Whether you’re a whiskey collector or simply enjoy a deluxe dram, the Macallan and Pappy Van Winkle should be on your radar. The former is one of the first legally licensed distilleries in Scotland and the only major producer to age its hallowed single malts almost exclusively in Spanish sherry casks. The latter has created a cult following around its scarcity, as with its 23-year-old bottle of Pappy, which has been dubbed “liquefied, barrel-aged unobtainium.”
The Macallan![]() Ian Gavan |
Pappy Van Winkle![]() Pappy Van Winkle |
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WHERE IT’S MADE
Speyside, Scotland |
WHERE IT’S MADE Franklin County, Kentucky |
YEARS IN PRODUCTION
195 |
YEARS IN PRODUCTION
47 (The 20-year expression debuted in 1995, |
MOST POPULAR AGE EXPRESSIONS 12, 18, 25 |
MOST POPULAR AGE EXPRESSIONS 15, 20, 23 |
HOUSE STYLE Heavily sherried |
HOUSE STYLE Heavily hyped |
WHO’S YOUR (CORPORATE) DADDY
![]() Edrington |
WHO’S YOUR (CORPORATE) DADDY ![]() Sazerac |
MOST EXPENSIVE BOTTLE EVER SOLD $1.5 million ![]() The Macallan |
MOST EXPENSIVE BOTTLE EVER SOLD $15,000? There are rumors about a record private ![]() Pappy Van Winkle |
FAMOUS HEISTS Someone actually convinced someone else to |
FAMOUS HEISTS In 2013, thieves pilfered an estimated $26K |
WHEN TO BREAK IT OUT After your second IPO |
WHEN TO BREAK IT OUT After you’ve run out of IPA |
WHAT’S ON THE LABEL Easter Elchies House, the ancestral home of the brand. ![]() Alamy |
WHAT’S ON THE LABEL The man himself, Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle Sr. ![]() Pappy Van Winkle |
WORLD-CLASS BAR AT THE DISTILLERY Yes |
WORLD-CLASS BAR AT THE DISTILLERY No |
SILVER-SCREEN CAMEO James Bond enjoys a 50-year-old Macallan ![]() Shutterstock |
SILVER-SCREEN CAMEO Vince Vaughn enjoys Pappy in The Internship, ![]() Shutterstock |
FAN FRENZY In 2018, police had to shut down the main road leading |
FAN FRENZY In 2015, a superfan drove from his home in Atlanta to |