The Macallan, together with fellow Walpole member Bentley Motors, has revealed the remarkable vision and design of The Macallan Horizon – a new, highly innovative limited-edition single malt whisky in development by the brands in collaboration.
A result of the two brands' global partnership (first announced in July 2021), the prototype of The Macallan Horizon, pictured below, will be available from summer 2023. It's a vessell that fuses both traditional craftsmanship and innovative materials with cutting edge technology to create an exclusive horizontal design.
In homage to The Macallan’s acclaimed Six Pillars – the foundation stones of the brand that account for its distinctive single malt whiskies - The Macallan Horizon concept product incorporates six unique upcycled, repurposed or ethically sourced materials which are integral to The Macallan and Bentley Motors.
Among them are recycled copper from the disused curiously small spirit stills which were located within The Macallan’s former Distillery; aluminium recovered from the Bentley Motors manufacturing process; recycled wood; recyclable glass and locally sourced, carbon neutral leather.
The final component is the special single malt whisky created exclusively to be contained within The Macallan Horizon. The Macallan Master Whisky Maker Kirsteen Campbell developed the flavour profile for the whisky following a visit to Bentley Motors in Crewe, where she observed first hand their passion for creativity, craftsmanship and innovation.
Together, the six key materials – the majority of which have been sourced and produced locally in Scotland and the UK – form a unique concept that defies the traditional vertical aesthetic of a whisky bottle and reflects the horizontal trajectory of the automotive world, pushing the boundaries and the art of the possible.
The visionary design also features a glass bottle with an extraordinary 180-degree twist, representing the mastery of space and time achieved by The Macallan and Bentley Motors in creating the prototype, which has no standing base.
"By sharing learnings from both our crafts, built up over generations, what The Macallan and Bentley Motors have created together completely evolves the design of what a whisky product should look like. The Macallan Horizon is a beautifully designed product with innovation at its heart which pushes the boundaries and the art of the possible,” says Jaume Ferras, Global Creative Director for The Macallan, of the project.
“Our collaboration with Bentley Motors and the knowledge exchange we have undertaken as a result has inspired us to see things very differently. In the spirits world, everything is upright, such as our stills and our bottles. When we looked at the horizontal direction pursued by Bentley Motors as part of the automotive industry, it made us consider if and how we could adapt this format for whisky, which ultimately requires to be poured.
“From the recycled copper from the disused curiously small spirit stills which were located in The Macallan’s former Distillery to the aluminium recovered from the Bentley Motors’ manufacturing process, The Macallan Horizon is the ultimate representation of both brands.”
“This was a real collaboration between two design teams which sit in very different industries. In the automotive business we are obsessed with surfaces, form language and reflections while the whisky industry is focused on craft, attention to detail and flavour. So, for both teams it was something brand new that we hadn’t done before which was incredibly exciting," comments Chris Cooke, Bentley’s Product and Lifestyle Design Manager.
“Our prototype for The Macallan Horizon is truly pioneering in both its design and use of materials. It’s a fusion of the sharply defined yet curvaceous Bentley design DNA, The Macallan’s innovation and recycled materials from both iconic British brands. The form of the design has allowed us to almost treat light as another material in itself, and the interplay between light and the wood, aluminium and copper materials is extraordinary.
“It was a fantastic collaboration and a real example of what two brands can do when they share values, push things to the next level and work together.”
For more information, visit themacallan.com
