The Macallan, the Scottish luxury brand established in 1824, unveiled its latest expression this week in the UAE: The Reach.
The Reach, the oldest expression that the brand has ever released to the public, may be the most extraordinary in the brand’s renowned history, with its story beginning in 81 years ago on The Macallan Estate in Craigellachie, Moray, Scotland.
The limited-edition release was unveiled to an exclusive guest list at The Dubai EDITION, featuring a bevy of luminaries from a cross-section of industries, hosted by Jodie Marriott, Brand Education Manager of Edrington Middle East & Africa.
To celebrate the unique expression, enraptured guests were regaled with the tale of the expression, hearing first about the distillery workers of 1940 who crafted the spirit into existence, the one-time chairman of The Macallan, Allan Shiach, whose grandfather headed the company when this remarkable product was first consigned to its cask, and the last phase of the product, led by The Macallan’s Master Maker Kirsteen Campbell, the first female Master Maker in The Macallan’s history.
“We carry out detailed assessments on a regular basis and adopt an even more meticulous approach for our oldest casks – carefully checking, monitoring, and managing our aged stocks. We decide on an expression’s peak maturity by working as a team to deep dive into the expression by undertaking a detailed nosing and tasting, which was the process for The Reach. Through this detailed assessment we build our understanding of how flavours are created and how flavours evolve through time, and when is the optimum time that each cask should be released,” Campbell tells us.
Also on display to the VIP guests, who were also treated to a sumptuous multi-course dinner from the acclaimed restaurant, at The Macallan’s latest Dubai event was the housing of the product, created in collaboration with one of Scotland’s finest artisans, sculptor Saskia Robinson.
Robinson created the timeless sculpture featuring three hands, producing countless drawings from every perspective before working in a physical medium. The veins, nails and skin detail are recorded in extraordinary accuracy, modelled on an artist’s impression of three hands. The sculpture is cast in bronze and the glimmer of the metal contrasts beautifully with the dark amber expression.
Each hand represents characters in The Macallan’s history and their unique story. One commemorates the distillery workers, another Allan Shiach, and a third for Campbell herself.
The Reach, of course, is as highly limited as you may expect it to be—with only 288 decanters available worldwide.
“It’s hard to put into words how truly special this expression is. The expression encapsulates the spirit of The Macallan and the timeless nature of our mastery and craftsmanship, which continues to this day. The Reach is truly the work of many hands, and it’s an honour to be part of its legacy,” says Campbell.