Sustainable Suppliers

Our exceptional oak casks are the single greatest contributor to the outstanding quality, natural colours and distinctive flavours of The Macallan. The European and American oak which is used to make our specially commissioned casks are therefore a vital resource for us, one which must be consistent in quality.  

As such, we invest more time, effort and resources in wood than any other single malt whisky.  We craft our own European oak casks in cooperages in Jerez, Spain. We then work with sherry bodegas to season our casks before they are transported for their first fill on The Macallan Estate.

As a result of this careful management of the wood selection, we have developed an enduring bond with the regions we source our oak from and a strong sense of responsibility to protect them.  

As well as purchasing specific species and overseeing our cask production process, Stuart’s remit includes the establishment of certified traceability of our full primary wood supply to regional sources.

Stuart is working closely with our Spanish audit team to scrutinise the provenance, processes and sourcing of our supplier base across our wood supply chain and together, by 2025, The Macallan will have achieved certified regional traceability of our European wood supply chain, before moving on to develop the same in the US.

Our barley supply network is subject to the highest independent certification FSA standards via Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform - Farm Sustainability 2.0 (SAIP). It is sourced entirely from farmers in the UK who have demonstrated consistent high-quality yield using seed from certified sources.  

Our supplying farms must be registered with either Red Tractor or the SQC assurance scheme (Scottish Quality Cereals), must produce barley varieties that are approved by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD) and must be able to supply fully traceable records detailing all agronomy.