There are few relationships in whisky quite as important as the one between The Macallan and Jerez. For generations, the Speyside distillery has looked south to Andalusia for the sherry-seasoned oak that has helped define its single malts. But its latest release takes that relationship somewhere new.

Meet The Macallan TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask, a 20-year-old single malt and the third instalment in the house’s TIME : SPACE Collection. Following the two expressions created to mark The Macallan’s 200th anniversary, this latest whisky turns its attention to one of the most important ingredients in the Macallan story: the cask.

More specifically, it celebrates the house’s relationship with Valdespino, the historic Jerez sherry producer now under The Macallan’s ownership. TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask is the first Macallan whisky influenced by casks seasoned with Valdespino sherry since the bodega came under its ownership, and the first time Valdespino sherry has been used to season oak specifically for The Macallan.

Why does that matter? Because sherry-seasoned oak is fundamental to The Macallan. By owning Valdespino, the house can now oversee the journey from sherry seasoning in Jerez through to whisky maturation in Speyside, giving it greater control over the provenance, character and quality of its casks.

It began life in a selection of predominantly European oak sherry-seasoned casks on The Macallan Estate. After reaching maturity, the whisky was then married in a selection of the first 200 sherry casks seasoned at The Macallan’s Valdespino bodega. Made at the house’s own cooperages in Jerez, those casks travelled to Scotland in 2024, fittingly The Macallan’s bicentenary year. Most are now quietly maturing whisky for future releases; a handful were selected for TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask.

The result is a exceptional 20-year-old single. The nose brings sherry-soaked raisins, figs and Medjool dates alongside frangipane, cinder toffee, caramelised nuts and dark chocolate. On the palate come dried fruits, ginger cake, treacle toffee, bramble jam and chocolate-coated cherries, before wood spice, espresso and gentle oak arrive on the finish.

The presentation is suitably theatrical. TIME : SPACE returns in its distinctive circular vessel, while the box takes its inspiration from the Palomino grapes grown in Valdespino’s vineyards and the golden Andalusian sun.

At £1,100, this is certainly not your everyday dram. But TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask is more interesting than its price or presentation might suggest. It captures an important moment for The Macallan: two centuries of Scottish whisky-making drawing closer than ever to the Jerez traditions that have helped shape its character.

The Macallan

TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask

£1,100.00

Available initially from The Macallan Boutique at Harrods, with wider UK availability from October.

Buy Now - £1,100.00