It may be hard to imagine today, but for much of the 20th century, Macallan was primarily a constituent malt in blends. It was not until the 1980s downturn in the market that the distillery decided to focus on its single malt brand. Fortuitously, this coincided with the crest of a wave of enthusiasm for the high quality releases that the distillery had licensed to Campbell, Hope & King and Gordon & MacPhail in the 1960s and 1970s. These remain some of the most collectible on the market. While global single malt sales volume is still lead by Speyside neighbours, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, Macallan is easily the most sought after. So much so in fact, that they had to open a brand new distillery in 2018, a subterranean architectural masterpiece within the Easter Elchies estate, boasting 36 copper pot stills.

TheMwas the final premium addition to the Macallan1824 Series of whiskies,which was produced from 2012 to 2018.

MacallanM Black has a subtle smoky edge to it, and was created to celebrate the distillery’s rich heritage and as a knowing nod to Macallan’speaty past.

In true Macallan fashion, the M Decanter is incredibly elegant and impressive to look at, without even considering the contents. The crystal decanter is designed by Fabien Baron a well known French film and art director, and created by Lalique. It is one of the more difficult decanters to produce as it requires a 15 stage finishing process.

One of 725 bottles.