Macaloney’s Caledonian Distillery has launched three inaugural single malt Whiskies. The award-winning Canadain distillery debuted its new make spirit in 2017 and has been picking up awards ever since. Fewer than 2,000 bottles will be available across the entire trio of expressions.
Macaloney’s Caledonian inaugural single malt Whisky releases include Glenloy, a classic style single malt whisky matured in ex-bourbon, sherry and red wine casks, of which they made 1,276 bottles. The Victoria-based distillery is also releasing two versions of their Invermallie single cask single malt Whisky: an ex-bourbon cask expression with 171 bottles and a Portuguese re-charred red wine barrique expression with 374 bottles.
The Glenloy was carefully selected from a combination of 60% first-use Bourbon casks for a delicate, clean presentation, 15% from Dr. Swans wonderful Portuguese STR red-wine barriques for pronounced oak and sweet red-berry contribution, and 15% Oloroso / 10% PX Spanish Sherry casks for rich and delicate fruit cake and plums. On the nose, the Whisky offers fruit, floral and Sherry notes followed with oak, vanilla, malt, and sea breeze. The creamy palate delivers caramelized orange, vanilla, potpourri, fruit cake, blackcurrant, honey, wood spices, and lingering oak.
This Invermallie: Ex-Bourbon special release was selected from a single ‘first-use’ Bourbon cask. It is to be “the cleanest expression of our house style because the Bourbon has little influence, allowing the American white oak to shine through.” On the nose, it offers tropical fruit, oak spices, coconut, roses, peaches, crème caramel, sea breeze and barley. The palate is creamy with tropical fruit, lychee, gooseberries, dried apricot, honey, candied orange, cocoa, and porridge oats, developing to a malty chocolate sweetness, cereal, and dry oak.
The Invermallie single cask Portuguese red wine barrique comes from a select re-charred red wine barrique imported from Europe. This barrique underwent the Dr. Jim Swan shave-toast-rechar preparation and features a complex nose with red berries, dried fruit, demerara sugar, leather, oak and honey. The palate is creamy and full bodied with layers of tropical fruits, wood spices, brandied dark fruit cake, cigar, cocoa, Maltesers, oats and honey. The finish is long with dried fruit and lingering oak.
The bespoke etched bottles showcase the distillery’s pot stills, while labels and cartons show distinctly Vancouver Island images to evoke the Whiskies’ island provenance. Each bottle is individually numbered and labelled with the cask number, batch number, bottled date and whiskymaker’s signature. Bottle numbers 1 through 10 will be auctioned for charity.
The Glenloy retails for $124.99 while the Invermallie single cask ex-Bourbon and Invermallie single cask Portuguese red wine barrique limited releases are $129.99. All three releases are available at select liquor stores throughout British Columbia and Alberta as well as directly from the distillery with shipping across Canada.
Macaloney’s Caledonian Distillery began production in 2016, under the direction of ex-DIAGEO Scottish Master Distiller Mike Nicolson, the legendary Scotsman Dr. Jim Swan (‘the Einstein of Whisky’), and founder-whiskymaker Dr. Graeme Macaloney who has a PhD in fermentation engineering.
