About The Macallan Rare Cask 2020 Release Single Malt Scotch Whisky The 2020 release of The Macallan Rare Cask showcases the finest sherry-seasoned oak casks that The Macallan Whisky Mastery Team seeks out. The Macallan Whisky Maker Robert Dalgarno hand selects less than 1% of casks. The team utilizes their vast knowledge, passion, and skill when selecting these unique casks to craft the exquisite, unique, and woody profile with opulent vanilla, dried fruit, spice and an unparalleled smoothness. Bottled at 86 proof, it’s a luxurious expression that showcases the skill of The Macallan’s fabled Masters of Wood. Get your bottle today! About The Macallan Situated on a ridge above the banks of the River Spey, the Easter Elchies House has been the spiritual home of The Macallan for over three centuries. In 1820, Alexander Reid sowed the fields surrounding the rented home with barley and established the first licensed distillery on the estate, which he named Macallan after an ancient church that had been destroyed by fire during the 15th century. In the slow winter days, Reid would ferment and distill his excess grains into whisky, which was often drunk straight from the still or sold to travelers passing through the town. Today, the Macallan Estate encompasses 370 acres, 95 of which are devoted to the production of the Macallan Estate’s Minstrel barley (a single acre produces about 2.5 tons of barley each year, enough to yield 1,800 bottles of The Macallan). In addition, the distillery contracts with farmers to purchase barley that is low in nitrogen and high in starch, resulting in a rich and oily whisky. After the harvest, the barley is malted and mashed in one of The Macallan’s two mash tuns, a process that takes between four and eight hours. Then, the barley is fermented with a specially cultured yeast before being distilled twice through The Macallan’s copper-pot stills. The copper comprising the stills acts as a catalyst and enhances the formation of sweet esters while minimizing impurities such as sulfur. In addition, the curiously small stills — some of “the smallest stills within the Scotch whisky industry,” according to production manager Alexander Tweedie — produce a whisky with a heavy, oily flavor. Following distillation, The Macallan distillers remove the heads and tails of the whisky and collect approximately 16% of the spirit to fill into casks for maturation. This “cut,” which is among the highest of any Scottish distillery, results in a more full-bodied and richer whisky. Explore all The Macallan bottles >> About Scotch Scotch is the most popular whisky in the world and is considered the king of them all! There are five whisky regions in Scotland (six if you count the not officially recognized Islands), and each of them produces spirits with unique properties and distinct tasting notes. (The type of grain used determents the type of the scotch.) Malt whisky is made of malted barley, and grain whisky uses other grains like corn or wheat. Most of the time, a whisky is blended from different distilleries hence the name blended scotch, but if a malt whisky is produced in a single distillery, we get something extraordinary called a single malt. Check out our impressive selection of scotch whiskies, find your new favorite in the Top 10 scotch whiskies, or explore our treasury of rare & hard to find scotch whiskies. Read More Vanilla, raisin, apple, lemon, and orange lead the charge on the nose. The palate has more of that raisin richness which gives way to vanilla, dark chocolate, and citrusy notes, culminating in a silky-smooth and long finish.