppers. And the Macallan 31-Year and 32-Year are no different.
Upon release, these two expressions will be among the oldest ever offered by the World Whiskey Society (it’s also anticipating 32-year single malts from Strathmill and Aultmore). There’s no price yet, but the company has said you can expect both the Macallan 31-Year and 32-Year to be in the five-figure range.
