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1 bottle per lot
Details
Scotch Whisky Distillation
Distillation
A Still is a permanent apparatus used to distill fermented liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and condense the vapour in order to separate the fractions and concentrate the desired alcohol. There are two main types of stills; pot and continuous stills, the former generally produces sprits that have more character. When distilling whisky, the starch in the grain has to be converted into sugar before the fermentation can take place, in contrast to cognac which uses grapes fermented into wine prior to distillation.
From Maize to Malt
Blended Scotch whisky, which accounts for the majority of whisky production in Scotland, is produced from a combination of grain (typically maize) and malt whisky blended from a number of distilleries to produce consistent flavour and character. In contrast Single Malts are produced exclusively from malted barley using a pot still from a specific distillery; each has a distinctive style and character. Occasionally a distillery will release a single cask bottling of their finest and rarest whisky which along with Single Malts are the most highly sought-after and regarded as true collectors' items. Examples in our sale include. The Macallan, Glenlivet, Rosebank, Springbank, Bowmore and many other examples from some of the finest distilleries in Scotland.
Into the Malting Pot
To produce Malt Whisky, the first step is to convert the starch into sugar. The barley is steeped in water for up to 60 hours releasing the enzymes that will convert starch into sugar. The malt is then dried in kilns to halt germination and prevent growth of the roots and shoots. It is then ground down to form a grist, which is mixed with hot water in a mash tun to dissolve the sugars and produce a sweet sugary liquid called a wort. The wort is then fermented using yeasts to produce a wash [the liquid produced by the fermentation step] that is to be distilled.
Make Mine a Double
The Scotch whisky distillation process uses double distillation using two pot stills; a wash and a spirit still. Firstly the wash still converts the wash to low wines (about 20 to 30 abv) and then the spirit still converts the low wines to new make (about 60 to 70 abv); the impure foreshots (heads) and feints (tails) are removed at the beginning and end of the distillation process. The new make spirit cannot be called Scotch whisky until it has been matured in a cask for at least three years. Traditionally previously used sherry casks were used for maturing whisky, but increasingly bourbon and port casks are also being used.
The Macallan
The Macallan is arguably the most famous of the Highland Single Malts with great ageing ability and endurance marking it as a true collectors' item. The Macallan has the ability to age for up to 50 or more years in cask, developing intense concentration and depth of flavours and aromas. The Macallan name was probably derived from a combination of the Gaelic words "Magh" meaning a fertile piece of land and "Ellan" meaning "of Saint Fillan" who was an Irish-born monk who traveled extensively in Scotland in the eight century spreading the word of Christianity. The Macallan became a legal distillery in 1824 when Alexander Reid applied for a license to distill on land belonging to the Earl of Seafield. The distillery is currently owned by the Edrington Group which bought a majority shareholding in 1999 along with Suntory which acquired a minority shareholding as part of the deal.
The distilling team at Macallan has maintained traditional practices over many years and is expert in determining what gives each whisky its unique flavor. The Macallan uses only barley (ideally which is high in starch and low in nitrogen) a proportion of which consists of Minstrel barley that is grown exclusively for The Macallan on their Estate and from contract growers. This barley ensures a rich and oily character for the new make spirit. Water used in the mashing process is drawn from springs beneath the Estate. Double-distillation occurs in small specially shaped copper stills; the copper acts as a catalyst reducing impurities and developing intense sweet esters that produce this whisky which is full of character. Only approximately 16 of the distilled spirit is cut, collected and put into barrels for maturing into The Macallan ensuring that only the finest spirit is used. The quality of the customized Sherry casks is vital for the development of the distinctive flavours of the archetypal Macallan. The casks are housed in their sixteen traditional dunnage warehouses that hold up to 33,000 casks and seven modern warehouses that hold up to 160,000 casks. The Macallan is naturally coloured and the type of oak casks, seasoning and toasting determines the colour and flavour, with open-grained European oak imparting a deeper colour than the tighter-grained American oak that imparts more delicate colour.
Macallan 30 Year Old
Distilled 1974. 56.5i
1 bottle per lot
Distillation
A Still is a permanent apparatus used to distill fermented liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and condense the vapour in order to separate the fractions and concentrate the desired alcohol. There are two main types of stills; pot and continuous stills, the former generally produces sprits that have more character. When distilling whisky, the starch in the grain has to be converted into sugar before the fermentation can take place, in contrast to cognac which uses grapes fermented into wine prior to distillation.
From Maize to Malt
Blended Scotch whisky, which accounts for the majority of whisky production in Scotland, is produced from a combination of grain (typically maize) and malt whisky blended from a number of distilleries to produce consistent flavour and character. In contrast Single Malts are produced exclusively from malted barley using a pot still from a specific distillery; each has a distinctive style and character. Occasionally a distillery will release a single cask bottling of their finest and rarest whisky which along with Single Malts are the most highly sought-after and regarded as true collectors' items. Examples in our sale include. The Macallan, Glenlivet, Rosebank, Springbank, Bowmore and many other examples from some of the finest distilleries in Scotland.
Into the Malting Pot
To produce Malt Whisky, the first step is to convert the starch into sugar. The barley is steeped in water for up to 60 hours releasing the enzymes that will convert starch into sugar. The malt is then dried in kilns to halt germination and prevent growth of the roots and shoots. It is then ground down to form a grist, which is mixed with hot water in a mash tun to dissolve the sugars and produce a sweet sugary liquid called a wort. The wort is then fermented using yeasts to produce a wash [the liquid produced by the fermentation step] that is to be distilled.
Make Mine a Double
The Scotch whisky distillation process uses double distillation using two pot stills; a wash and a spirit still. Firstly the wash still converts the wash to low wines (about 20 to 30 abv) and then the spirit still converts the low wines to new make (about 60 to 70 abv); the impure foreshots (heads) and feints (tails) are removed at the beginning and end of the distillation process. The new make spirit cannot be called Scotch whisky until it has been matured in a cask for at least three years. Traditionally previously used sherry casks were used for maturing whisky, but increasingly bourbon and port casks are also being used.
The Macallan
The Macallan is arguably the most famous of the Highland Single Malts with great ageing ability and endurance marking it as a true collectors' item. The Macallan has the ability to age for up to 50 or more years in cask, developing intense concentration and depth of flavours and aromas. The Macallan name was probably derived from a combination of the Gaelic words "Magh" meaning a fertile piece of land and "Ellan" meaning "of Saint Fillan" who was an Irish-born monk who traveled extensively in Scotland in the eight century spreading the word of Christianity. The Macallan became a legal distillery in 1824 when Alexander Reid applied for a license to distill on land belonging to the Earl of Seafield. The distillery is currently owned by the Edrington Group which bought a majority shareholding in 1999 along with Suntory which acquired a minority shareholding as part of the deal.
The distilling team at Macallan has maintained traditional practices over many years and is expert in determining what gives each whisky its unique flavor. The Macallan uses only barley (ideally which is high in starch and low in nitrogen) a proportion of which consists of Minstrel barley that is grown exclusively for The Macallan on their Estate and from contract growers. This barley ensures a rich and oily character for the new make spirit. Water used in the mashing process is drawn from springs beneath the Estate. Double-distillation occurs in small specially shaped copper stills; the copper acts as a catalyst reducing impurities and developing intense sweet esters that produce this whisky which is full of character. Only approximately 16 of the distilled spirit is cut, collected and put into barrels for maturing into The Macallan ensuring that only the finest spirit is used. The quality of the customized Sherry casks is vital for the development of the distinctive flavours of the archetypal Macallan. The casks are housed in their sixteen traditional dunnage warehouses that hold up to 33,000 casks and seven modern warehouses that hold up to 160,000 casks. The Macallan is naturally coloured and the type of oak casks, seasoning and toasting determines the colour and flavour, with open-grained European oak imparting a deeper colour than the tighter-grained American oak that imparts more delicate colour.
Macallan 30 Year Old
Distilled 1974. 56.5i
1 bottle per lot