The latest, highly anticipated release in The Macallan’s A Night on Earth series, dubbed “The Journey” is a collaboration with Chinese artist Nini Sum, and aims to capture the experience and emotions of New Year’s Eve.
The spirit is wonderfully rich, with bright bursts of flavour similar to the fireworks in an evening sky depicted on the label. A mixture of first-fill Bourbon casks and Macallan’s characteristic sherry seasoned oak gives this whisky a more creamy and vivacious feel than many of the distillery’s other releases.
Official Tasting Notes:
Nose: Toasted oak, creamy steamed rice and coconut milk pudding, citrus fruits, vanilla and oat biscuits.
Palate: A burst of effervescent citrus fruits—lemon and lime with sweet creamy vanilla sponge and toasted coconut.
Finish: Medium with sweet, toasted oak and vanilla.
From Nini Sum, Artist:
“The steam coming off hot food during the New Year dinner is one of the most vivid ‘home’ feelings I remember. I wanted to re-create that atmosphere, those precious moments of gathering and reunion under a bright moon bringing us all together.”Â
From The Macallan:
“This release marks a unique time of year and its vibrant, playful design reflects the joyous and celebratory nature of the occasion. The packaging itself is a work of art, showcasing Nini Sum’s bespoke designs in a multi-layered gift box.
The back of the pack features a contemporary cityscape in soothing blue hues, creating an intriguing contrast when you peel back the first layer. These bright flashes of colour represent leaving the city behind to embark on a heartfelt journey home to loved ones.
The front of the pack, adorned in red, captures the essence of both day and night. Dark red hues evoke the night sky, stars, and fireworks, while light red hues mirror the serenity of daylight, mountains, clouds, and the beauty of nature.
As you open the gift box, you will be greeted by a warm, inviting yellow and orange interior, reminiscent of lantern light and the comforting feeling of coming home. You will discover a bottle surrounded by imagery of the moon rising above the rooftops, symbolising hope and new beginnings. Trees, representing long life, peace, shelter and good health, echo with the trees. The circles on the packaging evoke the myriad of twinkling lights shining under the roofs of many families at night—a true celebration of togetherness.”
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Macallan is one of the world’s best known – and by value best selling – Scottish single malt whiskies. Founded in 1824, it has become a marker of prestige and quality since the distillery placed a focus on ex-sherry casks in the ’70s.Â
That focus has continued into the present, with some reports suggesting that as many of 97% of casks filled at the distilley in the present day are sherry-seasoned before being filled with whisky. In 2017 Macallan’s owners Edrington Group commissioned a new distillery building complete with 12 wash stills 24 spirits stills that will increase production capacity from 11 million litres a year to 15 million. It was opened in May 2018 and was believed to cost £140m – the old distillery building closed December 2018.
Macallan’s new make spirit is rich and oily and takes time to mature in their sherry seasoned casks, often the best expressions are in the teenage years.
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