The Macallan TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask is a 20-year-old single malt Scotch, the third release in the TIME : SPACE Collection and the first Macallan influenced by casks seasoned with the distillery’s own Valdespino sherry. It matured predominantly in European oak sherry-seasoned casks, then was married in a selection of the first 200 casks filled at the Valdespino bodega in Jerez during Macallan’s 2024 bicentenary. Bottled at 44.8% ABV with natural colour, it carries an RRP of £1,100 (around US$1,485, roughly €1,300) for 700ml. It launched on 17 September 2026, exclusively at The Macallan Boutique in Harrods, with wider UK and global availability from October.
The Macallan has spent years quietly buying up the sherry supply chain that built its reputation. TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask is the first bottle that shows what that ownership actually tastes like.
The headline is simple: this is the first Macallan matured and married in casks seasoned with the brand’s own Valdespino sherry. For a distillery whose entire identity rests on sherry-seasoned oak, that is not a marketing footnote. It is the closing of a loop.
The key facts up front. It is a 20 Year Old single malt, bottled at 44.8% ABV with natural colour, 700ml, at an RRP of £1,100. It is the third chapter in the limited-edition TIME : SPACE Collection, and it launched on 17 September 2026 at Harrods before a wider rollout.
Why this release matters: Macallan now owns its sherry
Sherry-seasoned oak is the single biggest driver of Macallan’s flavour, and for most of its history the distillery bought that seasoning from Spanish bodegas it did not control. That changed when Edrington, Macallan’s owner, acquired the historic Jerez producer Valdespino along with two cooperages, taking ownership of the full sherry-seasoning journey from grape to stave to cask.
In its 200th anniversary year in 2024, the team filled the first 200 casks ever seasoned at the Valdespino bodega. TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask is the first whisky to draw on that project, so it is genuinely a first taste rather than a repackaging.
Lead whisky maker Euan Kennedy has been candid that the outcome was not a foregone conclusion, noting that when those 200 casks were filled the team did not yet know exactly what they would deliver. Master Whisky Maker Kirsteen Campbell frames it as a milestone in Macallan’s custodianship of its own sherry seasoning.
What is the TIME : SPACE Collection?
The collection debuted in September 2024 to mark Macallan’s bicentenary. The original TIME : SPACE was an 84 Year Old, the oldest whisky the brand had ever released. Alongside it came TIME : SPACE Mastery, a 5 Year Old and the first release from the new Macallan Distillery, drawing on ex-bourbon barrels, new American oak and sherry casks.
This third chapter narrows the focus to sherry cask maturation only. Where Mastery was a snapshot of the distillery in its anniversary moment, Sherry Cask is a statement about where the sherry programme is heading.
Each release in the collection shares a circular decanter. The presentation case here takes its cue from the Palomino grapes grown in the Valdespino vineyards and the golden light of Andalusia, tying the whisky visually to the Spanish source of its oak.
The whisky: two rounds of sherry-seasoned oak
The maturation happens in two distinct stages. The spirit first spent its long life in a selection of predominantly European oak sherry-seasoned casks on the Speyside estate. It was then married in a small batch from those first 200 Valdespino-seasoned casks, giving the whisky a second, more specific layer of sherry influence.
At 44.8% ABV with natural colour and no age statement games (a stated 20 years), this sits as a considered, restrained expression rather than a cask-strength sherry bomb.
The Macallan TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask: tasting note (official Macallan notes)
Nose: sherry-soaked raisins, figs, medjool dates, dark chocolate truffles, cinder toffee, caramelised nuts, warming spice
Palate: dried fruit, rich ginger cake, treacle toffee, bramble jam, chocolate-coated cherries, clove, cinnamon, cocoa nib
Finish: warming wood spice, a hint of espresso, gentle oak
ABV: 44.8% | Cask: European oak sherry-seasoned casks, married in Valdespino sherry-seasoned casks | Age: 20 years | Price: £1,100 (700ml)
These are Macallan’s own published notes. We have not yet tasted this release, and will update this piece with our own assessment if we get it in the glass.
Price and availability
The RRP is £1,100 for a 700ml bottle, which converts to around US$1,485 and roughly €1,300. In the US the bottle is offered at an MSRP of $1,400 through The Macallan Ballot, which ran from 17 to 24 September 2026 and gives collectors first option on the release.
In the UK it went on sale exclusively at The Macallan Boutique in Harrods from 17 September 2026, with a wider rollout across UK specialist retailers in October and global availability via themacallan.com. As with most TIME : SPACE bottles, expect it to reach international collectors quickly and to move onto the secondary market not long after.
Is it worth £1,100?
Be clear-eyed about what this is. TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask is a collector’s bottle first. At £1,100 for a 44.8% 20 Year Old, a meaningful share of the price sits in the provenance and the presentation: the first release from Macallan’s own Valdespino casks, filled in the bicentenary year, in a decanter built to be displayed.
For the Macallan completist and the serious sherried-single-malt collector, that story is exactly the point, and the two-stage sherry maturation gives it a real reason to exist beyond the packaging.
If what you actually want is 20-year-old sherried Macallan to open and drink, there are less expensive ways into that house style, and the gentle 44.8% ABV means this is built for slow contemplation rather than intensity. Buy it for what it represents and for the collection, not as an everyday pour.
What to watch next: this is the first whisky from those 200 Valdespino casks, so it is almost certainly a preview of a broader own-sherry programme to come from Speyside.
Frequently asked questions
What is The Macallan TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask?
It is a 20-year-old single malt Scotch whisky and the third release in Macallan’s limited-edition TIME : SPACE Collection. Bottled at 44.8% ABV, it is the first Macallan influenced by casks seasoned with the brand’s own Valdespino sherry, following the 2024 bicentenary releases.
What does The Macallan TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask taste like?
According to Macallan’s official notes, the nose offers sherry-soaked raisins, figs, medjool dates, chocolate truffles and cinder toffee. The palate brings dried fruit, ginger cake, treacle toffee, bramble jam and chocolate-coated cherries, with a finish of warming spice, espresso and gentle oak.
How much does The Macallan TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask cost?
The RRP is £1,100 for a 700ml bottle, which is around US$1,485 and roughly €1,270. In the United States it carries an MSRP of $1,400, offered through The Macallan Ballot. Expect higher prices once bottles reach the secondary market.
Where can I buy The Macallan TIME : SPACE Sherry Cask?
It launched on 17 September 2026 exclusively at The Macallan Boutique in Harrods, London. A wider UK specialist retail rollout follows in October, alongside global availability via themacallan.com. US buyers were served first through The Macallan Ballot from 17 to 24 September 2026.
What makes the Valdespino connection important?
Macallan’s owner acquired Valdespino and two Jerez cooperages, giving the distillery control over the full sherry-seasoning process. This is the first Macallan to use casks seasoned with that own-sourced Valdespino sherry, so it marks a shift from bought-in seasoning to in-house custodianship of the oak.
What is the TIME : SPACE Collection?
It is a limited-edition series launched in September 2024 for Macallan’s 200th anniversary. It began with an 84 Year Old, the oldest whisky the brand had released, and a 5 Year Old called TIME : SPACE Mastery. Sherry Cask is the third chapter, focused solely on sherry cask maturation.
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