Macallan’s “1824 Collection” consists of four expressions – “Select Oak”, “Whisky Maker’s Edition”, “Estate Reserve” and “1824 Limited Release”. They were created by Macallan’s whisky maker, Bob Dalgarno, who’s named this expression as ‘his own’, stating on the back label that it has been created “…for his personal enjoyment and bottled at his preferred strength…”
Dalgarno adds, “I’m a traditionalist at heart and 42.8% is the same as the old 75˚ Imperial Proof – the usual bottling strength before January 1st 1980, when it was dropped to 40%Vol…The bottle does not have an age statement, so I have greater liberty in balancing flavours from various ages – although I have not used any whiskies under about 12 years in this vatting, and there are some much older. Since it’s a one-off, I don’t have to worry about consistency with previous batches. It’s also a challenge making something for Duty Free, where there is such a mix of consumers and palates”