Mac-Talla unveils virgin oak-matured whisky

Family-owned Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers has released the latest expression in Islay single malt Mac-Talla’s core range.

The no-age-statement whisky was matured in a combination of Bourbon barrels and level four char virgin American oak casks sourced from Kelvin Cooperage in Kentucky. The whisky then underwent a finishing period in virgin oak, before being vatted, married, and bottled at Aberargie Distillery in Scotland. The whisky will join Mac-Talla’s core range and be the first to feature virgin oak. Mac-Talla Virgin Oak is said to have a ‘richer, sweeter’ profile than the brand’s other core whiskies, Mara and Terra. The virgin oak is said to balance the peat and soften its intensity. Described as a ‘departure from the more traditional peated expressions’, Morrison Distillers added that the whisky 'brings together the best of Islay’s peated heritage and the sweetness of virgin oak maturation'. Sporting a golden barley colour, its notes comprise deep oak spice, toffee apples and muscovado sugar on the nose, and warm baking spices, sticky toffee pudding and creamy butterscotch on the palate. Bottled at 53.8% ABV, Mac-Talla Virgin Oak can be purchased for £74 (US$92) from 13 February. It will be available in the UK, Europe, Japan, Australia and Israel. Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers first introduced the Mac-Talla range in May 2021, alongside two other whiskies: blended malt whisky Old Perth and single malt Càrn Mòr.