The Macallan distillery was founded in 1824 by Alexander Reid, a barley farmer and school teacher. Now owned by the Edrington Group, The Macallan prides itself on its Six Pillars, which include its curiously small stills, very narrow ‘cut’ of new make spirit and exceptional cask management. It is the most sought after whisky for collectors, regularly setting records at auctions all round the world. A new £140 million subterranean distillery and visitor centre on the Easter Elchies estate was opened to the public in the summer of 2018 and has since won several awards for its architectural quality; with its exciting features including glass walls of vintage whiskies, a circular pod of copper pot stills, and a Boutique reflecting those in Dubai and Heathrow airports. Quest collection: Created for the travel retail market in 2017, the Quest Collection appropriately celebrates the distillery’s quest to source the finest oak from all over the world (well, Europe and America at least). Perhaps unsurprisingly, the European Sherry oak influence increases as you work your way up the range, strongly suggesting that’s what suits the distillery’s viscous spirit best. The entry point to the range, the eponymous Quest, is matured in a combination of American oak bourbon casks, and European & American, sherry seasoned casks and hogsheads. 40% ABV / 1 litre [Please note that as I have several bottles of this same reference, the hologram number shown in the pictures may be different from the number on the actual bottle you receive. Naturally, the condition will be identical.]