{"product_id":"scallywag-18-year-old-px-finished-macallan-glenrothes-amp-mortlach-speyside-blended-malt-whisky-2026-70cl","title":"Scallywag 18 Year Old PX Finished Macallan Glenrothes \u0026 Mortlach Speyside Blended Malt Whisky (2026) 70cl","description":"\u003ch2\u003eScallywag 18 Year Old PX Finished Macallan Glenrothes \u0026amp; Mortlach Speyside Blended Malt Whisky (2026) 70cl\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e1 of 2610 bottles produced\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt 18 glorious years of age, this scallywag speyside malt reaches its crowning moment - its final years spent in the finest Pedro Ximénez sherry casks from Jerez in southern Spain\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTASTING NOTES\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"line-height: 10.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;\"\u003eOpulent notes of dark chocolate truffles, spiced orange peel and\u003cbr\u003etoasted walnuts, unfolding into treacle toffee, black cherries and a\u003cbr\u003ewhisper of cinnamon. a lingering warmth of oak spice, espresso and dried\u003cbr\u003efigs completes the experience.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout Macallan\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMacallan is an excellent example of the significance of size on whisky character. It is a large producer certainly, but its spirit stills are small (3,900 litres). This is a major contributing factor to the rich and oily nature of its new make.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven with an extremely tight (ie small) cut there is little time for copper to do its lightening job on spirit vapour in tiny stills the lyne arms of which are so acutely angled. The opposite applies to maturation, however, where the balance between large and small is more fully revealed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat heavy new make then goes into large, predominantly 500-litre ex-Sherry casks (made of both European and American oak). A large surface-to-volume ratio means that maturation will take longer – Macallan, it is widely agreed, hits its stride fully in its mid-teens. A heavy new make will also require longer in cask to lose any vestigial sulphurous notes. The nature of the extractives in the European oak (higher levels of tannin, powerful clove and resinous aromas) also needs a heavy spirit to achieve balance. American oak, on the other hand, adds and enhances sweetness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo colour adjustment takes place at Macallan, meaning that each vatting needs to not only replicate the previous one in terms of aroma and taste, but must hit the same hue, despite every cask having a different tint. It is this understanding of the way in which colour is an indication of character which was behind whisky-maker Bob Dalgarno’s creation of the ‘1824 Range’ in 2013.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the original farm distilleries of Speyside, Macallan became legal in 1824 when Alexander Reid obtained (or was persuaded to obtain) one of the new licences issued after the passing of the 1823 Excise Act. In 1868, James Stuart took the lease and rebuilt the plant. His ownership ended in 1892, when he sold Macallan to one of the giants of Victorian distilling, Roderick Kemp, who had previously owned Talisker. Kemp’s descendants – in particular the Shiach family – retained ownership until the 1996 takeover by Highland Distillers (now Edrington).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe plant has continually been expanded from its original wooden shed with two stills. It was increased to five stills (two wash, three spirit) in 1954 and then more significantly in 1965 when a new stillhouse with seven stills was built. This process continued throughout the 1970s with the total number of stills reaching 21 by 1975.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor a distillery which has become synonymous with the growth of single malt, it is worth remembering that Macallan has always been an important malt for blending. It wasn’t until the early 1980s, faced with a downturn in the market for fillings, that Macallan decided to focus more strongly on the then new single malt category.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe management team of Allan Shiach, Frank Newlands, Hugh Mitcalfe and Willie Phillips oversaw a campaign which both positioned the malt as a 'first-growth whisky' it called 'the Cognac of whisky', while always retaining a somewhat bohemian and irreverent approach to advertising and promotion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA firm belief in the fusion of the oily, heavy, new make style and ex-Sherry casks saw Macallan, under Edrington’s governance, become the first distillery to create so-called ‘bespoke’ casks: selecting specific trees (predominantly in northern Spain, though some American oak is specified), and then with Jerez-based cooper Tevasa specifying the length and nature of drying, type of coopering, the liquid used for seasoning (oloroso) and the duration of that process. Investment in wood has increased significantly in recent years, with a complex of massive warehouses being built on the estate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn recent years, a greater emphasis has been placed on the nascent luxury whisky market with bottlings of 50- and 60-year-old Macallan in Lalique decanters, the creation of the Fine \u0026amp; Rare vintage range dating back to 1926, and the Masters of Photography series.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis has not been without controversy. Its growing status as a collectable malt saw Macallan become the victim of fakers in the late 1990s. The subsequent investigation has, however, helped establish a methodology to check the authenticity of suspicious bottlings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn a whisky-making front, 2004 saw the introduction of Fine Oak, where American oak ex-Sherry casks and some ex-Bourbon casks were used in a mirror range to the ‘classic’ 100% ex-Sherry range. Though old Macallan lovers protested, the lighter, sweeter, flavour profile brought in new drinkers, mostly in new markets.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 1824 Range, a four-strong series not carrying age statements which replaced some of the younger expressions in the portfolio, followed in 2013, using whisky colour as a communication and branding device.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe second stillhouse was brought back on stream in 2008, and in 2013 it was announced that a completely new, £100m distillery was to be built.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe new distillery – a distinctive subterranean design – was commissioned on 9 November 2017 and opened officially in May 2018, at a final cost of £140m.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout Mortlach\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMortlach’s main claim to fame, production wise, is as the home of the most fiendishly complex distillation regime in Scotland.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wash (from clear wort and long fermentation) is split between three wash stills; No. 3 wash still and No.3 spirit still work in tandem and as per normal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe low wines from wash stills No. 1 and 2 is, however, split into two parts. The first 80% of the run is collected as the charge for spirit still No. 2. The remaining 20% (called weak feints) forms the charge for spirit still No.1 otherwise known as ‘The Wee Witchie’. This distils the weak feints three times with only the heart of the final run being collected. It all adds up to the new make spirit having been distilled 2.81 times.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to this, all the stills are run relatively speedily with no air rests to rejuvenate the copper and all lyne arms running into cold worm tubs. The result of this complex regime in a copper-starved environment is a building up of sulphur and ‘meatiness’ in the new make spirit, with the ‘dud runs’ on the Wee Witchie providing an extra meaty boost. Although it is aged in a mix of casks, Mortlach’s weight makes it an ideal partner with ex-Sherry casks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile other meaty spirits are made [most notably Benrinnes and Dailuaine] none have Mortlach’s weight, meaning that this is a highly-prized base note for blends. As a result, there has been little stock available for single malt bottlings bar the occasional independent bottlings (most notably with Gordon \u0026amp; MacPhail) and small batches of a 16-year-old in Diageo’s Flora \u0026amp; Fauna range. Mortlach seemed destined to remain a cult malt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2014, however, that changed with the launch of a four-strong range: Rare Old, Special Strength, (both no-age-statement), 18-year-old, and 25-year-old.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMortlach was the name of the original village which sprang up around the abbey of the name, founded by Saint Moluag in the 7th century. With the building of Dufftown in 1817 the old name fell in abeyance – apart from the distillery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe distillery was the first to be licensed within Dufftown, being founded by James Findlater, Donald Mackintosh and Alex Gordon in 1823. It passed briefly into the hands of the Grant brothers of Glen Grant fame who gutted the buildings and used the equipment for their distillery in Rothes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was George Cowie and his son Alexander who, from the 1850s on, recommenced whisky production and steered Mortlach to a pre-eminent position as a blending malt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough no-one is sure where the unique distillation regime originated, its adherence to richness and weight singles Mortlach out as one of the distilleries with a robust belief in the older ways of making whisky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt remained in the Cowie’s hands until 1923 when it became part of John Walker \u0026amp; Sons and from there via DCL into Diageo.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2014, it was announced that a mirror image of the existing distillery would be built which, when completed, will double total capacity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e*DISPATCH FROM 17TH FEB 2026*\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"line-height: 10.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;\"\u003e46% ABV\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"line-height: 10.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12.0pt;\"\u003e70cl\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Douglas Laing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57087609143621,"sku":"DOUGLSCALLYWAG18PX","price":85.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0941\/9495\/8661\/files\/Scallywag18YearOldPXFinishedMacallanGlenrothes_amp_MortlachSpeysideBlendedMaltWhisky_2025_70cl.jpg?v=1770555895","url":"https:\/\/b1yyjg-bk.myshopify.com\/products\/scallywag-18-year-old-px-finished-macallan-glenrothes-amp-mortlach-speyside-blended-malt-whisky-2026-70cl","provider":"Whisky Situation Old","version":"1.0","type":"link"}