Macallan is one of the most respected distilleries in Scotland, nestled in the famous Speyside region and producing some of the most sought after Scotch whiskies around the world. Heck, even James Bond’s a fan, getting his hands on a 50-year-old dram in 2012’s Skyfall. The Macallan takes only the best of the beautiful Scottish countryside and ages small batches in Spanish sherry casks for a richer, full bodied whisky unparalleled in the land of William Wallace.
But Macallan has decided being synonymous with some of the best Scotch whiskies in the world isn’t enough; they also want to offer some of the most exclusive whiskies in the world. Enter the Macallan “M,” currently retailing for about £3,000 in its homeland. The M is limited to 1,750 bottles, all in hand-blown crystal decanters, and rumours have it one of the components of this amazing whisky is a batch made during the Battle of Britain in 1940. But the best news of all is that Michael’s on Simcoe has got their hands on a few, and they have big plans…
On November 19th, Michael’s on Simcoe is hosting an exclusive tasting that will guide guests through Macallan’s full line of 1824 Series whiskies before finishing the night off with a dram from the elusive Macallan M. Each of the four courses will be paired with a Macallan 1824 Series whiskey, starting off with a scotched egg wrapped in beef carpaccio to compliment the Macallan Gold’s citrus flavours. Chef Derek von Raesfeld has developed a menu that perfectly pairs with the whiskies and finishes off with a traditional Scottish sticky toffee pudding, complete with caramelized apple and burnt orange caramel.
Of course, all the braised short rib, lobster bread pudding, and sticky toffee is just teasing the main event: the Macallan M itself. Described by whisky experts as the “core of very old-school Macallan, with lots of savoury earth, wood and dark fruit, rounded out by some sweeter, richer fruity flavours,” each guest will be treated to a dram to finish off the evening…
The event itself is $395 per person, and begins at 7pm on Tuesday, November 19th at Michael’s on Simcoe. Reserve your spot by calling 416.260.5100.
Macallan abandoned the usual approach in their 1824 Series – that older means better – to create bottles based on colour. This, naturally, caused some waves until people got their hands on the products themselves, which make use of Macallan’s carefully trained whisky makers, like Bob Dalgarno. Using natural methods to alter the colours of their whiskies (read: not the usual shortcuts of caramel colouring, a trick used by some of the more dubious distillers), Macallan changed their entire line to make truly unique experiences based on taste more than year. The darker the whisky, the more rich the flavour based on its exposure to the copper in the casks. The Gold, to take an example, is medium sweet with citrus flavours, while the Ruby has a distinct oak flavour with a satisfyingly long finish.
For the whisky lover you know, which should be yourself, this will be an event you will want to keep both eyes on.
For an exclusive insider look into the beauty of Michael’s on Simcoe, watch the View the Vibe video below…