The Macallan Carta Nautica 20 Years Old is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky from The Macallan, bottled at 42% ABV in a 700ml bottle with entirely natural colour. It’s the Global Travel Retail exclusive in the four-bottle Carta Nautica Collection, named for the Spanish term for a nautical chart and inspired by the route of The Macallan’s oak from North America to Jerez de la Frontera and on to Speyside. Under Senior Whisky Maker Diane Stuart, it reverses the usual Scotch sequence: matured first in sherry-seasoned oak, then transferred into casks that previously held North American bourbon. The result is vibrant orange peel, creamy vanilla, charred pineapple and mango, in packaging featuring paper-based artwork by American artist Amy Genser.

The Macallan Carta Nautica 20 Year Old tasting Notes.

Nose: Vibrant orange peel and creamy vanilla, joined by charred pineapple, juicy mango and soft apricot conserve.
Palate: Peach tea, caramelised figs, leather and chocolate orange, with a rich, weighty texture.
Finish: Dried tropical fruits, caramel and toasted oak spice.

Why Add The Macallan Carta Nautica 20 Year Old to your Collection?

The cask sequence is the story here. Most Scotch goes into bourbon casks first and is sometimes finished in sherry, but Carta Nautica does the opposite, maturing in sherry-seasoned oak from Jerez de la Frontera before a second maturation in ex-bourbon casks from North America. The idea is to balance the dried fruit depth of European oak with the brighter sweetness of American oak, which shows in a tropical, citrus-led profile quite different from the dark, dried-fruit style most people associate with The Macallan. Senior Whisky Maker Diane Stuart has highlighted the vibrancy of flavour, with orange peel straight away and tropical character from the cask types. It’s the fourth expression in the Carta Nautica line, alongside a 38 Year Old 1987 vintage limited to 600 bottles, a Latin America and Mexico release and a US 105 Proof. Launched at Singapore Changi Airport on 28 September 2026 at a reported US$800, with a wider airport roll-out from 19 October, it’s a genuinely new release rather than a back-catalogue bottle. It suits Macallan collectors who want something outside the sherry-cask house style, and anyone interested in a 20 Year Old with a bright, fruit-forward profile.

The Macallan Distillery

The Macallan is a Highland single malt Scotch whisky distillery established in 1824 at Easter Elchies, near Craigellachie in Speyside, Scotland. Renowned for its “mastery of wood and spirit,” the distillery is famous for using some of the smallest stills in the Scotch whisky industry and for spending more on its oak casks than any other distillery. The Carta Nautica Collection, introduced in September 2026, traces the transatlantic journey of The Macallan’s oak and marks the start of a new series of vintage releases alongside the 20 Year Old.