By James Haldane, Executive Editor |
Janet “Nettie” Harbinson, who took over The Macallan in 1918. Photo courtesy of The Macallan. Illustration by Joanna Neborsky. |
Some whiskies don’t just set records—they reset expectations. The Macallan 1926 helped define a collecting category, transforming fine whisky into a serious market at Sotheby’s and beyond. In the latest edition of Collector’s Cellar, we explore how its rise was not simply a function of age or rarity, but the work of a pioneering woman who unexpectedly inherited the distillery—and reshaped its future. Those forces remain at work today, informing The Romantica Collection, unveiled this week as a spiritual successor to the 1926.
From Scotland to France, we turn to another story shaped by fine vintages. At Musique & Vin au Clos Vougeot, the annual festival uniting classical performance with Burgundy’s leading domaines, running this year from June 20–28, proceeds support an Instrumental Fund that commissions new works for musicians at the outset of their careers. One such project brought luthier Stefan‑Peter Greiner into the fold to craft new instruments for the Magenta Quartet, an emerging Paris‑based ensemble. As with great whisky and winemaking, the result rests on a belief in sustaining the next generation. |
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The Macallan 1926 and the Making of a Market |
Three bottles of The Macallan 1926, including labels by artists Peter Blake (left) and Valerio Adami (right). Courtesy of The Macallan. |
The Scotch whisky market as we understand it today is a relatively recent construct. The hierarchy of distillery names, the focus on age statements—12, 18, 25, 30 years—and the cultivation of distinct house styles are, in historical terms, only a few decades old. Until the 1980s, most whisky was produced for blending and sold to the trade, with only a small proportion retained for bottling as single malt and little emphasis on branding or collectibility. |
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Luthier Stefan-Peter Greiner refining a cello’s front plate in his workshop. Photo: Ray Palo. |
Having taken up violin at 10, Stefan-Peter Greiner built his first instrument by 14—an early start that informs his commitment to nurturing young talent. Now with workshops in Zurich and London, he is among the luthiers commissioned by Musique & Vin au Clos Vougeot, the Burgundy-based association behind the annual festival of music and wine, to create instruments for the next generation of musicians. |
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Our calendar of must-see exhibitions |
“Marilyn Monroe,” 1946, by André De Dienes, on view at the National Portrait Gallery in London. © André de Dienes / MUUS Collection. |
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