Simon Wittenberg goes “through the keyhole” to explore a new line of whisky expressions paying tribute to the beauty of The Macallan Estate in the heart of Scotland’s Speyside.
The Home Collection is a new annual release series of single malt whiskies unveiled by The Macallan, and draws inspiration from the stunning natural surroundings of the 485-acre Macallan Estate – the home of the renowned distillery.
Located on the banks of the legendary River Spey, The Macallan pioneer Captain John Grant transformed the land into a community with the construction of Easter Elchies House, with schoolteacher Alexander Reid establishing the whisky-making facility nearly 200 years ago in 1824.
The Macallan Home Collection – The Distillery, the first release of the new range of single malts, has been designed to showcase the modern and undulating building housing The Macallan distillery itself. The brainchild of the globally-acclaimed architects’ Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the roof is covered in grass and wildflowers to integrate seamlessly with the surrounding landscape.
Sporting a deep gold colour, The Macallan Home Collection – The Distillery features a delicate, complex nose, sweet spice and mellowing palate before culminating in a rich, medium finish that looks to portray the warm welcome that greets visitors at The Macallan Estate on Speyside.
Sold through The Macallan Estate Boutique, The Macallan Boutiques in Global Travel Retail, Domestic and E-Boutiques with an RRP of US$250, £200, or €230, auction prices are now stretching into the hundreds, meaning anyone who managed to get hold of one of the elegant bottles featuring a watercolour painting of the distillery by local artist and long-standing Macallan employee Colin Rizza, will see a sizeable return.
Colin’s family has strong ties to The Macallan, having worked there for over three decades, and both he and his son still work at the distillery to this day. He explained that, with a deep sense of belonging at The Macallan Estate, it was an honour to have his artwork featured on the packaging of the first edition of the Home Collection.
In fact, Colin Rizza’s work has talent has long been admired by The Macallan community, and over the years, he has been commissioned to design various artworks, including caricatures of The Macallan partners, the Roca brothers of El Celler de Can Roca.
For his latest collaboration with The Macallan, Colin spent many hours studying the distillery and its beautiful surroundings, taking several photographs before refining his artwork down to its simplest form and exploring it through the medium of watercolour.
He drew a series of sketches before creating the final watercolour for the first release of Home Collection. On the auction sites, it’s possible to acquire limited edition giclée prints by Colin Rizza, which are limited to only 6,900 sets worldwide.
The Macallan Home Collection – The Distillery – Where and How?
For more information on The Macallan Home Collection – The Distillery, visit www.themacallan.com.
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