Macallan Gold Masters of Photography Ernie Button

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.

The entry level bottling in Macallan’s now-discontinued 1824 range, which was produced between 2012 and 2018, and consisted of the Gold, Amber, Sienna and Ruby (there were a few additions at the higher end of the scale as well). Despite the discontinuation of the range, the Gold expression was retained, transistioning to the entry level of the new Double Cask series.

The Masters of Photography series of whiskies by Macallan was launched in 2008 and contains numerous chapters, each showcasing the work of a legendary artist behind the lens. This is one of several Ernie Button limited editions.