The Creation Of Only 50 Bottles Of This Extremely Unique Whisky

Many of the Macallan Distillery’s single malt whiskies are very desirable since they are known for being opulent and of the highest caliber over time. Many of their whiskies have been matured or finished in ex-sherry casks, which they have mastered the use of.

Nevertheless, one of Macallan’s most difficult projects was their apparent attempt to become the first Highland Distillery to produce whisky from a single cask that had been completed with the uncommon Japanese oak Mizunara.

In Japan, mizunara wood is highly valued for its superiority over many other wood species when it comes to whisky aging. While Mizunara is undoubtedly a luxury that makes it the ideal complement to a single malt like Macallan, aging whisky with it can be a bit of a challenge.

First of all, the trees grow in many different ways rather than straight up to the sky, which makes it challenging to eventually turn them into casks—something that can’t be done until the wood is about 200 years old. Because of this, using it becomes even more expensive and unusual.

Since the oak is significantly more porous than other species of wood and has a high moisture content, the name “Mizunara” (which means “Water Oak”) is rather appropriate. This can be a major issue for whisky that is maturing, because Mizunara barrels have a high leak rate. This explains why Mizunara aged whiskies are some of the priciest available.

Macallan proceeded with incorporating Japanese Oak into one of their whiskies despite all of those obstacles. Their labor of love, in partnership with East Asia Whisky Company and JapanWhiskys.com, culminated in a stunning 30-year-old single malt.

Only 50 bottles of this incredibly rare whisky were produced as a result of a team of Scottish professionals closely monitoring every stage of the maturing process to achieve the ideal balance between the complex whisky and mysterious oak. The resulting Macallan single malt is a true piece of whisky history.