Scotch connoisseurs have long shown they’re not afraid to pay extra for something rare, but Macallan might be putting that to the test.
The distiller has introduced The Macallan Sherry Oak 40 Years Old, a $9,000 bottle of single malt Scotch whiskey – and says just 465 bottles will be released worldwide, with only 70 making it to the U.S.
The collectible release comes from the distillery’s Speyside operation, and was aged in sherry seasoned oak casks for 40 years. (Those casks are made of Spanish oak then seasoned for 18 months with dry Oloroso sherry, then shipped up to Scotland, where they’re filled with Macallan’s whisky.
Macallan did not make the Sherry Oak 40 Year available for critical tasting. It described the single malt, however, as having hints of sultanas, gingers, and wood spice against a backdrop of cinnamon and citrus on the nose, with a taste of “soft cinnamon spices leading into date and figs, before giving way to a long, rich finish with a lingering cinnamon spice.”