1

THE EIGHTIES

A Decade of Possibilities

Photography by Tim Walker

The Macallan had built up a presence in 25 countries. For the United Kingdom, a first advertisement for the bottled whisky was placed modestly next to the Times crossword. Signed off as ‘The Macallan. The Malt’, the statement was welcomed as fact, not claim, by a growing band of loyal enthusiasts. These included the Bank of Scotland, which, the following decade would print an etching of a Macallan stillhouse on the back of the Scottish ten-pound note.

Easter Elchies House was officially re-opened in 1983 by Princess Margaret and woven back into the daily workings of the distillery. Nature continued its magical work while other, man-made icons of the time approached their closing chapters. Cassette tapes spooled towards early retirement. The Berlin Wall fell. By contrast, the Fine & Rare bottling from that same year of 1989 remains impressively upstanding.

IN THE 1980s, SO MUCH SEEMED POSSIBLE. IN A

DECADE THAT WAS TO SEE THE INVENTION OF THE

WORLDWIDE WEB, INFORMATION DARTED AROUND

THE GLOBE WITH EVER INCREASING SPEED. TIM

BERNERS LEE’S GIFT TO THE PLANET UNLEASHED

INNUMERABLE FLIGHTS OF FANCY.

THE EIGHTIES

THE MACALLAN FINE & RARE COLLECTION

YEAR BOTTLED2014

AGE OF WHISKY29 Years Old

COLOUR Dark Mahogany

1985 | Ronald Reagan is sworn in for a second term as US President, while Mikhail Gorbachov becomes Secretary General of the Soviet Communist Party. Live Aid concerts in London and New York raise over £50 million for famine relief. ‘Amadeus’ wins Best Picture at the Oscars, DNA is used in a criminal case for the first time, and the wreck of the RMS Titanic is finally located.

TINT62

TOTAL OUTTURN237 Bottle Equivalents

AVAILABILITY750ml, 700ml, 50ml

NOSETreacle, raisin and darkchocolate open up, intenseyet with great balance.Fresh green apple showsearly before orange groveand white chocolate come tothe fore, ending with layersof fresh aging oak.

PALATEIntense, yet soft,resinous, dates, driedfruits and clove withwood spices. Rich in oak.

FINISHWarming, wood spiceand dried fruit andpolished oak.

STRENGTH 46.8%volNatural Cask Strength

CASK TYPEHogshead

CASK Noo.

190413

“ Love of beauty is TASTE. The creation of beauty is ART.” RALPH WALDO EMERSON

THE MACALLAN FINE & RARE COLLECTION THE MACALLAN FINE & RARE COLLECTION

YEAR BOTTLED2011

AGE OF WHISKY23 Years Old

COLOUR Barley Yellow

1988 | The Summer Olympics are held in Seoul, South Korea, and a new political party, The Liberal Democrats, is founded in the UK. Enzo Ferrari, founder of the legendary Italian sports-car manufacturer, dies at 90. ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ opens and will go on to become the longest running play on Broadway ever. The World Health Organisation began its mission to eradicate polio worldwide.

TINT8

TOTAL OUTTURN251 Bottle Equivalents

AVAILABILITY750ml, 700ml, 50ml

NOSECitrus fruits (lemonand orange). Vanillaflirting with the cleanoak. Banana and greenapples in background.

PALATEInitially woody,citrus fruits, sweetoak and malty.

FINISHMedium – fruity, oakyslightly drying.

STRENGTH 46.7%volNatural Cask Strength

CASK TYPEHogshead

CASK Noo.

12202

YEAR BOTTLED2010

AGE OF WHISKY21 Years Old

COLOUR Dark Elm Burr

1989 | Tim Berners Lee reveals the first blueprint for the World Wide Web. George H.W. Bush is sworn in as the President of the USA, while in South Africa, President P.W. Botha meets the imprisoned Nelson Mandela for the first time. ‘Rain Man’ wins the Oscar for Best Picture, the Dalai Lama wins the Nobel Peace Prize, and the first commercial Internet Service Providers launch.

TINT60

TOTAL OUTTURN338 Bottle Equivalents

AVAILABILITY750ml, 700ml, 50ml

NOSERich dried fruits, orangegrove, chocolate withhints of nutmeg, cloveand cinnamon.Lingering burnished oak.

PALATEInitially resinousoak, leading to wild forest fruits with hints of crème caramel.

FINISHSoft oak wood spicesand dried fruits (dateand fig).

STRENGTH 55.2%volNatural Cask Strength

CASK TYPEButt

CASK Noo.

3247

8

Explore more of The Fine & Rare Collection

T H E M A C A L L A N . C O M