Can a whisky capture the aesthetic of a luxury car? The Macallan believes it can.
The world of luxury automobile and high-end whiskies collaborations just got a little bit bigger—and a whole lot more expensive—with the introduction of the new the Macallan Horizon. This $50,000 bottle was designed in collaboration with British automaker Bentley Motors, and while we can’t speak to the quality of the whisky, the design is quite stunning.
This new release comes on the heels of other high-profile single malt whisky-car collaborations between luxury brands, including Bowmore and Aston Martin and Coachbuilt and Rolls-Royce. The Macallan Horizon was actually announced about a year ago, but it was essentially a prototype at the time. Now the whisky is actually available for purchase, albeit in very limited numbers. The actual liquid is part of the Macallan’s Six Pillars concept, which represents the elements that go into creating the whisky: the Macallan‘s estate, the “curiously” small stills, the oak casks it’s matured in, the sherry that seasons said casks, the whisky’s natural color, and the all-encompassing “mastery.”
We did not get to sample this spirit, but the Macallan whisky maker Kirsteen Campbell provided some helpful details. Six casks were selected and combined for this release, each with a unique character that is still recognizably Macallan. Tasting notes include toffee, ginger, charred pineapple, sweet vanilla, dark chocolate, and warm oak spice on the palate. It was bottled at 46.6 percent ABV as a tribute to the Six Pillars and the six casks selected.
The decanter is really the star of the show here, though, a stunning display along the lines of Bowmore’s ARC-52 but informed by the Bentley aesthetic. The bottle lays horizontally with an aluminum ribbon wrapped around it, representing one of the key materials used in the construction of Bentley’s fleet. The decanter comes housed in a sculpture made of low carbon leather with a copper frame, which was crafted out of recycled metal from the distillery’s old stills. Finally, one of the casks that the whisky was matured in was used to construct the oak inlay.
“Centered on innovative materials that reflect our focus on the future, the end result—both the whisky and the vessel that contains it—are stunning,” Bentley chairman and CEO Adrian Hallmark said in a statement. “[It] represents a new benchmark for design, materials, and quality in this space.”
This will obviously be a difficult whisky to get your hands on, given that there are just 700 bottles globally and that it will likely become a collector’s item destined for auction and the secondary market. If you would like to purchase one, The Macallan Horizon (SRP $50,000) is available now at the Macallan Estate Boutique and select retailers (U.S. customers are advised to contact ClientServices@TheMacallan.com). If you’re just looking for a bottle of classic Macallan 12, head over to ReserveBar now.
