It is often rendered as the fertile land of St Fillan, though the etymology remains uncertain.
More certain than the name is the combination of a weighty spirit from small stills and sherry seasoned oak.
Sherry oak does not mean haphazardly reusing old sherry casks. First, sherry is put into an oak barrel made for whisky maturation and the wood is scented, then the sherry is emptied and filled with The Macallan spirit.
The Macallan introduces its still as an ‘exceptionally small still.’ If the body and neck are small, the distance the vapor can travel is short, so it is easy for oily, weighty compounds to reach the lyne arm.
If a long, thin neck increases reflux and allows only light vapor to pass, this configuration is closer to the opposite side. Oil and weight remain in the new make spirit.
The steam cools in the condenser and becomes transparent new make. This heavy new make spirit must be filled in the cask so that the taste of the malt spirit is not buried by the strong sherry scent even after long maturation.
The character of the wood is prepared by placing sherry in European oak casks. Afterwards, the sherry is emptied and whisky is filled in Scotland.
For at least 12 years, the cask's tannins, spices, and raisin-based notes enter the drink. The formal notes of ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon come into sharp focus here.
Sherry cask alone cannot explain all of this flavor. A heavy distillate made by a small distiller is needed to maintain the rich cask aroma and malt flavor.
Based on The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years Old.
The two axes of sherry and oak extend outward. Spices of raisins and European oak make up the outline of this bottle.
The peat axis is almost folded in and the flowers and vanilla are also small. Dried fruit, ginger, cinnamon and dry wood take precedence over softness.
This value is not a public composition table, but rather the sensory impression of the reference bottling transferred to the same six axes.
The Macallan is located on the grounds of Easter Elkes on the River Spey. Since receiving the license in 1824, small stills and sherry casks have been the core of the brand.
Sherry seasoning casks are more than just recycled packaging. The origin and drying of wood, cask production, and sherry seasoning are designed for whisky maturation. Although it costs a lot of money and time, it increases the repeatability of the taste.
Sherry Oak 12 is mainly aged in sherry-seasoned European oak. This is why dried fruit, ginger syrup, cinnamon, and oak continue for a long time.
The etymology of Macallan is often interpreted as the name of magh and the surname Fillan, but it is safer to avoid reading it as a definitive decomposition.