It may be hard to imagine today, but for much of the 20th century, Macallan was primarily a constituent malt in blends. It was not until the 1980s downturn in the market that the distillery decided to focus on its single malt brand. Fortuitously, this coincided with the crest of a wave of enthusiasm for the high quality releases that the distillery had licensed to Campbell, Hope & King and Gordon & MacPhail in the 1960s and 1970s. These remain some of the most collectible on the market. While global single malt sales volume is still lead by Speyside neighbours, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, Macallan is easily the most sought after. So much so in fact, that they had to open a brand new distillery in 2018, a subterranean architectural masterpiece within the Easter Elchies estate, boasting 36 copper pot stills.
Genesis was a special and highly limited release from the newly revamped Macallan distillery in August 2018, commemorating the unveiling of the brand new Macallan distillery just two months prior.
A collaboration with Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners, who were the architectural firm behind the impressive Macallan premises, the bottle celebrated their design process. Each bottle came complete with a signed lithographic print depicting and elevation of the building. The print was apparently produced on one of the only two map printing presses in the UK, using cotton paper from the Magnani paper mill in Chiesina Uzzanese, Italy. The quality is such that these are said to "never degrade," and will last as long as any unopened bottle!
One of only 2500 bottles available from the Macallan distillery, and select duty free retail in the far east.