The story of Claridge’s craft whisky
The history of Macallan is as deep and complex as their most precious single malts. Founded in 1824, it started life as the Elchies Distillery, perched on a plateau above the River Spey. The site was originally a small farm distillery, frequented by cattle drovers crossing the ford. From these humble beginnings the company steadily grew, adding more stills in the 1960s and 70s and, in 1980, settling on the name The Macallan.
The Macallan’s unique character comes from a rare combination of place, people and time-honoured production techniques. The distillery’s 24 ‘Curiously Small Stills’ are amongst the littlest in Speyside, allowing maximum contact between spirit and copper. And each batch is matured in exceptionally high quality oak casks which create a beautifully rich natural colour, aroma and flavours.
With its emphasis on craftsmanship and quality, The Macallan was a natural fit for Claridge’s. The next step was to find the perfect barrel, a task that fell to our Head of Bars, Denis Broci who worked alongside experts at Speciality Drinks to carefully select a singular spirit that would capture the essence of Claridge’s.
Distilled in 1989 and aged for 24 years in a first-fill sherry cask, the Claridge’s Whisky bears all the hallmarks of the finest Macallan: full-bodied fruit and lingering complexity at cask strength. A limited run of just 100 bottles is available now, evoking both the elegance of Claridge’s and the untamed beauty of Speyside.