The Macallan launches Bentley Motors whisky for £40,000

The Macallan has launched its collaboration with Bentley Motors today to mark its 200th anniversary, hoping to set a “new benchmark for design” for Scotch single malt.

In celebration of its 200th anniversary, The Macallan has today announced the launch of The Macallan Horizon – an exclusive single malt Scotch whisky launched in collaboration with Bentley Motors.

The objective of the collaboration between the two companies was to produce something never seen before in whisky bottle design. This is a limited release of 700 bottles globally.

Horizon was crafted by The Macallan’s master whisky maker, Kirsteen Campbell, from six first-fill sherry seasoned oak casks. Six individual casks were selected from the stocks maturing in the warehouses at The Macallan Estate.

Designed to be displayed horizontally, The Macallan Horizon decanter has a 180-degree twist detail. An aluminium ribbon was precision engineered to envelop the glass, a nod to the material used as the foundation for the bodywork of a Bentley motorcar.

The sculpture is lined with the finest low carbon leather and surrounded by a recycled copper frame crafted using copper from the stills previously used by The Macallan.

Adrian Hallmark, Bentley’s chairman and CEO, said that after years of working on the partnership, the two companies can reveal the whisky and its vessel which represent “a new benchmark for design, materials and quality in this space”.

the drinks business first reported on the collaboration in August 2022 when the design for The Macallan Horizon was first revealed. The two companies announced their partnership in July 2021, but the whisky and its container have only been launched today.

It also contains an inlay of oak wood on the closure – crafted from one of the six casks used in the maturation of this whisky and inspired by the aesthetics of 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: “The Macallan Horizon is the most complex and visionary whisky project that The Macallan has embarked upon, and has required a profound and ongoing exchange of expertise with the team at Bentley Motors.

“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 only with an RRP of £40,000. It will be available from The Macallan Estate Boutique and its global network of domestic and travel retail boutiques, as well as in premium off-trade retailers from April, including Berry Bros. & Rudd, as well as on sale at Balmoral Hotel.