Macallan TIME : SPACE Sherry 700ML

Macallan TIME : SPACE Sherry 700ML is a 20-year-old Speyside single malt Scotch whisky bottled at 44.8% ABV in a 700ml presentation. As the third release in The Macallan's TIME : SPACE Collection, this expression stands apart as the first whisky ever matured and then married in casks seasoned with The Macallan's own Valdespino sherry — a historically significant production detail tied to the distillery's vertical integration of its entire cask supply chain.

Quick Facts: ABV: 44.8%  |  Origin: Speyside, Scotland  |  Age: Minimum 20 Years  |  Distillery: The Macallan

Production & Heritage

The Macallan, founded in 1824 in Craigellachie, Speyside, has long defined its house style through European oak sherry-seasoned casks. Between 2023 and 2024, the distillery acquired half of Grupo Estévez (owner of the historic Valdespino bodega), the Vasyma cooperage outright, half of Tevasa Forestal Group, and sawmills across Europe and the US — achieving full vertical control from forest to finished cask. In 2024, the distillery's 200th anniversary year, the team filled the first 200 casks ever seasoned at the Valdespino bodega; TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask was married in those inaugural casks. The whisky begins its journey in European oak sherry-seasoned casks before being married in freshly Valdespino-sherry-seasoned casks, resulting in two distinct interactions with sherry-conditioned oak. No artificial colouring is used; the deep natural colour comes entirely from the wood.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Sherry-soaked raisins and Medjool dates open the nose, followed by figs and dark chocolate truffles. Cinder toffee and caramelised nuts develop alongside warming spice, while dark chocolate deepens into cinnamon, star anise, and ginger.

Taste: The entry delivers concentrated dried fruit and rich ginger cake, building quickly into treacle toffee and bramble jam at mid-palate. Chocolate-coated cherries emerge alongside clove, cinnamon, and cocoa nib, layering sweetness against a firm spiced backbone.

Finish: Long and warming, with wood spice giving way to a clean espresso note and gentle oak tannins. The dried fruit sweetness lingers well after the spice recedes.

How to Drink TIME : SPACE Sherry

At this age and price tier, neat is the primary serve — a few minutes of rest in the glass allows the layered sherry influence to fully open. A few drops of water can unlock additional fruit complexity without diminishing the structure. An Old Fashioned built with this malt showcases the treacle and dark chocolate notes against bitters. A Rob Roy benefits from the whisky's dried-fruit intensity and spiced finish, standing up firmly to sweet vermouth. A Blood and Sand cocktail, with its classic citrus and cherry interplay, provides an unexpected but rewarding complement to the bramble jam and chocolate-cherry character.

Best For

• Marking a milestone anniversary or career achievement with a collectible release
• Gifting a serious Macallan collector seeking a historically significant bottling
• Adding a sherry-cask benchmark to a curated Scotch whisky library
• Hosting a guided tasting comparing sherry-matured single malts across age statements

Frequently Asked Questions

What does TIME : SPACE Sherry taste like? This is an intensely sherry-forward single malt dominated by dried fruit, treacle toffee, ginger cake, and dark chocolate, with clove and cinnamon spice running through the palate and a long espresso-tinged finish.

How does TIME : SPACE Sherry compare to The Macallan Sherry Oak 25 Year Old? Both occupy the same prestige tier and are exclusively sherry-cask matured, but TIME : SPACE Sherry is distinguished by its dual-stage maturation — initial aging followed by marrying in Valdespino-seasoned casks — a process the 25 Year Old does not undergo. The 25 Year Old carries five additional years of age, while TIME : SPACE Sherry derives its complexity from the unique character of those first-ever Valdespino bodega casks.

Is TIME : SPACE Sherry good for sipping neat? Absolutely — its 44.8% ABV provides enough strength to carry the layered dried-fruit and spice profile without excessive alcohol heat. A few drops of water further reveal the nuances of the Valdespino-seasoned oak influence.

Where is TIME : SPACE Sherry made? It is distilled and matured at The Macallan distillery in Craigellachie, Speyside, Scotland. The Valdespino sherry-seasoned casks used for marrying originate from the Valdespino bodega in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, now partially owned by The Macallan's parent company.

What foods pair well with TIME : SPACE Sherry? Dark chocolate truffles mirror the cocoa and espresso notes in the finish. Aged Manchego cheese complements the nutty, caramelised sweetness. Christmas cake or mince pies echo the dried-fruit and spice profile. Blue cheese provides a savoury counterpoint to the treacle richness. Dates stuffed with almonds directly parallel the Medjool date and caramelised nut aromas on the nose.

What sizes does TIME : SPACE Sherry come in? The standard release is a 700ml bottle; no additional size variants have been confirmed at the time of launch.

Is TIME : SPACE Sherry worth the price? TIME : SPACE Sherry positions as a super-premium collectible expression, priced in the range of The Macallan's most prestigious sherry-oak bottlings. Its value proposition rests on the historically unrepeatable production detail of the first Valdespino-seasoned casks and a 20-year minimum age statement, placing it firmly in the investment-grade tier of Speyside single malts.

Why TIME : SPACE Sherry?

What separates this release from other aged Macallan expressions is not simply time in wood but a fundamental shift in how the wood itself was produced. The Macallan's acquisition of its cask supply chain — from forest to cooperage to sherry bodega — represents the most significant structural change in the distillery's 200-year history, and TIME : SPACE Sherry is the first single malt to express the result. Married in the inaugural 200 casks ever seasoned at the Valdespino bodega, this is a bottling that cannot be replicated once those casks are exhausted. For collectors and serious drinkers tracking the evolution of The Macallan's house style, it marks a before-and-after moment in the distillery's production philosophy.