Update, 3/13/2024: The Macallan and Bentley Motors have officially launched The Horizon scotch whisky.
The brand’s tasting notes claim that The Horizon, on the nose, boasts “Resinous polished oak with plums and dark cherries, alongside aromatic fresh leather and an herbal, leafy note … an abundance of dried fruits follow–sticky dates, raisins and sultanas leading on to sweet cinnamon, nutmeg with a hint of cloves;” on the palate, it has “dark treacle notes with cinder toffee, crystalized ginger and charred pineapple … sweet vanilla pods and fudge … followed by dark chocolate coated brazil nuts and a warming oak spice;” and a “rich oak … long, complex” finish.
It’s available now for an SRP of $50,000 at selected retailers, as well as The Macallan’s own retail boutiques and the distillery’s Estate Boutique.
Legally, I’m not allowed to tell you what The Macallan Horizon smells or tastes like, though I had a dram or two of the first bottling between the Scotch titan and Bentley Motors. I’m prohibited from telling you whether I enjoyed that dram, which came during this summer’s Monterey Car Week, at the end of a dinner cooked by Thomas Keller and his French Laundry team. (I am able to relay that Mr. Keller’s plates were otherworldly good.)
I’m not allowed to share how much this bottle will cost, how many will be created, nor a variety of other details; I signed a lengthy non-disclosure agreement that lasts until the bottle actually launches, which will be sometime in 2024.
Initially, it was supposed to be ready for this extravagant affair over the summer. The reason for the delay? Sussing out how to keep all that lovely distillate within a horizontal bottle design — so chosen to further imbue a vehicle in motion — has proven difficult.
