Jubileeeeehah! A Brace of Brand New Macallans To Celebrate The Coronation

The world of collectible whiskies is an extraordinary place - and it has undoubtedly travelled a very long way since we've been actively writing about whisky. I distinctly remember the moment when it dawned on me that people actually 'covet' whisky; not just for its simple unctuous enjoyment, but to hold, to gaze upon and to store behind glass, like precious possessions.  

The Macallan 'Peter Blake At 80' set

Fast forward to 2013 and the world of the collectible whisky is of course still dividing opinion and sparking mass hysteria within the whisky drinking community. A quick glance at Scotch Whisky Auctions will tell you that the likes of The Macallan, The Balvenie and Port Ellen are the barometers for how profitable whisky has become.  The Macallan in particular has, like no other brand, managed to create not only objects of desire (consider last year's Diamond Jubilee bottling,  or the Sir Peter Blake box of curiosities) from their special limited edition releases, but couple them with outstanding liquids.  It creates quite a conundrum really:  To drink, or to covet?  

Well, the conundrum is likely to get even more tricky from today, as The Macallan are back with another limited edition bottling, this time to celebrate the Queen's Coronation 60 years ago. However, this time, unlike the Royal wedding bottling, or the aforementioned Diamond Jubilee release, the distiller has decided to release a brace of 350ml bottles that form a set to commemorate the celebration.  

The Macallan Diamond Jubilee bottling

Designed by long time The Macallan collaborator, Art Director David Holmes, each bottle will feature a different image of the Queen, one taken in the year of the coronation by Cecil Beaton and another taken in 2004 by portrait photographer Julian Caulder.  Two sides to mark the remarkable life the Queen has undoubtedly lived.  

The liquid types could not be more different. Neither carries an age statement, but the hallmarks of both vibrant American oak and intense sherry cask maturation are on display. 

Both the Royal Wedding and Jubilee bottlings were superb expressions.  Quite how many are actually open is anyone's guess (not that many, by the looks of SWA) so will this new release only serve to bolster the collectors market for The Macallan?  Without even trying either whisky, only a fool would bet on them not selling out, but what we're really here to discuss are the different liquids themselves and fortunately, our two slightly-less-beautifully-packaged sample bottles will do more than enough justice.  

The Macallan -  Coronation Bottling - Cecil Beaton - 58.1% - 35cl

Nose: Initially, a lively zesty affair, but given a few minutes in the glass, this really is a breathtakingly sweet affair: vanilla bean-rich white chocolate, golden syrup, tonka bean, Victoria sponge cake and vanilla pipe tobacco notes swirl elegantly with a light orange blossom. Superbly light weight, perfumed and rich.

Palate: The strength gives this a punchy mouthfeel, but after a burst of spice (liquorice and ginger) the vanilla rich aromas are transported to the palate, with a buttery richness developing. Water calms down the spice and brings out more of the vanilla, with some sweet cereal notes helping to deliver a very pleasing and fatty mouthfeel.  

Finish: Lingering oakiness gives way to a return of the vanilla/golden syrup and a touch of menthol right on the very death.  

Overall: The Macallan, but wearing a plush velvet suit with a soft ermine collar. It's the sort of whisky that drapes itself over you - a comforting blanket of sweet treats and satin textures.  Superb stuff. 

Next up, a more mature and complex side to the Queen... The Macallan style...

The Macallan -  Coronation Bottling -  Julian Caulder - 55.7% - 35cl

Nose: If the Beaton bottling was white chocolate personified, this is its nemesis.  Layers of cocoa and fattened rum-soaked raisins and figs mix with an overly woody spice note of cinnamon and nutmeg.  The vanilla of the other bottling hasn't diminished completely, more pushed into the background to be discovered.  But when you do dig deeper, there are plenty of surprises.  Kirsch soaked cherries, toasted Brazil nuts, a touch of walnut and masses of dried fruit, all with a swish of creamy custard.  Hugely complex and very Macallan, but with such finesse.  

Palate: Like the Beaton bottling, it gets off to a hot start, but the spices drive through, with a warming cinnamon, liquorice and cola note leading into diced dates, raisins molasses, dark leaf tobacco and dark chocolate. Water simply adds to the complexity and helps develop the spicy notes and the length of the dark chocolate.  

Finish: Lingering raisins, sour cherries and cocoa help to emphasise the richness of the sherry influence. 

Overall: A Macallan through and through, this is a whisky that takes time to fully uncover, but rewards the drinker with complexity, spice and a darker, more robust side.  If the Beaton bottling was the Queen pottering round Sandringham tending to her roses in the summer, this is Her Majesty polling around the grounds of Balmoral on a cold autumn day in her Harris tweeds.  

All in all, both bottlings are so different to the other, but each definitively a Macallan and proud.  Another triumphant release - and one which we hope will not just sit on display in a collector's cabinet. For to simply gaze on these whiskies from afar is to do the whisky's creator, Bob Dalgarno a distinct disservice and possibly a Tower'able offence.  

The Macallan Coronation set will be priced at £350 and is limited to 1953 bottles, available from the Macallan Visitors Centre and online (UK customers only) 

One Likes Water With One's Whisky

Banksy's contribution to the Jubilee Celebrations

London, Tues 5th June 2012. The Jubilee is officially over and it's pouring with rain. I mean POURING with rain. So much so, I have my welly-boots on. In June.

It's now been just over a week since Neil and I took the long and winding road down to Campbeltown and then over to Islay for our trip to this year’s Feis Ile and we were blessed with great weather as the sun streamed down on our bonces for nearly the entire time. I even returned from the fair isle with sunburn, such was the strength of the sun’s rays.

As usual, our journey was filled with renewed acquaintances and old friends; both in the physical sense and liquid one, too. From old faithfuls such as the Lagavulin 16 and the Ardbeg 10, to new friends like the Kilchoman Machir Bay and the Caol Ila Feis Ile 2012, it has been a real journey in every sense of the word.

On the road back, Neil and I were discussing our top 3 drams of the trip. Such was the level of debate (13 hours is a long time to fill when driving back) that we had to keep expanding it, from a top 3 to top 4, then top 5... needless to say, the Lagavulin 30 topped both our lists. We were divided on their new 21 year old expression but united on the excellence of the Caol Ila Flora & Fauna bottling. So on and on the debate raged before ending somewhere around Watford Gap.

This oddly named service station, not really near Watford and not, so far as I can see, a gap, is oft lorded as the divide between North & South. As we stopped for petrol and pasties, a quick check of the travel situation in London was required. It hadn't fully hit home with all the driving but, due to the Jubilee, most of Central London was closed, along with a host of bridges across the Thames. Not what you need at 11pm after nearly 12 hours of travelling and, crucially, not what you need when you’re trying to get home to.... South London.

With the route adjusted, home was in our sites (well, in our satnav at the very least) and, after dropping off Neil and his host of bottles to the expecting Mrs Ridley, I headed home to get some much needed kip.

The next day I awoke to London in full Jubilee swing. Totally under prepared, I hadn’t a single item adorned with a Union Jack in the house, save for some pillows which I was damned would be taken out in the downpour. There was only one thing for it: retreat and head for a countryside garden party. As I made my way out to the railway station, passing people dress up like John Bull, I decided to swing by our office just to check it was still there. But the one thing you can be sure about when you spend a week away: there will be plenty of post for you on your return.

Now, we all know what it’s like coming home after a week or so away; the doormat tends to be littered with bills, as if the postman was a tree in autumn, shedding his leaves through your letterbox. And of course, in the office there were plenty of unwelcome pieces of correspondence awaiting my letter-knife. But in the middle of it all was something rather exciting... a bulging package clearly housing a wee sample.

Ignoring the bills and opting to see what the sample contained, I opened the package to be faced by something quite timely indeed, The Macallan Diamond Jubilee whisky. For someone who had not yet found their Jubilee spirit, it was most useful that some had been delivered to my door, a brief encouragement to join in with the festivities.

Grabbing a glass from the cupboard and the sample, I continued my journey to the railway station, running between bus stops to avoid the rain until I found myself sat on a train trundling out towards (God’s own county of) Oxfordshire for a Harrison Family gathering.

As I took my seat on the train, I pulled the sample from my pocket, popped the cork and poured a dram into my glass. Lifting it to my nose, I swear at that exact moment the rain stopped. Call it fate (or fete in today’s case), it probably had a lot to do with being beyond Slough, it was as if the Jubilee spirit was rising from the glass like a genie from bottle, to clear the skies and make way for the days festivities...

The Macallan – Diamond Jubilee Bottling – NAS – 2012 bottles only - 52% abv - £350  available here

Note: the bottle features an image of the Queen by the artist Arnold Machin, famed for his image of the Queen used on Royal Mail stamps. This version is the first (and only) time a Machin image has been used on a product outside of the Royal Mail. Quite a coup for The Macallan. The liquid has been chosen from casks from 6^th February, the Queen’s ascension, and the first week in June, traditionally when the Jubilees are celebrated. 52% abv reflects the year, 1952, when the Queen took the throne.

Nose: Orange zest (marmalade), polished oak floors, mandarin, cookie dough with chocolate chips and some fresh oak tones on the back. Hint of autumnal forest floor. With water the vanilla comes through much more.

Palate: A powerful palate at first quickly dies down to reveal classic Macallan notes of dried fruits, Christmas cake, peach melba and toasted almonds. With water, this opens up to be a real flavoursome dram with all of the previous enhanced but a much more rounded and less aggressive. Without water, this is Prince Phillip. With Water, the Queen.

Finish: The finish is long and lingering with a warmth of real liquorish. With water, much more Moorish and juicy with the mandarin orange tones lasting through to the death.

Overall: A super dram of juicy oranges and vanilla. Needs water to bring it to life, by golly it gets get when you do. If I have a criticism, it isn't about the liquid, but the fact this is a NAS. With lots of information on the packaging and the dates the casks were filled, it is a shame there is no information on the years the casks are from. Ney bother, as it still tastes damn fine.

As I sat on the train homeward bound to London from the Cotswolds, having indulged in the good old British pastime of flag waving, cheering, drinking and eating, I arrived home to city where the bridges had reopened, the bunting still remained hung and, despite the wet weather, there seemed to be just that little bit more joy in the air. It seems like a perfectly good reason to bottle a whisky, to me.