Anecdotes of Ages Collection

Cattle, Barley and Potatoes

For all the modern wonders of technology, an ancient truth remains at heart of The Macallan. Whisky making begins with barley. Without it, the single malt slumbering in oak casks stored across the Estate would never have come into being.

Wartime Decisions

The original label collage art designed by Sir Peter Blake shares one of The Macallan’s special stories relating to our community, history and The Macallan Estate’s beautiful natural landscape.

Livestock and arable farming have co-existed alongside the Distillery since it was founded. Potatoes planted in abundance during the Great War kept the local populace alive. Twenty-seven years later, following a second worldwide conflict, both the farm and the Distillery were crying out for modernisation.

Prudence was necessary. With funds in short supply following the wartime shut-down, crops were favoured over livestock and the machinery of whisky distillation was upgraded. Farming soldiered on as best it could, elderly buildings notwithstanding, its fortunes fortunately never measured in monetary gain.

Anecdotes of Ages Collection Cattle, Barley and Potatoes Label Designed by Sir Peter Blake

The Story Behind the Label

Sir Peter Blake reintroduces us to the immediacy and majesty of farming. Shire horses have served their time, but Highland cattle and their Aberdeen Angus companions still roam the Estate.

As for barley, this important crop continues to be grown on The Macallan Estate. Animals and crops belong here. There is no doubt that farming will always play an accompanying part in the life of The Macallan.

The Macallan Anecdotes of Ages Collection Cattle, Barley and Potatoes in open box with Collage

Anecdotes of Ages Collection Pack box closed

The Macallan Anecdotes of Ages Collection Cattle, Barley and Potatoes bottle

The Macallan Anecdotes of Ages Collection Cattle, Barley and Potatoes bottle beside closed box

The Macallan Anecdotes of Ages Collection Cattle, Barley and Potatoes bottle in open box

The Macallan Anecdotes of Ages Collection Cattle, Barley and Potatoes in open box with tabs open

The Macallan Anecdotes of Ages Collection Cattle Barley and Potatoes Photo by Mary McCartney

The flavours in this 1967 bottling, selected by Sarah Burgess, are most accurately recorded using natural terms, from wood to fruit to spice, riches bestowed from time spent in European sherried oak.

On the label of this bottle, photographed by Mary McCartney on the damp, dark rocks of Easter Elchies, a trio of farm animals take centre stage against a backdrop of ripening barley.

The relationship between nature and whisky making is an ever-present motif in the history of The Macallan.

Maintaining a careful balance between the natural environment and the demands of a modern, wider world is considered an essential duty of care for the generations yet to come.

The Experience

Colour

Caramelised peach
Nose

Classic antique oak, dried fruit and fig combined with hints of pineapple and mango layered with a decadent chocolate strawberry note
Palate

Warm chocolate with light nutmeg and ginger, oak spices and sweet oak opening into pineapple and coconut with an unexpected strawberry and hazelnut burst
Finish

Complex with a medium to long finish of chocolate, sweet oak and lightly spiced peach
ABV

46.7%

Anecdotes of Ages Collection Cattle, Barley and Potatoes Mood Shot of bottle Neck

AN ARTISTIC PRESENTATION

The outer box for these special whiskies has been modelled on Sir Peter Blake’s own traditional art supply box, bringing together the world of art and whisky. A squirrel is laser etched on a removable panel, revealing a thumbnail photography collage documenting Sir Peter’s journey with The Macallan for the creation of this collection.

On the side a sliding drawer features Sir Peter’s signature laser etched into the oak. Within is a leather bound book sustainably sourced in Scotland, revealing the 13 unique stories behind the full Anecdotes of Ages Collection.