TOP LEFT PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MACALLAN; TOP RIGHT AND BOTTOM PHOTOS BY CHRIS MONCUS PHOTOGRAPHY
Easter Elchies House at The Macallan estate
Sea Island’s collection of The Macallan is one of the largest in the Southeast and features rare bottles.
“When you’ve got such a flavorful spirit as
your base in a cocktail, it’s a shame to cover
it up entirely,” Bridger says, which is why
Wallace and the other Sea Island bartenders
are careful to enhance The Macallan with
complementing tastes. “I’d suggest simple,
spirit-forward recipes, and ingredients that
highlight notes already found in the whiskey.
You’d be amazed what a terrific Old-Fashioned
you can make with The Macallan 12, raw-sugar
simple syrup, some chocolate bitters and
an orange twist. Amaro works well with The
Macallan, as does sherry.”
Wallace recommends a Highland Toddy (a
take on a hot toddy with The Macallan) as a
nightcap. He’s also developed a refreshing sour
ideal for warm weather, using The Macallan’s
Fine Oak 10-year variety. Another of Wallace’s
drinks, the Smoke on the Spey, is made with
The Macallan 12- or 18-year and gets its flavor from smoke made from roasting used oak
staves, spicy ginger shrub, ginger and cinnamon
syrup, Angostura bitters and Bonal (a French
aperitif wine).
For newcomers to the brand, however,
Wallace suggests keeping things straightforward. “We always recommend drinking The
Macallan neat or on the rocks the first time,
because you can really get the full profile when
you’re drinking it that way,” he explains. “You
want to start with something a little bit lighter,
like The Macallan Fine Oak collection, which
has a lighter body than the Sherry Oak bottles.”
After that, it’s time to explore. Bridger
describes the Sherry Oak line as richer and
spicier than the Fine Oak, picking up more
wood smoke with age. The 25-year Sherry
Oak is, to Bridger, like “an orange grove lit
on fire.” Meanwhile, the distillery’s limited
edition bottles continue to intrigue curious
palates. River Bar receives these rare bottles,
such as The Macallan Flask set, which came
with an Oakley-design flask and a 22-year-old
single malt all-American oak Scotch whisky.
Sea Island’s guests might even catch a glimpse
of a bottle of The Macallan M, an artfully
designed and impeccably crafted decanter that
serves as the finest in the brand’s 1824 Series.
“The Macallan M display is incredible,” Wallace
explains. “They take such great care and add
such immaculate detail—they want to make
sure it’s flawless. And we don’t want to disturb
that in any way. … The Macallan is one of those
things that’s a classic and will alwa