{"product_id":"ladyburn-43-year-old-1973-black-adder-raw-cask-single-cask-5678-statement-edition-17-lowland-malt-scotch-whisky-2016-70cl-copy","title":"Macallan 33 Year Old 1989 Blackadder Raw Cask Single Cask #9333 Statement Edition #53 Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky (2022) 70cl","description":"\u003ch2\u003eMacallan 33 Year Old 1989 Blackadder Raw Cask Single Cask #9333 Statement Edition #53 Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky (2022) 70cl\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1 of 172 bottles produced from a single cask.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAs with all of the Raw Cask series, this whisky has not been filtered at all and may contain harmless cask sediment.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlackadder are a family owned independent whisky bottler \u003cspan\u003eestablished in 1995 by Robin Tucek who now runs the business with his son, Michael, and daughter, Hannah. Initially a whisky bottler, they have since developed their range to include other spirits, including rum and gin.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe \u003cstrong data-end=\"1494\" data-start=\"1474\"\u003eStatement Series\u003c\/strong\u003e represents the highest level of Blackadder: single cask, minimal intervention, and maximum expression of cask and distillate.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout Macallan\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\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\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout Blackadder\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBlackadder’s philosophy is very simple – they believe that the Cask is King. Sixty to seventy percent of the flavors in a whisky are taken up slowly from the cask as the spirit lies maturing in the warehouse. The action of changing temperature draws the spirit in and out of the cask. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA family operation started and piloted by whisky legend Robin Tucek, they sell to a few limited countries around the world, primarily Tiawan, Japan, the USA and Sweden.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBlackadder was established in 1995 by Robin Tucek who runs the family business with his daughter Hannah and son Michael. Blackadder International gets its name from fugitive 17th-century preacher, John Blackadder. He is famous for preaching against the evils of alcohol.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHannah Tucek states that the Blackadder International company will always be family-run. Each of the three owner-operators brings something unique to the table. Michael Tucek used to be a chef. He uses his familiarity with a wide range of aromas and flavours to write all tasting notes. Michael feels that “our sense of smell is the most direct sense to our brain and also our most complex. It’s proven that once you go over three aroma compounds mixed together, everything is subjective and becomes very personal. Every aroma can evoke a different memory in each of us and we build up our aroma library as we grow. By not being afraid to say what we sense and share it, we can all learn something from each other.” Like Michael, Hannah grew up around whisky and has come to appreciate whisky at its pure state. Her father and brother joke that she is the one that’s really in charge.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEvery cask is unique, with its own fingerprint. This is why they bottle most of their whiskies from single casks. They don’t believe in chilling or otherwise heavily filtering their whiskies, and they never, repeat never, add caramel colouring or flavouring to their spirits. They have always believed the personalities of their whiskies are colourful enough. Their raw cask is famous for the barrel char in each bottle.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e57.3% ABV\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e70cl\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Macallan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53182397743442,"sku":"MAC33BLACKADSC9333","price":3499.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1052\/9737\/9666\/files\/Macallan33YearOld1989BlackAdderRawCaskSingleCask_9333StatementEdition_53SpeysideMaltScotchWhisky_2022_70cl.jpg?v=1775956845","url":"https:\/\/whiskysituation.co.uk\/products\/ladyburn-43-year-old-1973-black-adder-raw-cask-single-cask-5678-statement-edition-17-lowland-malt-scotch-whisky-2016-70cl-copy","provider":"Whisky Situation","version":"1.0","type":"link"}