I am invited by The Macallan. Not to some Scottish distillery, as one would predict. Rather I land myself on a relatively warm day in Jerez de la Frontera in the south of Spain. I am on a journey to discover the story of The Macallan’s signature sherry oak casks, which contribute 80 per cent to The Macallan flavour and its colour. In 2023, the brand also strengthened its connection to the world of sherry with a 50:50 acquisition of Grupo Estevez, the custodian of Valdespino and one of the oldest sherry bodegas in Spain.
Most of The Macallan European oaks are sourced from the north of Spain—from sawmills and cooperages like the Tevasa Forestal Sawmills and Cooperage right in the heart of Jerez. For the launch of The Macallan’s latest interpretation of Time: Space Sherry Cask, I embark to discover the enchanting world of sherry and its intrinsic relationship in creating one of the world’s finest single malts.
Ignacio Lopez de Carrizosa, the global brand ambassador of Valdespino x The Macallan, welcomes us to the Valdespino House dating back to the 1700s. “Our vineyards have white soil, high in chalk and calcium [content], and that minerality is transferred to the sherry,” Lopez explains. With over 3,000 years of winemaking history, Valdespino’s distinguished vineyards, including the prestigious Pago de Macharnudo, and the sherry wines that season the casks shape the depth and character of The Macallan single malt.
Seated amidst a vineyard, I get a taste of the fino that make it to the European oak casks packed with minerality and salinity and lowest acidity. Referring to the 17-hectare plot that produces one of the world’s most reputed single vineyard sherry, I try the Valdespino Barrel Fermented 2025 bottled in April this year, the Fino Inccocente en Rama and the Amontillado tio Diego. The Amantillado is darker, fortified as sherry. The smell of coffee, hazelnut, butterscotch is inimitable. And it almost instantaneously reminds you of the complex taste structure of a fine peg of The Macallan sherry oak whisky—nuanced and crafted over time, equal amount art and science blended. There are about 300-400 casks with sherry fermented each year, Lopez shares. And each cask takes about five years-in-the-making using traditional cask-making skills.
The next morning takes me where these casks are made—the Tevasa Forestal Cooperage, who have been cask suppliers to The Macallan since the 1980s. Led by Jane Graham, the managing director of cask operations for The Macallan, who recently moved based to Jerez from Glasgow to be in the thick of things, since the joint venture of Edrington (holding company of The Macallan) and Tevasa was signed in November 2024. I am taken through a short tour of how each cask is handcrafted here in Jerez. The process, though, starts with the buying of the right oaks (some even 100 years old) in the forests of northern Spain. With no artificial drying of the staves, it takes over two years from sourcing to the actual making of the final cask. Narciso, the cooperage owner, shares, “The sherry cask making process is exclusive to The Macallan and the sherry wine (mainly Oloroso) is kept in the cask for 18 months.” The casks are monitored throughout the seasoning process to achieve the desired depth of colour, richness, and character. The brand still follows the vision of Roderick Kemp, the former wine merchant and owner of The Macallan from 1892-1909, who recognised the importance of sourcing the finest sherry casks to mature The Macallan whisky.
At the bodega in Jerez, the sherry is fermented over years. From tasting a 25-year-old Oloroso to an 80-year-old, and a sip of the 100-year-old Valdespino Ninos, I am taught that most grapes that produce fortified wine, or sherry, are harvested at night. With The Macallan, it is always the single vineyard Valdespino sherry oak cask. The bodega visit wraps up with the tasting of The Macallan 25-year-old made once a year. Euan Kennedy, one of the brand’s six whisky makers, emphasises that European oak leads the way when it comes to the whisky characteristics, adding, “The richness of the spirit [comes] with the sherry cask."
At Vina Agata that evening, The Macallan launches its latest rendition of Time: Space with the Time: Space Sherry Cask. It is the third chapter in the Time: Space Collection, following the 200th anniversary releases of Time: Space and Time: Space Mastery.
Jaume Ferras, global creative director, The Macallan, says, “Time: Space is a journey of the brand. The first one was legacy; this one [highlights] the influence of sherry and wine with The Macallan. [It] is an iconic product using Valdespino sherry casks consciously.” In the making for over two years, the whisky itself is elevated through marrying in a selection of the first 200 sherry casks seasoned at the Valdespino bodega in Jerez. Crafted in The Macallan cooperages in Spain and then shipped to Scotland for filling in 2024 during the brand’s 200th year.
This newest product from the brand is “about people, and having roots in Jerez,” Kennedy shares. The 20-year-old single malt Scotch whisky, the Time: Space Sherry Cask, has a rich and refined character—a medley of sherry-soaked raisins, figs, medjool dates complemented by sweet frangipane, cinder coffee, caramelised nuts, dark chocolate truffles, and warming spices. Presented in the collection’s circular vessel, it represents the continuous flow of the past, present, and future. The presentation box draws inspiration from the palomino grapes cultivated in the Valdespino vineyards. The circular design of the interior is reminiscent of the grapes, while the golden hue reflects the Andalusian sun that plays an essential role in creating sherry wine—one that I experience firsthand.
Coinciding with the launch, The Macallan also unveils Mastery Beyond Reason, narrated by photographer Steve McCurry, that celebrates the people, places, and generations of expertise in the sherry cask journey.
Ferras sums it up pithily: “Time: Space Sherry Cask [reflects] our enduring commitment to mastery, craftsmanship, and the influence of our sherry casks. From our vineyards of Jerez de la Frontera to The Macallan Estate in Speyside, every element speaks to the Mastery of Reason philosophy—bringing together nature, time, and generations of expertise.”