Mit Glenfarclas holst Du Dir einen wuchtigen, würzigen und Sherry getriebenen Whisky ins Glas. Seit Generationen in der Hand der Familie Grant ist Glenfarclas heute eine der letzten Destillerien in schottischer Hand. Du bekommst einen ehrlichen, ungefärbten Whisky - einen echten Oldschool Scotch!
The Macallan: A touch of Hollywood
Apart from the fact that Macallan is undoubtedly one of the star malts and enjoys worldwide popularity - what connects a Scottish distillery with Hollywood?
Well, for one thing, a 50-year-old Macallan is James Bond's favorite drink in the movie Skyfall. In addition, Allan Schiach, who managed the distillery from 1979 to 1996 after the death of his brother, had an interesting part-time job (actually, it was actually his main job). He was an author and, under the pseudonym Allan Scott, wrote the screenplay for the classic film When the Gondolas Are in Mourning, starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie.
It was also Allan Schiach who officially turned Macallan into “The Macallan” in the 1980s. Big cinema.
What does Macallan mean? The literal translation of Macallan is "son of Allan".
Region: Speyside
A bit of history on Macallan
Located in the heart of Scotland's Speyside region, the distillery was one of the first legal distilleries in Scotland. Alexander Reid received the distilling license in 1824. Just a year earlier, in 1823, the License Act had made legal distilling much easier. After the founder's death in 1847, his son, also named Alexander, took over the whisky distillery.
In the years after his death in 1858, the owners changed relatively quickly.
In 1892 the distillery was purchased by Roderick Kemp of Elgin, whose family steadily expanded the business over the next 100 years.
In 1965 the number of stills was increased from 6 to 12, in 1974 to 18 and in 1975 to 21.
Macallan was popular, demand in Scotland was high, and so in 1980 the busy Allan Schiach decided to market "The Macallan" even more actively outside of Scotland - with success.
In 1996, after more than a hundred years in Roderick Kemp's family, Macallan went to Highland Distillers, which was bought by the Edrington Group in 1999.
The Macallan is in great demand among blenders and, among other things, is part of "The Famous Grouse", the most drunk blended Scotch whisky in Scotland. In order to ensure the lasting quality of the sherry casks, Macallan has had its own sherry bodega in Spain for a long time.
How does Macallan whisky taste?
The Macallan is one of Speyside's tall, elegant malts. For a long time, the "Rolly-Royce of malts" stood for dark, creamy malts that matured exclusively in Oloroso sherry casks. In the meantime, the cask policy has been relaxed, and ex-bourbon casks have also been added. Caramel and honey are still there, accompanied by more or less obvious fruity notes. Hardly any smoke, lots of body.
3 reasons to love Macallan Single Malt
4) Because Macallan offers great taste cinema.
5) Because nobody can do "Sherry" better.
6) Because the malt is timelessly elegant.
The one Macallan Dram for the desert island
The best way to get to know the original Macallan character, which was typical for a long time, is with bottlings that matured in sherry casks.
Beautifully balanced and especially recommended: The Macallan 12 year old Sherry Oak. Slainte!
Facts & Figures about Macallan
Address: Craigellachie, Banffshire, AB38 9RX
Founded: 1824 by Alexander Reid
Status: active
Owner: Highland Distillers (Edrington Group)
Capacity: approx. 6,000,000 liters
7 wash stills (12,000 l)
14 spirit stills (4,000 l)
Water: Ringorm Burn
Visitor Centre: Yes
Telephone: +44 (0)1340 / 871471
Website: www.themacallan.com
How does Laphroaig whisky taste?
Laphroaig has enjoyed collecting the aromatic descriptions of its customers. Hardly any whisky produces such unusual tasting notes as Laphroaig. To us, Laphroaig is simply Islay in a glass. The strong, slightly medicinal peat smoke mixes with notes of iodine and sea air. On the palate, Laphroaig then shows that the whisky can do much more than just smoke. Sweet malt, light fruits and an exciting combination of oak, driftwood and brine resonate in almost all Laphroaig bottlings. We think every whisky lover should try Laphroaig at least twice in their lifetime.
Here is a small excerpt of associations that were already made known when tasting Laphroaig: "like horse stables in winter", "tastes like a pharmacy", "like a burning cowshed", "remains of ashes in the glowing fireplace", gauze, iodine, Sea salt, hospital, wet suit, campfire, freshly paved road on Islay... What are your first impressions?
How is Laphroaig Single Malt made?
Laphroaig single malt whisky is made at the same-named whisky distillery on the island of Islay. Islay is in the south-west of Scotland and can only be reached by ferry or plane. Much of Islay's small population works in one of the nine whisky distilleries. So it can happen that you meet the tour guide and distillery employee David in the evening in the pub, where he makes music.
Laphroaig is made from peated malt. The distillery obtains some of the smoky peat malt from the maltings in Port Ellen, and some it malts and smokes itself. Laphroaig is one of the few whisky distilleries in Scotland that still have their own active malting floors. Most whisky producers have given this complex production step to large industrial malthouses. However, it is important to Laphroaig to retain part of the special unique character. Staff swear Laphroaig whisky wouldn't be the same without its own kiln.
After the malt has been laid out on the malting floors to germinate and turned, it is dried in the kiln. The malt is smoked here over a peat fire for 12 to 15 hours. This is where the hand-cut Laphroaig peat comes into play. The peat is cut on the company's own peatbogs. So smoky whiskys are also called peated whiskys in Scotland. A heavily smoky whisky like Laphroaig is said to be heavily peated. The smoke content of whisky is given in ppm (phenol parts per million). Their own peated malt has a phenol content of 50-60ppm while Port Ellen's peat malt has a phenol content of 45ppm. Usually this is mixed and so an average of the Laphroaig smokiness of about 50 ppm is achieved.
The finished malt is ground in our own mill and further processed in the 5.5 ton mash tun, the Mash Tun (Full Lauter). Here the sugar is removed from the malt grist. Several batches of hot water ensure that the sugar dissolves in the hot water. The sweet liquid from this process is called 'wort' in Scotland, and wort in ours. It continues to ferment for at least 53 hours. At Laphroaig, this takes place in six stainless steel washbacks.
After the wash has finished fermenting, it goes on to the distillation. Laphroaig's Still House looks almost like a large organ. Laphoraig's copper pot stills line up neatly. They vary in size and shape. Laphroaig uses a complicated but very successful distillation method. Laphroaig's spirit is surprisingly smooth. There are three wash stills, three spirit stills and another larger spirit still. The lyne arms of the pot stills are tilted upwards, allowing heavy components to fall back. This increases the copper contact of the alcohol vapor, which is said to contribute to the smooth character of Laphroaig New Makes.
Laphroaig Single Malt is matured primarily in ex-Bourbon casks. Ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads make up the bulk of Laphroaig's cask inventory. The medicinal-phenolic character of the Islay distillery unfolds well in American white oak casks. Sherry casks are also used from time to time, as with the Laphroaig PX Cask, Laphroaig Lore and the Laphroaig 10 Years Sherry Oak. A trademark of Laphroaig is the bottling in the rather unusual increased drinking strength of 48% vol. The bottlings with this alcohol strength are not chill-filtered (non-chill-filtered), so they have a greater depth of aroma than the variants with 40% vol.
The history of Laphroaig
Laphroaig Distillery was founded in 1815 by brothers Alexander and Donald Johnston. They were the sons of a certain John Johnston, who is considered the founding father of the neighboring Lagavulin distillery. From 1837 to 1868 there was another distillery on the current distillery site: The Ardenistiel Distillery, also known as Kildalton Distillery or Islay Distillery.
Thanks to the island laird Walker Frederick Campbell, Islay soon became a whisky paradise. Even before many whisky distilleries were officially established, the island was notorious for its excellent moonshine (illicit liquor and whisky). In the early 20th century, Laphroaig's rise to fame began with Donald Johnston's grandson, Ian Hunter.
Donald died in a tragic accident in 1847. He fell into a vat of boiling pot ale. Under Ian Hunter's direction, Laphroaig was sold as a single malt whiskey from the 1920s. In 1924 the number of pot stills was increased from two to four. When Ian Hunter died in 1954, he surprised the whiskey world one last time. He left the successful Islay distillery to his secretary, Bessie Williamson. Bessie used to run the distillery when Hunter was away on his long business trips. Bessie Williamson went from secretary to the first woman to own a distillery in the 20th century. Today, the Williamson name is still associated with Laphroaig, as with many mystery malts.
The once large American spirits company Schenley bought into the distillery in the 1960s. In 1967 Laphroaig was bought outright by Bessie Williamson. Bessie retired in 1972. The number of pot stills has been increased to the current level of 7. In 1994, Prince Charles awarded Laphroaig the Royal Warrant, a special award from the British Crown. As the favorite whisky of the Prince of Wales, Laphroaig became the official and privileged purveyor to the English royal family. That same year, Distillery Manager Iain Henderson founded the Friends of Laphroaig, a modern club for Laphroaig lovers.
After several changes of ownership, Laphroaig was finally bought by Jim Beam of Allied Distillers in 2005. In 2014, Jim Beam merged with the Japanese beverage company Suntory to form Beam Suntory. So today the Islay distillery Bowmore is a sibling distillery of Laphroaig.
Recommendations in the Laphroaig range
Basically, we can recommend the entire Laphroaig range.
The Laphroaig 10 year old is the flagship of the Islay distillery and a perfect introduction to the range. With a mild 40% vol. and around 10 years of age, the Laphroaig 10 years offers you a great experience. The peat smoke is complemented here with liquorice and sea spray. Typical iodine, delicate oak, light fruits and black pepper await you on the palate.
The Laphroaig Select is the budget variant of the Islay distillery and is also suitable for beginners. Even bottled at 40% vol., however, it lacks an age statement compared to the 10-year-old. In a direct comparison, we would probably go for the Laphroaig 10 years old, but tastes are known to differ ;).
A great recommendation and alternative to the Laphroaig 10 year old is the Laphroaig Quarter Cask. This Laphroaig variant was finished in smaller casks, the quarter casks. The Laphroaig Quarter Cask has added an extra portion of toffee and vanilla flavors. The increased drinking strength of 48% vol. also gives it more depth. The phenolic peat smoke mixes with rum sweetness and cigar box. Simply delicious and great value for money!
Facts & Figures about Laphroaig
Address: Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, Argyll, PA42 7DU
Founded: 1815 by Donald and Alex Johnston
Region: Islay
Owner: Beam Suntory
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Smoke: heavily smoky/peaty, heavily peated
Status: active
Capacity: approx. 3,000,000 liters per year
Stills: 3 wash stills (10,910 l)
4 spirit stills (3 x 3,630, 1 x 7,270 l)
Washbacks: 6, stainless steel
Water: Kilbride Dam
Visitor Centre: Yes
Telephone: +44 (0)1496 / 302418
Website: www.laphroaig.com
Directions to the Macallan Distillery
Fancy a portion of smoke and sherry? Then you have the choice between the Laphroaig PX Sherry and the Laphroaig 10 Years Sherry Oak Finish. The Laphroaig PX Cask is a generous variant for travel retail in the 1 liter bottle. The maturation in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks gives it great fruit notes, marzipan and dark chocolate. The Laphroaig 10 Years Sherry Oak Finish, on the other hand, has an age indication of 10 years and was finished in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks. Barbecue aromas, bacon and maple syrup as well as spicy forest honey come out of the glass. Both bottlings have an aromatic vol. of 48% and are a recommendation. It's best to just compare directly.
The Laphroaig Four Oak is the travel retail equivalent of the Laphroaig PX without the sherry cask aging. The Laphroaig Four Oak also comes in a 1 liter bottle with a mild 40% vol. It is matured in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels, quarter casks, virgin American oak barrels and European oak hogsheads. These barrels clearly emphasize the light fruity and maritime-smoky character of Laphroaig. In a direct comparison, we would probably go for the Laphroaig Quarter Cask with 48% vol.
The Laphroaig Lore was presented a few years ago as "THE" Laphroaig, which combines all the properties of the other bottlings. It is referred to as "The richest of the rich". And in fact it seems to us that the Laphroaig Lore is this the skilful composition of different cask types such as quarter casks, hogsheads, ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks make this Laphroaig special.Jim Murray named the Laphroaig Lore in his whisky Bible 2019 the best whisky in the category single malt Scotch whisky without age statement.
The annual Laphroaig 10 Years Cask Strength bottlings are always worth buying. The Laphroaig 10 Years Cask Strength is bottled in batches and at strong cask strength. These are the Laphroaigs for the aficionado and whisky connoisseur. With volume percentages above the 55% mark, unvarnished, brute aromas come into your glass. Each batch is individual as the cask composition varies. You absolutely have to try it!
