Whisky Names Explained: The Macallan

Just as James Bond is world-famous in film, The Macallan is beloved and renowned in the whisky world. But where does that name actually come from? Welcome to a brand-new Whisky Names Explained.

As is so often the case with Scottish distilleries, the name is tied to the place where the distillery stands. The Macallan belongs to Speyside, and to understand the name we need to travel back in time to the year 1824.

This is the year Alexander Reid, founder of The Macallan, began distilling whisky at The Easter Elchies House. As chance would have it, the still house stood in an area once known as Maghellan. This is on the same estate as where the distillery is located today.

And as is so often the case, there’s a Gaelic connection too. The name is a blend of the Gaelic words “Magh” and “Ellan.” Magh means fertile ground, while Ellan refers to the monk St. Fillan, who once lived on the estate and frequently preached in a nearby church. And that’s another familiar theme: monks appearing throughout the stories of Scottish whiskies.

When you think about it, both the craft of making whisky and the way we look at it today are worlds apart from back then. For centuries it was farmers making whisky, using whatever nature provided.

No one was thinking about releasing a Macallan James Bond collection, let alone selling it for thousands of euros to wealthy collectors. It just shows how the role of whisky has completely transformed over the span of a few centuries.

Want to dive deeper into The Macallan? Check out our dedicated page packed with more content about the Scottish distillery.