Review: The Macallan's TIME : SPACE Collection Is One For The Ages

It's said that Europeans and Americans don't share the same comprehensions of what constitutes old or far. Our friends east of the Atlantic regularly go to local bars that have been in operation longer than our nation has, whereas they never quite realize how far a distance it can be from one destination to another in the U.S. So in the interests of a little cross-cultural enlightenment, I headed to NYC's Flatiron district, where Scottish distiller The Macallan pulled out all the stops to debut its TIME : SPACE Collection in celebration of its 200th birthday.

Friends, it was a wild time in a beautiful space, full of drinks, dancing, DJ Mark Ronson, and a lot of laughs with new friends. But most importantly, it was a chance to drink a dram of the wildly, if relatively, more affordable of the two TIME : SPACE bottlings. (Even though there are, in fact, three whiskies here. Say what? Read on.) I took a tasting trip through the pricy TIME : SPACE Mastery, and it won't spoil a thing for you to learn that I enjoyed it immensely, because the real record scratch has yet to zig. First, let me introduce you to the ways The Macallan commemorates its 200th anniversary.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

There are two releases in The Macallan's TIME : SPACE Collection, comprised of three whiskies. The first is TIME : SPACE Mastery, a blend of selected casks embodying the brand. More on that in a minute.

The second, and crown jewel, is simply called TIME : SPACE. Its container resembles something between a portal and God's own hubcap, similar to that declaration of prestige we saw in Wild Turkey's Kentucky Legend, a rare bourbon sought after by collectors. Around TIME : SPACE's rim lies an 84-year-old single malt, the oldest The Macallan has ever released. Distilled in 1940, it represents the brand's history and craft in bringing its spirits to fruition, no matter how long it takes. Lying in rest for decades at The Macallan's home in Speyside, it embodies the brand's history. The whisky comes from just two casks: a first-fill American oak and a second-fill European oak, both seasoned with sherry. The Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, wood is a signature feature of The Macallan's scotch whiskies. American and European oaks are also incorporated into the vessel's design.

The second portion, occupying the vessel's hub, is the 2018 vintage: the first to emerge from The Macallan's new distillery. It illustrates how the brand is able to maintain and even amplify its quality and capabilities. That's a lofty declaration, but The Macallan put a lot of money where your mouth is. The release event for these whiskies felt much more like a movie premiere and featured phenomenal catering, along with bartenders from Dante, which serves yours truly's pick for best cocktail in NYC, mixing concoctions of The Macallan 12- and 15-year.

Oh boy, The Macallan's TIME : SPACE Collection costs a lot more than you have in your pocket and whiskey budget, I tell you that. And if I'm wrong, thanks for reading this article, Mr. Beast. The 84- and five-year pairing vessel runs you an absolutely staggering $190,000 — staggering because at that stage, The Macallan really ought to have just said $200,000 and kept closer to the bicentennial theme. And I guess also because that's how much a house cost prior to COVID.

If it hurts your heart to gaze upon that number, you've got a backup option. The TIME : SPACE Mastery bottling is for sale at the much more doable, though still collector's, price of $1,400. This is comprised, according to The Macallan's press release, of "the most exceptional oak casks" selected by the distillery's experts to best embody the character of The Macallan's spirit across all its iterations. It, too, comes in a circular vessel, though with a different design, more reminiscent of a standard bottle.

And for New York City readers who wish to behold its beauty without dropping a full paycheck, you have until tomorrow, October 12, to attend Conservation Through TIME : SPACE, a free-to-see art installation in the Flatiron District's Worth Square that The Macallan says will "emphasize the importance of reflecting on our past and acting in our present to preserve the future."

The Macallan has poetically filled only 200 vessels (it's not really quite right to call this a bottle) of TIME : SPACE, so you're not likely to see it in a locked case, even if you live near a really, really high-end liquor store. Liquor this pricey demands its own security-laser grid, whereas TIME : SPACE Mastery is a little more standard hunting.

It's hard to see all but a couple of retailers in the Western hemisphere acquiring TIME : SPACE, even as a trophy of their acquisitional prowess, given the cost and risk of displaying it. This isn't a release you get as a make-good from the brand or a distributor, or from a private Facebook underground market group. You're going to have to know a guy who knows a guy who knows a baron, maybe even a duke. When it does pop up online, it will likely be gone quickly among big-budget speculators who have probably bought from that seller before and trust it to be a legitimate purchase.

So you're looking at auction houses or online shops that are going to overclock the price, as they always sell beyond the top of the usual range of the actual transactions. Either way, buying a vessel of TIME : SPACE sooner is probably better. Patience in purchasing will only cost you more when specimens do surface.

In a perfect world, I'd describe what 84-year-old whisky tastes like, but it is forbidden to mortals. However, everyone attending raised a sample dram of the TIME: SPACE Mastery blend in a toast appropriately led by master whisky maker Kirsteen Campbell. And boy, does it embody this distillery.

A prototypical but alluring malted barley nose is conspicuously baseline, and I'm fine with that. I know I'm supposed to detect "hints of marzipan," but it's nice to inhale a beautiful whiff of exactly what went into this distillate when it's done well. TIME : SPACE Mastery tastes sweet and smooth, like honey tea. Its dodges all but the smallest trace of oakiness and is tempered enough to skip the other usual tasting notes. A breezy ghost of marshmallow vanilla avoids cloying. 

Its even-handed balance is the weirdest thing about it. It's so rare to responsibly report, "This just tastes like whiskey," without background noise, but Mastery pleases fully without ever wandering into rote comparisons to standbys like baking spices. The most idiosyncratic it gets is cherries and wine on the finish, which is the sherry's doing and therefore solid Macallan. If you want more oak out of it, give it a good swish around your mouth a few times. If you'd rather it sweeter, a drop of water brings the caramel forward without pulling on the oak. If you do want chocolate, put it on the rocks, but also: Don't put it on the rocks. It's best neat.

TIME : SPACE Mastery impresses resolutely, though it is a little more spritely than you might be used to from The Macallan. A more typical Macallan release might win a blind taste test for being more full-bodied. Even so, nobody would frown at this nice, boisterous blend, which is as smooth as its 43.6% ABV would indicate but punchier than it might have fallen into at that lower state.

Long story short, the Mastery lives up to its name, offering a purified whisky experience, though $1,400 is a lot of money to pay for tabula rasa (or balanced encyclopedic) whisky. You can also feel free to ignore my experience and believe in the plethora of explosive tasting notes that Macallan lists for this special bottling. Either way, its cost stems from the landmark of its release rather than the uncommon quality of its characteristics. The unspecified but claimed exemplary casks are an awful lot of faith to take on for this sticker. But again, this remains a conversation piece and collection artifact, something to say, "Hey, check it out," to your fellow enthusiasts. You could buy a whole lot of The Macallan 15 for $1,400 and give it to your great-great-great-grandkids two centuries from now.

Given that the two offerings in The Macallan's TIME : SPACE Collection are historical releases aimed at collectors, it's hard to say they aren't worth investing in. TIME : SPACE is sure to go up in value, even if finding a buyer is somewhat of a challenge at the six-figure level. It's the kind of holding you sit on and then ask Sotheby's to sell on your behalf several college tuitions' worth of value of from now. On that front, yes, it's a sure investment, or just something to really impress if you're that kind of rich guy. If you intend to drink it, well, now you're the rarer kind of rich guy I really respect, but let's talk about Mastery.

TIME: SPACE Mastery is iffier. Spaced out for special pours, it's maybe, almost, with further qualifiers, a $1,400 drinking experience, as it is delicious and flexible. However, it's priced to purchase for investors only. You've got a plenty of big-buck options if you plan to drink your money's worth. May we suggest hunting down and overpaying for 2024's somehow-still-worth it Jack Daniel's Coy Hill Barrelhouse 8? It won't run you $1,400 yet, let alone $190,000. If you're gambling somewhat soundly that the significance means Mastery rises in price, then ... yeah? It's kind of worth it? But you have to be a particular type of customer to even consider the purchase. The rest of us will just enjoy The Macallan's reliably tasty usual output and raise a glass to feats like this one.