The Macallan's Sherry-Cask Bottle That Looks Like a Gold Ring
The Macallan TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask is a 20-year-old, 44.8% single malt, the first with Valdespino casks. Price, how it was made, what is unclear. 21+.
Most whisky launches look like whisky. The Macallan's newest one looks like a piece of jewelry. TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask is a 20-year-old single malt in a round, hollow-centered glass bottle with a brushed gold ring at its middle, and it sits inside a yellow box that opens like a small altarpiece.
It is the third release in The Macallan's TIME : SPACE collection and the first to use casks from Valdespino, the Jerez sherry house that belongs to the same owner. This post is for readers 21 and over. We have not tasted it, held it or bought it, so what follows is our read of the launch coverage and the photos the press has run.
The numbers
- Age and strength: 20 years old, 44.8% ABV, 700 ml, per the bottle label in the press photos and the launch reports
- Series: third TIME : SPACE release
- Sherry link: the first Macallan with casks seasoned at its own Valdespino bodega in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
- Reported price: £1,100 at Harrods in London; about $1,400 in the US
Why Valdespino matters
Edrington, which owns The Macallan, bought Valdespino's parent company in early 2023, according to Drinks Intel. Since then the whisky maker has been making its own sherry-seasoned oak. The Gentleman's Journal reports that the casks were built at the company's cooperages in Jerez, shipped to Scotland in 2024, and that the first 200 were seasoned at the Valdespino bodega. Most of them are still maturing whisky for later releases. Only a handful went into this one.
So this is less a one-off than a first look at a longer plan. That is the real news here, more than the bottle. If a bottle like this makes you want to set up a proper shelf, our home bar essentials guide covers the glassware and tools worth owning first.
How it was made, and where reports differ
The Gentleman's Journal describes a whisky matured in mostly European oak sherry casks on The Macallan Estate, then married with whisky from the Valdespino-seasoned casks. Drinks Intel describes it differently: matured mainly in ex-sherry European oak, then finished for about two years in ex-sherry casks from Valdespino. Both agree the Valdespino casks are part of the final whisky. They do not agree on whether that stage was a marrying or a finish, and we could not read The Macallan's own page to settle it.
Per The Macallan's announcement, as reported by The Gentleman's Journal, the tasting notes run like this:
- Nose: sherry-soaked raisins, figs, Medjool dates, frangipane, cinder toffee, caramelized nuts and dark chocolate
- Palate: dried fruits, ginger cake, treacle toffee, bramble jam and chocolate-coated cherries
- Finish: wood spice, espresso and gentle oak
The bottle and the box
The vessel keeps the circular shape The Macallan introduced around its 200th anniversary. The box takes its cues from Palomino grapes grown in Valdespino's vineyards and the warm gold of the Andalusian sun, according to the same report. The photos show it: layered paper-cut circles in yellow, with the bottle set in a cutout in the middle.
Collectors of unusual objects will see the logic. It is the same pull that made AeroPress's $250 walnut-and-glass brewer a talking point: an everyday thing made as a showpiece. This one costs several times more.
Price and where it is sold
The Gentleman's Journal gives £1,100 at The Macallan Boutique at Harrods, with wider UK availability from October. Drinks Intel lists a suggested retail price of £1,100 (US$1,473) per bottle and calls the quantities limited but unspecified. HiConsumption reports about $1,400 in the US through a members-only ballot. Reports differ on the ballot details and we could not confirm them, so we are not giving dates.
We found no authorized retailer with a listed price, and The Macallan's pages did not load for us, so this post has no buy button. Check The Macallan's own site for the ballot and for current availability. Be careful with resale listings, since a limited bottle at this price draws copycats and markups.
Who it is for
At about $1,400 this is a collector's and gift bottle, not a house pour. If you are weighing a splurge, a watch like those in our luxury dive watch guide gives you something to wear every day. This is the kind of bottle people open on an occasion, in a small pour, and share. If you drink, do it responsibly. For more spirits coverage, browse all Vices or the whiskey section.
Adults 21 and over only. Please drink responsibly.
FAQ
How old is The Macallan TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask?
It is a 20-year-old Highland single malt bottled at 44.8% ABV, according to the bottle photos and the reports on the launch. It is the third release in The Macallan's TIME : SPACE collection.
How much does The Macallan TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask cost?
Reports put it at £1,100 at The Macallan Boutique at Harrods in London and about $1,400 in the US through a members-only ballot. We found no authorized-retailer listing with a price, so check The Macallan's own page.
What are Valdespino casks?
Valdespino is a sherry house in Jerez, Spain, now owned by Edrington, The Macallan's parent company. This is the first Macallan whisky to use casks seasoned at the Valdespino bodega, as reported by The Gentleman's Journal.
Can you buy it at a normal liquor store?
Not as far as we could confirm. The reports describe a Harrods launch, a US ballot and wider availability from October, with no bottle count given.
