The Macallan has announced the newest addition to its Fine & Rare collection: the 1978 vintage.

This spirit will be limited to 243 bottles globally, with only five bottles allocated to the U.S. market this year.

The 1978 vintage tastes of oak spice, orange and delicate peat smoke, the company reports, with a soft and silky finish.

“Matured in a second fill remade American oak Hogshead cask, this vintage alludes to a period in time when some peated expressions of The Macallan were laid down,” says The Macallan’s Whisky Maker, Steven Bremner. “The peated smoke element of this cask stands out, as it is unusual in The Macallan to find peated smoke alongside some of the characteristics synonymous with American oak – apricot, vanilla and toffee.”

“Being a remake refill hogshead, there is a charming mystery in not knowing which original casks were carefully crafted together to create this unique cask which has delivered an exceptional vintage,” he adds. “Intertwined and ever present peat smoke enhance this whisky which, on the palate, delivers oak spice and bitter orange which lifts in sweetness. The 1978 Fine and Rare vintage delivers a soft, silky and creamy mouth feel, finishing on peated orange sweetness following 39 years of maturation on Speyside.”

Since 2002, the Fine & Rare range has played a role in establishing The Macallan as among the world’s most valuable and collectable single malt whiskies, as it has picked up record-breaking auction sales across the world.

The suggested retail price for this expression is approximately $11,700 per 750-ml. bottle. For purchasing inquiries, email: Inquiries.us@themacallan.com.