“A major part of this is our industry-leading oak management policy which ensures that, in the very long term, The Macallan will have an unrivalled selection of the finest European and American oak casks for maturing our whisky,” he continued.
“The great array of casks as our disposal allows us to fill every single bottle of The Macallan with no colour added whatsoever: the diverse range of colours in the range comes entirely from the interaction between spirit and wood.
“It is also worth noting that the oak cask is estimated to deliver around 70% of the flavour of the whisky — a sound rationale for ensuring that out wood policy is maintained,” he said.
Bonnington said he felt it was the right time to be promoting The Macallan in the Middle East, and that it was a region in which The Macallan sales could flourish.
”We have a product which is in such high demand the world over that we have to strategically place the brand in the right outlets — which means leading bars, clubs and restaurants, five star hotels and so forth,” he said.
“Fortunately, there is a high concentration of such outlets in the Middle East and a growing trend towards this style of venue in influential markets such as Lebanon.”
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ASK THE EXPERT:
A customer asks a bartender to recommend him a beverage: how would you advise the bartender to ‘sell’ Macallan?
“The customer should be made aware that The Macallan stands for unrivalled quality, as the brand is the category leader in terms of the quality of cask in which the liquid is aged — in both European and American Oak, which each deliver different characteristics.
“Ask the customer to look for the clarity and depth of 100% natural colour in the bottle.
“Nose the whisky — gently inhale the complex, fruity, sweet aromas. Some of these aromas can be detected even before the spirit is filled into cask, as The Macallan starts with one of the richest, new-make distillates attributed to the very small copper pot stills.
“The more complex characters of deep, rich dried fruits, orange, dark chocolate, spice and vanilla come from the wood.”
— Keith Bonnington, area director for Africa and the Middle East, The Edrington Group
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