Macallan Colour Collection 30 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700ml

The Macallan Colour Collection 30 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700ml (ABV varies; see bottle label) is the crown jewel of the Colour Collection, the age-statement series The Macallan Distillery of Craigellachie, Speyside unveiled for global travel retail in August 2023. The oldest whisky in the five-expression range, it has spent three full decades in sherry-seasoned oak, emerging with the darkest natural colour of the set: a deep chestnut hue the distillery describes as an echo of the forest.

Its casks, American oak accompanied by a delicate touch of European oak, are seasoned with sherry wine from Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, before maturing the spirit at The Macallan Estate at Easter Elchies on Speyside. Thirty years of patient interaction allow the whisky to absorb the most complex flavours in the collection from the sherry-seasoned wood, a living demonstration of the natural colour philosophy that Master Whisky Maker Kirsteen Campbell placed at the heart of the series when it revived age statements for The Macallan's travel-retail range.

The nose unfolds with pineapple, dried mango, caramelised banana and creme brulee over sweet aged oak and orange oil. The palate follows with tropical fruits, almond, a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg intertwined with creamy baked custard, and crystallised lemon peel: a profile of wood spice, tropical fruit and custard depth that only extended maturation in exceptional oak can build. Every shade and every flavour comes from the cask alone, with nothing added.

Graphic designer David Carson rendered the 30 Year Old with juxtaposed cutouts of wood grain, stippled orange paint and zesty yellow brushstrokes, while the bottle is crowned with a burgundy cap hinting at the influence of wine across the collection and housed in a rich oak-finished presentation box chosen to complement the deep chestnut whisky within. As the flagship of the series, the 30 Year Old is the definitive prize for collectors completing the five-bottle spectrum, the point where The Macallan's natural colour story reaches its deepest shade.

• Size: 700ml
• Proof: ABV varies; see bottle label
• Age: 30 Years
• Origin: Speyside, Scotland
• Distillery: The Macallan Distillery, Craigellachie, Speyside
• Whisky Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Cask/Cooperage: American oak seasoned with sherry wine from Jerez de la Frontera, Spain; delicate touch of European oak
• Series: The Macallan Colour Collection (age-statement travel-retail series, launched 2023); oldest and flagship expression
• Presentation: David Carson wood-grain collage artwork; burgundy cap; rich oak-finished presentation box matched to the deep chestnut whisky; natural colour only
• Tasting Notes: Pineapple, dried mango, caramelised banana and creme brulee on the nose; tropical fruits, almond, cinnamon, nutmeg, creamy baked custard and crystallised lemon peel on the palate