Leith-based independent bottler Blind Summit Whisky has released two 35-year-old single malt scotch whiskies from one Macallan cask distilled in 1989. The September 2026 launch is limited to 30 paired sets worldwide, with the whiskies finished separately in Rivesaltes fortified wine and Barbados rum casks.
The bottler has priced each 50cl bottle at approximately $1,650 (£1,250). A paired set costs approximately $3,300 (£2,500).
The whiskies were drawn from a refill Bourbon hogshead distilled at The Macallan on 11 October 1989. They have been bottled at cask strength, non-chill filtered and at natural color.
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The Rivesaltes-finished expression has an ABV of 45.3%. The Barbados rum-finished whisky has an ABV of 46.4%.
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Blind Summit said each finishing cask was selected to “build on, rather than mask” the original Macallan profile. The official notes from the brand say the Rivesaltes finish adds dried fruit and nut richness, while the Barbados rum cask brings brighter tropical notes.
James Zorab, co-founder and whiskymaker at Blind Summit Whisky, divided the original cask and monitored both finishes over more than two years.
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READ THE STORY“Our responsibility with a whisky of this age was to respect what the years in cask had already achieved,” Zorab said.
“Each finishing cask was chosen to build on the character of the spirit rather than change it, and both were monitored closely throughout so that the finish never overtook the whisky. What we have bottled is two honest expressions of one exceptional cask.”
Jamie Dawson, co-founder of Blind Summit Whisky, said the company had chosen not to follow a more conventional finishing route.
“Sometimes you have to be bold,” Dawson said. “We didn’t want to release another Macallan finished in Oloroso simply because that’s what’s expected.”
“Splitting the cask gave us the opportunity to explore two very different finishing journeys while making sure the character of the original whisky always remained at the heart of both expressions. The result is two distinct single malts with a common ancestry.”
Each pair is presented in Blind Summit’s 50cl packaging with mirrored labels designed as one continuous artwork. The design was created with Leith-based Studio Reekee.
Blind Summit was founded by Dawson and Zorab in Leith, Edinburgh. The company said its founders have more than 40 years of combined experience across whisky and fine wine, and have worked on more than 50 releases to date.
