mccallums perfection

[eddiemccallum]

hello all, i am new to the forum and this is my 1st post.
my name is eddie mccallum i was born in glasgow scotland
but now live in coventry england. i stumbled accross this
forum by chance in my search for a particular brand of
whisky- mccallums perfection. 12 years ago at my then place of work
i came accross a cardboard box which was being used to store various
bits and pieces in, on the box was the name "mccallums perfection" whisky.
i have tried a few times over the years to find any info on this brand
but have always come up blank. i am assuming it is no longer in existance.
does anyone know anything about this whisky and is it possible to get hold of a bottle?. every one i have spoken to on this subject say i was mistaken and that the name on the box was macallan but i know i am right. thanks for any comments.
eddie

[kildalton]

Look here...

http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/swa/698.html

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/miniature/smallw ... otchM2.htm

read this :

Available from independent distillers for a very long time, Cragganmore became popular when it became one of the six "Classic Malts", series launched on the market in 1988 by UDV, and about 30% of the production is sold as single malt, the remaining part being used in blends like McCallum's Perfection and White Horse.

Hope this helps...

[r900p]

Eddie,

Welcome, stick around though.

Rob

[Di Blasi]

Yes eddiemccallum, welcome! With a name like that, we'd all expect you to tell us about your whisky! Or is mccallum just your moniker here??

[eddiemccallum]

thanks for all replies and yes, my surname is McCallum.
interesting news from kildalton. i will pursue the cragganmore clue
to see if i can get hold of a bottle, any further help from you guys
in my search very appreciated. i will let you know if i find some.
fingers crossed
eddief

[Jan]

Hi Eddie

Welcome to the forums.

I can certainly understand why you are keen to source a bottle of your namesake whisky. Charles MacLean has written a usefull little book, called "Scotch Whisky", in that volume (published 1993), I found the following bit:

McCallum’s Perfection

The brothers Duncan and John McCallum went into business together in Edinburgh as innkeepers and wine and spirits merchants in 1807. Their base of operations happened to be a pub known as the Tattie Pit*, which was soon expanded to include a shop and warehouse. By 1914, the McCallums numbered many members of the Scottish aristocracy among their customers.

Sadly, the pub was utterly demolished in April 1916, during the only zeppelin bombing raid of the First World War, that took Edinburgh as its target.

Long before this date, however, the company had passed to the brother’s nephew (they had remained bachelors). Duncan McCallum Stewart, who set about selling his brands overseas rather than in the home market.

McCallum’s Perfection was introduced in 1911, and became a favourite in Australia (where the company established an office in Sydney) as well as in New Zealand. It is one of only two brands described as ‘Scots’ whisky (the other is Cutty Sark).
McCallum joined DCL in 1937 Perfections is available in the UK, but its principal market is in Thailand. Secondary markets are in New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis.

Time was when every misty glen,
From Cruachan to Cowal Shore,
Saw clans that gathered for the fray,
Their gathering cry ‘McCallum mhor’

These days are dead and gone now,
But in Auckland, Sydney or Quebec,
Where Scots forgather day by day,
Their gathering Cry is ‘More McCallum’.

* Kid you not

The SWA brand site Kildalton found above, suggests you should contact Diageo for information on UK resellers:

Diageo plc
8 Henrietta Place
London
W1G 0NB

Tel: 020 7927 5200
Fax: 020 7927 4600

Hope this helps

[irishwhiskeychaser]

Unfortunately I've never seen one of these but there was one sold on WHisky Auction way back in 2005 and it only set back the winning bidder 30Euro

Just to prove to any doubters that it does exist here is a pic....

[Admiral]

Hello,

The whisky you're after is regularly available in most Australian liquor stores. It retails here for about AUS$30, which is roughly US$25 or about 12 pounds. It's one of the more popular blends here.

You're not the first person to try and track it down....search through this forum's archives and you'll find a few references to it.

Cheers,
ADmiral

[eddiemccallum]

thanks once again to all replies very useful info. the post from jan is a
great help, what i didn't say in my original post was that the company
who i worked for 12years ago where i seen the empty whisky box was
in fact japanese owned, as i said it contained various bits and bobs and
it could very well have been sent to here (England) from Japan, this ties
in nicely with the principal markets mentioned in jans post as japan lies
in that direction(i think). i will try to contact diageo as suggested and if
still no luck will search google with the additional info i now have, i.e.
principal source country thailand/australia and see where that takes me.
once again i will let you all know how i get on.
cheers eddie

[eddiemccallum]

hello admiral
after reading your post re mccallums perfection whisky
for the 2nd time i came up with an idea, but i would need
your help. could you possibly ask the manager of one of the
liquer stores to find out from their supplier the name and address
of the distillers who they deal with? or maybe you could give them
my e.mail address and they could contact me so i could do business
with them personally. obviously the 2nd option could prove to be
quite expensive due to shipping costs so the 1st option is preferred.
if costs permit i would like to buy a dozen bottles but hopefully
i can buy in scotland cause i visit my family there very regular.
i hope to hear from you soon and thanks for your post on the
forum.
cheers eddie

[Jus10]

Hey
I have had a bottle of this scotch given to me and i have been told its around 50 yrs old i was wondering how i would fine information on its worth anything would be appreciated thanks..

[richardkyle]

My first post also.... seems this 'hard to find information on' scotch brings many a new face here......
this is the family plonk, we'd drink it by the barrel if we could, and my mother/step father have aquired a fine collection of rare trinkets and old bottles bearing this label.
nuff said on that part, i'd be interested to hear of anyone's elses impressions on the tasting of this scotch as i seem to have developed a bit of a bias

[McCallum56]

In respect of Richard Kyle's post, you might find the following old article of interest. Hemingway obviously enjoyed a drop!

http://www.newstatesman.com/199908160040

I've bought this blend on a couple of occasions in the past and my father is very fond of it (I wonder why ). Nowadays I've given up trying to find any of it in the UK and we've had to resort to asking our Australian relatives to send a bottle over. It can still be bought in Australia, particularly on the East coast.

Regards,

Stuart McCallum

[Deactivated Member]

Their base of operations happened to be a pub known as the Tattie Pit....

Sadly, the pub was utterly demolished in April 1916, during the only zeppelin bombing raid of the First World War, that took Edinburgh as its target.

Just as well....

[Leithen]

Remarkable what a Google search on your Grandfather's name throws up...

Duncan and James McCallum were my Great Grandfather's Uncles. He was Duncan Stewart and his son was Duncan McCallum Stewart. He sold the business in '37 to Distillers, now Diageo. To my knowledge, the brand is no longer available here in the UK, but is an export blend.

As might be expected, there is a certain amount of history that is known and a lot that isn't, but I'd be happy to try and answer any questions that anyone has. To put the record straight, the Zeppelin Raid hit one of the warehouses in Gibbs Entry, on the southside of Edinburgh (I have a picture of the aftermath of the Zeppelin Raid that I must scan), not the fabled "Tattie Pit" pub. We have not been able to prove the pubs existence, nor the established date of 1807 (unlikely to be legal!).

We still operate several of the public houses that were owned by my Great Grandfather, when the whisky was literally on tap.

Christian Stewart.

[Jastech]

Hello all, I have just come across this forum & am interested McCallum’s Perfection Whisky. I would very much like to obtain some. Would you be so kind as to respond with any available information on it. I am in Canada and would love to get some of the McCallum Whisky here!

Thanks & Best Regards,

Jason McCallum

[marymac]

Have just come across this post while trying to find the address of McCallum's distillery on google.

When living in Edinburgh nearly 50 years ago my husband became friendly with a director of McCallum's whisky who lived near Portobello. As it is our surname he gave us lots of memorabilia including a maroon coloured water jug and a Royal Doulton Toby jug called 'The McCallum' which was supposed to be a limited edition.Years later we saw one in an antique shop priced £200.00. We still have these items.

We came across McCallum's in Australia and New Zealand while travelling 15 years ago but have not seen it since.

We would like to acquire some for our Golden Wedding this year. Any ideas?

[kwp]

Hi there, its been interesting reading all the above posts. I have never heard of McCallum Whiskey until yesterday, when my Great Uncle visited me in Edinburgh.

My Uncle bought a bottle over 30years ago (and he said it was old when he bought it) as its his surname.

Since making posts has anyone been able to find out the costs of such vintage bottles?

[cathach]

As its a blend its unlikely to be worth anything, as mentioned above one bottle on whiskyauction sold for E30.

[ewingme12]

I found an old J&D mccallums perfection scotch whiskey corkscrew. It appears to be quite old. I have been unable to find out anything about it online. I am wondering if any of you out there know anything about it. On the bottom of the blade it says atkinson bros sheffield. thanks for your time

[marymac]

We never did track any down for our Golden Wedding celebrations but my husband says he remembers a very old sign down a close in Nicholson street Edinburgh saying D&J McCallum's Scotch whiskey. Could that have been the sight of the pub? I wonder if it's still there?
PS I've no idea how much the corkscrew is worth but it could make a nice present for my husband if the price was right.................?

[troyltk]

HI,
I have been trying hard to find out more about this bottle of Mccallum Perfection and it's value. Its been lying in my parents old cabinet for more then 20+years and not sure if its older then that. Appreciate if anyone could share some details on this.

Hope the image appears.

Cheers
T

image.jpeg