![]() The narrower the distillate is cut, the better the distillate that is collected, but also the less is used and the more expensive the whisky will be. The closer the alcohol is to the middle or heart of the run, the better it is and it’s the job of the stillman to cut the distillate and collect only the best part of it.Įvery brand cuts the distillate differently and obviously they only want to include the best part of it, but this is expensive. When whisky is distilled, alcohol from the beginning and end of the run is not used because it contains undesirable (and sometimes dangerous) elements that give the whisky an unpleasant flavor. Macallan only use a very fine (small) cut of their distillate and that too increases production costs and the expense of the final product. They’re From a Very Finely Cut Distillate Some of the small Macallan stills in their distillery 3. While using smaller stills allows Macallan to produce a more flavorful distillate, it also makes their distillation process even less economical and more expensive than it already is, so it’s no wonder that their whiskies are more expensive. ![]() In larger and taller stills where the alcohol vapors have further to travel the heavier vapors are more likely to fall back into the liquid and only the lighter, less flavorful vapors are collected. A small still means that the alcohol vapor doesn’t have very far to travel so more of the heavier and more flavorful vapors will make their way into the condenser. The pot stills Macallan use are some of the smallest in the industry. That’s why distillers go to great lengths to ensure that their stills are the best size and shape for producing whisky with the flavors they want. Nevertheless, pot still distillation is used for single malt Scotches because it produces a distillate with more congeners (flavor compounds) and therefore, more flavors.Īnother difference between pot stills and column stills is that pot stills come in all sorts of shapes and sizes which affects the distillation, and the congeners in different ways and therefore the whisky’s flavor. Once again, this is something that makes all single malt Scotches more expensive because producing something in batches is less economical than a continuous production process. A column or continuous still has the shape of a column and distills alcohol continuously. A pot still has a bowl shape at the bottom, a narrow neck at the top and distills alcohol in batches. The second reason why Macallan whiskies are so expensive is because they’re distilled in very small stills.Īll single malt Scotches must be distilled in pot stills and not column stills. It costs more than $250! Imagine what it would have cost if it were made from more than ‘ a proportion’ of barley from their estate! 2. One of their expressions – the Macallan Estate, is made using ‘ a proportion of barley grown at estate’ which is usually reserved for more exclusive editions. They have even invested in their own strain which they grow on the estate where the Macallan distillery is located and other farms around Scotland. Macallan are constantly evaluating their barley and working to refine it. On top of this, Macallan whiskies are made from the best barley which obviously increases production costs and therefore the expense of the final product. The lengthy malting process – where barley is soaked, left to germinate and then dried over a kiln, that other grains do not undergo makes barley a more expensive grain to make whiskies from and even more so in single malts where no amount of other cheaper grains can be used. Single malt Scotches are already expensive due to the fact that they’re made from 100% malted barley. Macallan whiskies are expensive because they’re made from the best barley grains. ![]() You can buy reasonably priced Macallan whiskies at here 1.
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