Introducing The Macallan Quest Collection which will be exclusively available to travellers at the world’s airports from January 2018…

The Macallan is renowned for its commitment to sourcing the best quality oak from which it crafts its unrivalled and exceptional casks.  This is fundamental to each and every one of its whiskies.  The passionate and tireless quest for oak is the inspiration for a brand new range of whiskies, The Macallan Quest Collection.

Created exclusively for Global Travel Retail, The Macallan Quest Collection tells the story of the pursuit of the most extraordinary sherry seasoned oak casks through a series of four newly created single malt whiskies. The four whiskies themselves showcase distinctive and interesting casks that in turn produce remarkable whiskies.  Each of the four whiskies have their own distinctive characters taken from the casks.

With each expression, whisky drinkers will experience an exploration of flavour and texture, from vibrant and fresh through to rich and intense, concluding with a whisky that signifies the essence of The Macallan.

The first expression, The Macallan Quest (40% ABV) celebrates the entirety of the journey taken to source European and American oak and represents an exploration into new territory.  This journey covers over 20,000 miles, taking in different continents in the search for the best oak to create casks. Quest calls on four different casks types – European and American oak sherry seasoned, American ex bourbon and hogshead casks – to deliver a soft blend of citrus fruits balanced with vanilla oak.

Moving on to The Macallan Lumina (41.3% ABV), this is a single malt celebrating the direction of the journey where old and new worlds unite over 15,000 miles to find three exact casks types –European and American oak sherry seasoned and hogshead casks– featuring only sherry seasoned oak with a surprising dimension delivered by the hogshead casks which is made from European and American oak.  The result is a bold, zesty whisky with notes of creamy vanilla and wood spice, but with ginger firmly at play.

The Macallan Terra (43.8%) is the third in the series and tells the story of discovery through a complex, yet balanced single malt.  Aged exclusively in the very best first fill oak sherry seasoned casks, whose journey spans in excess of 10,000 miles, The Macallan Terra celebrates the wonders of spirit maturation in two distinguished families of wood suppliers from Jerez de la Frontera  – Tevasa and Vasyma. This creates a whisky with a distinctive character of toffee, sweet dried fruit and rich wood spices.

The pinnacle of the new range is The Macallan Enigma (44.9%).  This single malt is shaped and influenced closer to The Macallan’s spiritual home than the three preceding whiskies.  The inspiration for The Macallan Enigma is quite simply Spain.  From the selection of our foremost, longest standing partners at Tevasa to the exclusive maturation in first fill sherry seasoned butts, this is the embodiment of The Macallan’s wood journey.  This rich and intense single malt offers up mature oak with subtleties of cinnamon, vanilla and dried fruit.

Nick Savage, Master Distiller, The Macallan, said, “The Macallan Quest is a true homage to the extraordinary lengths taken by The Macallan and gives us the opportunity to reinforce the values rooted in the pure mastery of whisky-making.  By creating this new range exclusively for Global Travel Retail, we can tell a compelling story as well as present stunning, newly designed products across varying price points to appeal to a wide range of travelling consumers.”

Igor Boyadjian, Managing Director, Edrington Global Travel Retail, (below) said, “With the launch of Quest we are giving travellers and The Macallan connoisseurs an entirely new range to explore, delivering differentiation and excitement and continuing our commitment to crafting the ultimate luxury spirit. In a channel where consumer engagement is crucially important, The Macallan Quest collection has storytelling at its core – from the unique liquid to the bold and highly differentiated visual identity. We are looking forward to working closely with our retail partners to bring this new range to life instore.”

The Macallan Quest Collection will be presented in entirely new packaging, both bottle and carton.

The Macallan Quest Series will replace The Macallan 1824 Collection of Select Oak, Whisky Maker’s Edition and Estate Reserve from January 2018.

RRSP as follows:

The Macallan Quest – RRSP – 70 cl: US$64; 1 L: US$80

The Macallan Lumina – RRSP – US$100

The Macallan Terra – RRSP – US$165

The Macallan Enigma – RRSP – US$ 250

 

 

TASTING NOTES

  COLOUR NOSE PALATE FINISH
QUEST Pale Gold Soft citrus fruits, rounded apple and lemon. Vanilla fudge lends sweetness to the fruit. Light oak is subtle. Apple mixes with ginger and dry fruits. Dessert like. Nutmeg and cinnamon soften on the palate and fade later to allow oak to show. Soft, light fruit and sweet.
LUMINA Harvest Gold Citrus fruits, open softly. Apple, pear lead then lemon zest emerges. Fudge/toffee give a balance with dried fruits subtle in the background. A note of cream soda passes by leading to sawn oak drying in a lumber yard. Wood spices to the fore. Ginger drives the palate, yet softens to entwine with fresh apples which allows a sweeter vanilla palate to emerge. Soft oak tones are in the background. Warming fruit and spices. Slightly dry.
TERRA Sunset Orange Dried fruits open on mass, debating as to who will lead. Emerging raisin is tempered by lemon zest. Settling, toffee apple and light ginger mingle giving way to heavier sweet notes. Intense fudge suggests it could be heavier. Oak is developing richness and age. Sweet dried fruit, Raisins and dates in the main but with subtle tones of ripening apple. Resinous oak gives a sweet oily note adding a mouth coating viscosity yet softness to the palate. There is a heaviness on the palate yet fresh as well. Medium, dried fruit and wood spices.
ENIGMA Spanish Sunset European oak is powerful yet shows a softer side. Oak opens up mature yet understated allowing dried fruits to accompany, rich yet elegant. Vanilla is gracious enough to mingle with apples and pears who are soft and sweet. Ginger and cinnamon call out not to be forgotten on the periphery… the oak reappears subtle yet grand. Dried fruits and wood spices coat the palate. Ginger and cinnamon are full, raison and dates give depth and richness. Subtle notes of sweet vanilla and a smooth oiliness is present. Full, long, lingering. Almost from a different era.

 

Photos: Alys Tomlinson/Bompas & Parr/Edrington