The Macallan has launched The Macallan Horizon, a new single malt produced in collaboration with Bentley Motors as part of the whisky brand’s 200th anniversary celebrations.
Crafted by The Macallan master whisky maker Kirsteen Campbell, from six first-fill sherry-seasoned oak casks, the whisky has been created to capture the essence of a luxury car. Dried fruit and spice flavour notes are balanced with oak and leather, aromas abundant in Bentley’s world.
Upending traditional bottling conventions, the whisky is presented in a bespoke glass vessel that is designed to be displayed horizontally, to reflect the movement of a car. Taking this analogy further, a precision-engineered aluminium ribbon surrounds the glass in a nod to Bentley bodywork and the vessel is encased in a sculpture lined with low-carbon leather in a chestnut colourway. A surrounding frame includes recycled copper from old Macallan stills. An oak inlay on the closure is crafted from one of the casks used to mature the whisky and is inspired by the Bentley Drive Dynamic Control rotary dial. The sculpture is finished with Bentley’s Crown Cut Walnut veneer.
Jaume Ferras, Creative Director, The Macallan, said: “Our collaboration with Bentley and the knowledge exchange we have undertaken has inspired us to see things very differently. In the spirits world, everything is vertical, such as our stills and our bottles. When we looked at the horizontal plane that Bentley’s grand tourers occupy, it made us consider if and how we could adapt this format for whisky, which ultimately requires to be poured and enjoyed.”
The Macallan Horizon is a limited-edition release available in 70cl from the Macallan Estate Boutique and premium off-trade retailers from April.
