The Macallan's New Scotch Collection Is Inspired By Coffee

And just like coffee, it comes in "Intense" and "Smooth" versions.

Single malt Scotch whisky-maker The Macallan seems like it’s spent the past few months brainstorming ways to further distinguish itself from its Speyside contemporaries. In August, it collaborated with Bentley for The Macallan Horizon, an ultra-sleek, ultra-posh bottle designed to reflect the automaker’s luxury aesthetic. And last autumn, it released the first of its Macallan Harmony Collection whiskies, which was designed to pair with — and have the tasting notes of — rich chocolate.

Now it’s back with a second installment of The Harmony Collection, and this one was inspired by the Ethiopian Arabica Coffee Bean. The Macallan Whisky maker Steven Bremner consulted with a number of coffee pros while developing this whisky, including Ethiopian coffee grower Kenean Asefa Dukamo; coffee roaster Lisa Lawson, the co-founder of Glasgow’s Dear Green Coffee and the city’s annual Coffee Festival; barista Andrea Allen, who was the 2020 U.S. Barista Champion and the runner-up at the 2021 World Barista Championship; and author and coffee historian Jonathan Morris.

"Exploring the world of coffee with our masters in the industry, who shared their knowledge, creativity, and love for their art, was both an education and an inspiration,” Bremner said in a statement. “There are many parallels between the approach to creating incomparable whisky and coffee. Each requires unique skills and craftsmanship to achieve depth and complexity of taste and both worlds aim to deliver an extraordinary consumption experience."

RELATED: The 10 Best Whiskies to Start Your Collection

There are two limited-edition whiskies in The Macallan Harmony Collection: Inspired by Intense Arabica has tasting notes of dark chocolate, espresso, raisin, tiramisu, blackberry, and vanilla, and has a higher ABV of 44%. Its companion, Smooth Arabica, has tasting notes of Americano coffee, raisins, cherries, “soft spices,” and walnut, and has an ABV of 40%. According to The Macallan, both whiskies “can be paired with coffee” — but whether that means an after-dinner espresso or your morning mug is up to you.

"To create the coffee-inspired second edition of The Harmony Collection, I sought out intense notes in The Macallan's traditional sherry seasoned European oak casks that would offer the rich and satisfying elements of coffee, with the influence of sherry seasoned American oak casks adding sweeter and softer vanilla notes for a balanced and rounded experience,” Lawson said. “Whisky goes well with coffee — it comes at the end of a meal and it's natural for whisky and coffee flavors to sit together."

The Macallan Harmony Collection Inspired by Intense Arabica will be available at The Macallan EstateBar, The Macallan’s online store; and in “premium retailers, bars, and restaurants” starting in November. Smooth Arabica will be slightly harder to get your hands on: it will be available at The Macallan Airport Boutiques — presumably including the one in Terminal 7 at New York’s JFK Airport — and in “key airports around the world.” On the bright side, if you end up with an unexpected layover, there are worse things to do than ordering a cup of coffee and sampling a high-end Scotch.

false