In Whistler, whisky fans can find a rare treat

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Against the back wall of a room bathed in warm amber hues, the three bottles sit ensconced — copper, red, and black. The Macallan M Collection.

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For whisky fans, they signify some of the best of the best. And The Library by The Macallan at Four Seasons Resorts and Residences Whistler is the only place in Canada where all three can be sampled. Just be sure you bring your credit card — just one ounce of these rare libations can run $2,150 to $2,950, or $1,995 for a flight of three, at .33 oz of each.

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Fortunately, not all the drinks at the recently reopened establishment cost as much as a business class flight to New York or a Taylor Swift concert ticket. The menu also features a selection of custom-designed cocktails, including a low-alcohol beverage called Acorns & Glasshouses and a fresh take on an Old Fashioned with 12-year-old Macallan and Spanish Oloroso sherry that will only injure — not break — your bank account.

A range of The Macallan whiskies can be sampled as well, neat or with a slow-melting ice cube, depending on your preference. Bar snacks have been chosen to complement the flavours  — truffle nuts, dark chocolate with fruit and mixed dry fruits.

The 200-year-old brand is known for its sherry-cask flavours. Peat is rarely used in the process, though it does make an appearance in the M Collection’s Black series.

Many of The Macallan’s “expressions,” as they are called by the maker, are favoured by enthusiasts and drinkers.

“If there is one classic sherry cask-matured Speysider, it has to be The Macallan 12,” said Hans Offringa, author of the 2017 book A Field Guide to Whisky. This year, Men’s Journal tagged The Macallan Double Cask 18-Year-Old  as best crowd-pleasing whisky.

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The Four Seasons Whistler was a natural fit for a purpose-built Macallan bar, Adam Ellesmere told a media preview audience a couple of days prior to the Nov. 28 reopening.

“We came to B.C., we looked at Whistler, and we saw the Four Seasons and said, Well, hang on, if there was ever a marriage made in heaven, it would be these two global icons of luxury,” said Ellesmere, marketing manager for Edrington Group, the Glasgow-based owner of The Macallan.

Converted into a whisky redoubt from a library portion of the resort lobby, The Library by The Macallan first opened last year. The three-and-a-half-month trial period, which ended with the ski season, was an “absolute success,” according to Ellesmere.

The hotel and Edrington have reopened the room with new lighting, new furniture, and new displays that highlight the M Collection as well as Time: Space Mastery, a Macallan that was created especially to celebrate the whisky’s 200th anniversary. Made from a variety of cask styles, it’s a comparatively (to the M Collection) reasonable $360 an ounce and comes in an eye-catching ring-shaped bottle. An even rarer edition, simply named Time: Space, is limited to 200 bottles and is, or was, sold by the bottle and by invitation only. Walking into the room is like walking into an Old Fashioned come to life.

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“Building on last years’ success, we have delved deeper into the concept of natural colour that is inherent to the whisky, the space and the experience,” said Four Seasons Whistler food and beverage director Ujjawal Khatkar.

The cocktail menu is new as well, overseen by returning bartender Stephan Dominicus, who has worked at the Four Seasons in Dubai among others, and new team member Jack Meaker, from Australia. Dominicus recalls one couple last year who rang up a $7,000 bar tab — although, to be fair, that was over a week.

The Library by The Macallan will come to an end mid-April 2025. After that, the future of the unique après-ski experience is uncertain.

Hours are 4-10 p.m. With a capacity of only 20, reservations are recommended.

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