Tatler+ The Macallan
The nostalgic whisky experience at K11 Musea tells a compelling story of The Macallan’s rich history
Throughout The Macallan’s storied past, the colour red has played a significant and meaningful role. It starts with Alexander Reid, the Scotsman who founded The Macallan in 1824, whose surname denotes ‘the red one’; it then carried through to the distinctive red print that was splayed across cases of The Macallan Choice Old range to distinguish it from the brand’s existing whiskies, a decision made by owner Roderick Kemp in 1903. Nearly eight decades later, then-Chairman Allan Shiach used red ribbon to tie around bottles of what was then The Macallan’s oldest bottlings (1938, 1940 and 1950), in a nod to their rare and revered status. From these examples gleaned from the past, red is more than just a colour—it is an icon, and a common thread that links several of the most important milestones in The Macallan’s rich history.
Centuries later, the significance of this colour is seen once again in the release of The Red Collection, an exceptional range of distinguished and rare single malt whiskies including the remarkable 40 Year Old, 50 Year Old and 60 Years Old anchoring the line-up. These are the oldest ongoing expressions ever offered by The Macallan and are available only in limited quantities—a full set was recently auctioned by Sotheby’s in London in October 2020, which sold for £756,400 to an anonymous bidder, with proceeds going to benefit food charity City Harvest.
The collection will also be joined from time to time by special high-aged guest releases; the first set is complemented by The Macallan 71 Year Old, The Macallan 74 Year Old and The Macallan 78 Year Old, each among the world’s oldest and rarest whiskies and the latter two the oldest bottlings by the brand to date. Each of the ongoing releases in The Red Collection have been hand finished and signed by Master Whisky Maker Kirsteen Campbell, the first woman to occupy the role in its lengthy history; the initial releases were signed by Sarah Burgess, Lead Whisky Maker for The Macallan. “It’s thanks to the foresight of previous custodians of The Macallan, who laid down and aged these extraordinary casks, that we have been able to curate such a remarkable selection of whiskies,” Campbell says.”
