Macallan Royal Wedding Whisky
Macallan Royal Wedding Whisky tasting
Just before last weekend I received the very last sample available from Macallan of the whisky released for the Royal Wedding this weekend. So I settled myself down with a glass and began to taste.
The Macallan Royal Wedding Whisky © Colin Hampden-White
Colour
Deep Golden Amber
Aroma
Cinnamon, ginger, clove, toffee apples, layered in vanilla. Chocolate orange flits in and out, along with summer fruits. Lightly floral and barley notes all come together in a delightful creamy overtone. These were aromas over the first few minutes of opening. Having left the whisky for 20 minutes further to open up I also found Caramel, Cedar, Aniseed under flavour and sweet Rose Petals topping the floral notes.
Palate
Abundant wood spices deliver an initial hit to the palate, giving a slightly oily texture. Fruits develop, balanced with soft oak tones. Orange zest, floral notes and barley all make an appearance later in the journey as do crystallised citrus fruits.
Finish
Soft, full, long lasting giving way to a clean spirited end.
Details
As the excitement mounts for the first Royal Wedding in 12 years, The Macallan has announced the release of a limited edition of 1000 bottles celebrating the Royal Marriage of Prince William to Catherine (Kate) Middleton on29th April 2011.
The unique and collectable edition will feature exceptional single malt whisky taken from two casks, both filled on 29th April – one from 1996 and one from 1999. Bottled at 46.8%, the single malt gives abundant wood spices combining with orange zest, floral and barley to produce a creamy overtone.
The creation of this special bottle follows the release of a commemorative edition to mark the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. This comprised two casks, one from each of their birth years. At the time, the bottle sold out and today is a highly sought-after item for collectors of The Macallan around the world.
Commenting on the release of this special commemorative edition, Patricia Lee from The Macallan said, “Having created a limited edition to mark the wedding of his parents in 1981, we wanted to follow this with a special bottling for Prince William’s own marriage. Our Whisky Maker, Bob Dalgarno, has excelled himself once again by selecting two exquisite casks, each filled on 29th April, to create a whisky which brings together cinnamon, ginger and spice with toffee apples and vanilla giving a soft, full and long lasting finish.”
In keeping with this original bottling, The Macallan has commissioned the creative force behind the 1981 bottle, David Holmes, who was also one of the architects of the brand’s advertising campaign in the 1980s and the early 1990s, to create the label and packaging design.
The Macallan Royal Wedding Whisky © Colin Hampden-White
The label design incorporates striking duck egg blue, featuring interwoven monograms and silver roses, whilst the bespoke silver coloured presentation box is designed with a ‘viewing window’ to show off the stunning bottle.
The collectible status of this whisky is already starting to show. With the 1000 bottles released selling very quickly, bottles of the whisky are already on the secondary market, such as Ebay. Bottles have selling for as much as £450 three times it’s original price. With great interest in people collecting Macallan and those interested in ryal wedding memorabilia especially with high demand from outside the UK, it is clear to see this whisky demanding a high price once it finds it’s way onto the secondary retail market, and even then may still be collectible as an investment as demand for such a rare and good whisky continues. I hope some gets drunk and enjoyed, especially over the Royal wedding when it looks as if a little warming drink during the showers forecast for Saturday might not go amiss!
To note:
There is a little help detecting the fraudulent bottles which may come on the market in the future. Macallan have placed a little metallic holographic sticker on the bottle on the edge of the foil, it has an image of Easter Elchies House as the hologram.
The Macallan Royal Wedding Whisky with the hologram © Colin Hampden-White
Happy drinking.
Champdenwhite 