MACALLAN 1967- THE GIANT AND THE FISH
Roderick Kemp’s importance to The Macallan can hardly be overstated. The inspirational owner from 1892 until 1909, his impact upon the Distillery and the quality of the whisky itself was immense. His influence still resonates.
Each unique label of the 13 original bottles details stories relating to The Macallan’s history, community, and the beautiful The Macallan Estate. The label created by Sir Peter Blake centres on a fish, and the River Spey forms a peaceful backdrop. On its banks, the youthful Roderick Kemp once saw fit to gift his catch to some neighbouring anglers with nothing to show for their day’s fishing.
One of them, a wine merchant, recognised his young benefactor when the boy arrived months later to be interviewed for an apprenticeship. That act of generosity helped secure Kemp’s post. He absorbed everything he could of the world of wine, knowledge put to great use when he took over at the Easter Elchies Estate.
Thoughtful and considerate, Kemp also had a keen eye for commercial opportunity. Made aware that the Earl of Elgin, shooting on a nearby grouse moor, had just been appointed Viceroy of India, he sent some ‘real old Macallan’ immediately, an exemplar of early influencer marketing
We know that Roderick Kemp enjoyed fishing and can assume that he would be delighted that The Macallan is the sole Distillery in Scotland to own its riverbank, with its own Ghillie as its guardian. The label of this bottle is completed with a present-day angler in Sir Peter’s composition. Photographed by Mary McCartney in a setting by the River Spey, there could seldom be a more rounded bottle of whisky, nor a more appropriate way to present it.
The real – and rare – whisky in this bottle is just over fifty years old, the same age as Kemp when he took the reins at the Distillery. It has a depth and maturity to match his. Lead Whisky Maker Sarah Burgess’ choice of whisky is fully rounded, with sherried-oak notes that, as in the 1890s, add a chord of tastes that are deep, complex and compelling. To this day, The Macallan insists on the best European oak, proud of enduring relationships with growers fully committed to sustainable forestry.
