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Macallan whisky

Macallan is a Speyside single malt distillery, founded in 1824 and owned by Edrington. Its house style rests on sherry-seasoned European and American oak, and it runs 36 stills, 12 wash and 24 spirit. The name is pronounced ma-KAL-an.

The core range comes in two lines. The 12 Year Old Double Cask (40% ABV, £71.94 at Master of Malt) combines sherry-seasoned American and European oak; the 12 Year Old Sherry Oak (40% ABV, £79.95 at Hard To Find Whisky) uses sherry-seasoned European oak; the 15 Year Old Double Cask (43% ABV, £135.00 at Tyndrum Whisky) is the next age up. Classic Cut, the Harmony Collection and the limited releases sit alongside them, and a release year on the label marks a different bottling, so match it before comparing prices.

For the same cask style from other distilleries, see sherry cask whiskies cheaper than Macallan or the best sherry cask whiskies. For the history, see Macallan on Whiskipedia. Prices are the best current in-stock offer from the UK retailers we check (how we compare prices).

64 full-size bottles (50cl to 1 litre) in stock, plus 1 smaller bottle under 50cl, with the best current price from the UK retailers we check.

Known for

The flavour families that most often turn up for Macallan, based on its available bottles.

A guide to the house style rather than a promise: individual releases can differ.

About the distillery

Region
Speyside, Scotland
Founded
1824
Status
Producing
Capacity
15 million litres of pure alcohol a year (stated capacity, not actual output); as recorded October 2026. Number 14 of 169 by stated capacity.
Stills
36 (12 wash, 24 spirit)
Owner
Owned by The Edrington Group (since 1999); as recorded October 2026
Say it
ma-KAL-an
SMWS code
24, the number on Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottlings (SMWS code decoder)
Visitor rating
4.3 out of 5 (289 reviews); TripAdvisor, October 2026

Read the full history on Whiskipedia

Secondary Market Barometer

193,950 lots sold · £145.1m hammer total

How Macallan bottles have traded at Scotch Whisky Auctions, Whisky Auctioneer and Whisky Hammer between May 2011 and October 2026. Hammer prices exclude buyer's premium, VAT and delivery, except that a Whisky Hammer price includes 20% VAT when a VAT-registered business sells the lot.

Trading volume
#1Among the most tradedof 178 distilleries by lots sold
Bids per lot
24.4Above-average biddingWhisky Auctioneer only, against 20.5 across all distilleries
Median hammer price
£230.00average £748.15, pulled up by the top lots
Independent bottlings
7%of lots (13,724), the rest official bottlings (180,226)Median hammer: official £220.00, independent £310.00
Highest hammer prices
BottleSoldHammer
Macallan 60 Year Old The Red Collection2023£204,000.00
Macallan 1940 The Reach 81 Year Old2023£180,000.00
Macallan Six Pillars Collection 50 Year Old - Lalique Decanter2018£110,000.00
Most often sold
BottleLotsMedian
Macallan Aera3,962£120.00
Macallan 10 Year Old2,778£140.00
Macallan A Night on Earth in Scotland2,629£80.00
Top independent bottlers
BottlerLotsMedian
Gordon & MacPhail4,835£280.00
Scotch Malt Whisky Society2,150£250.00
Signatory1,070£152.50

Past auction results, not a valuation or a guide to future prices. Figures compiled 12 November 2026.

Before comparing a hammer price with a shop price, add the fees: buying whisky at auction vs retail works through them. Auction medians for many brands have fallen since their 2021 and 2022 peaks, as what 1.6 million auction lots show about whisky prices sets out.

Questions

What is the cheapest Macallan whisky?
The cheapest Macallan whisky is Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask 2025 Release Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70cl (12 years old, 40% ABV, 70cl), at £71.94 from Master of Malt. That is £76.89 delivered to the UK mainland for one bottle. Next cheapest: Macallan 12 Year Old Sherry Oak Cask 2025 Release Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70cl (£79.95) and Undisclosed Speyside (M) Signatory Vintage 100 Proof Exceptional Cask 2008 18 Year Old Whisky (£99.95).
How much does Macallan whisky cost?
Macallan whisky costs from £71.94 to £12,600.00, with a median of £499.00 for a full-size bottle (50cl to 1 litre). The dearest is Macallan The Archival Series Folio 2.
What is the oldest Macallan whisky you can buy?
Macallan 30 Year Old Double Cask 2023 Release Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70cl, at 30 years old, from £3,400.00.
What is the difference between Double Cask and Sherry Oak?
Macallan describes Sherry Oak as matured in sherry-seasoned European oak. Double Cask combines sherry-seasoned American and European oak. The names therefore describe different cask combinations, not simply different ages. Both ranges include more than one age statement.
Why is Macallan expensive?
Mostly casks, age and demand. Macallan matures its whisky in sherry-seasoned oak, and at auction sherry-cask lots typically sell for about one and a half times bourbon-cask lots of the same age (the sherry cask auction premium). Much of its range is long-aged or a limited release, and Macallan is one of the most heavily traded names on the secondary market. See Why is old whisky expensive?.