Our casks of European and American oak are the single greatest contributor to the quality, colour and flavours of The Macallan. Which means we take a lot of care when it comes to the oak’s journey from acorn to cask.
Our casks are crafted in cooperages in Jerez, Spain, and seasoned by sherry bodegas before they are transported for their first fill on The Macallan Estate.
Overseeing the process is our Master of Wood, Stuart MacPherson, who sources Quercus Robur and Petraea oak from the forests of Cantabria and Galicia in northern Spain and in southern France, and Quercas Alba from the East Coast of the US.
Both our European and American oaks are air-dried for a year then cut into individual staves and left for yet another year, drying in the Spanish sun, before being sent on to the cooperages of Jerez for what we call ‘the rising’ of the cask.
Meet the overseer of oak
Using our resources sustainably is crucial, and our Master of Wood scrutinises the provenance, processes and sourcing along every step of our wood supply chain. By 2025, The Macallan will have achieved certified regional traceability of that supply chain in Europe, and will go on to do the same in the US.
After 18 months of unhurried slumber in the Spanish bodegas as our assembled casks are seasoned in Oloroso sherry, they make the long journey from Jerez to our 485-acre Macallan Estate in Speyside, Scotland, where our journey in wood enters another phase
The maturation
All in all, it takes six years to create a sherry-seasoned Macallan cask, from harvesting the tree to filling it with our Macallan new-make spirit. Once filled, the casks are sent to our warehouses to be matured, breathing in the soft, moist air of Speyside through another lengthy and transformative slumber.
Our Warehouse Sampling Team reviews these casks to discover when the whisky will reach its optimum depth of flavour – a responsibility demanding patience and unwavering focus. Only when it reaches its full potential will a cask be selected.
A full-maturation means that the spirit stays in the cask for its entire life. While the sherry seasoning is integral to the intricacies of the whisky, after a certain point the wood and the spirit become the most dominant characters.
The journey from oak to glass
Judging the amount of time we leave a cask to rest, and at what point it has reached full maturation, takes skill and knowledge. Samples are drawn from shortlisted casks and delivered to the Whisky Makers bench, where each sample is assessed, and those whiskies that show promise of the extraordinary are returned to the warehouse for deeper and longer maturation.
The journey from oak forest to Spanish bodega to Scottish distillery to the whisky in your glass is a lengthy one. It is neither hurried nor taken for granted, but guided by an unwavering focus. By investing in the full journey we ensure that the wisdom we’ve accrued, the risks we’ve taken and the conscious decisions we’ve made are discernible in each and every sip of The Macallan.
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