After Macallan miraculously side-stepped the Whisky Loch that claimed many of its comrades, the producer’s reputation as an exceptional single malt Scotch producer grew, and the Macallan distillery continues to grow today, expanding its operations to include a visitor center, several collaborations with artists and filmmakers, and ventures into cutting edge architecture and sustainability. 

As for the 1938, it doesn’t come up at auction very often. Originally retailing between $30 and $40, its value has skyrocketed, outpacing the rest in the series significantly. The Scotch has garnered some of the highest scores for single malt whisky, and some consider it to be the best Macallan of all time, notwithstanding its predilection for survival. Upon tasting it, respected taster Serge of WhiskyFun pored over its characteristics, listing blooming flavor after blooming flavor before ironically stating that it leaves him “speechless.” He awarded it 96 points.

Considering its harrowing journey, from its birth in a modest Speyside still, to dodging pitfall after pitfall of the second World War, to its preservation during decades of industry growth, all to make another narrow escape at the whim of the changing tastes of spirits drinkers in the booming era of vodka, the bottle wears its handwritten label and red ribbon as a uniform steeped in honor.