The Macallan and Bentley Motors unveil The Macallan Horizon

The heralded partnership between The Macallan and Bentley Motors has reached a pinnacle with the unveiling of The Macallan Horizon. Stephenie Gee heads to Seoul for its Asia-Pacific unveiling 

At first blush, The Macallan and Bentley Motors make unusual bedfellows (please enjoy them responsibly). But a closer look proves otherwise. The British stalwarts are both longstanding, leading purveyors of luxury, with a deep mastery of their craft and unwavering dedication to the highest level of craftsmanship. Founded in 1824 in Speyside, Scotland, the whisky distillery has spent 200 years creating peerless single malts matured to near perfection, rightly becoming one of the most prestigious names in Scotch whisky. The venerable carmaker, on the other hand, established in 1919 in London, boasts over a century of unmatched quality and prestige in automotive luxury and performance.

Driven by a higher purpose, their sustainability initiatives run parallel too. Nurtured by nature for the better part of two centuries, The Macallan is working towards various targets, including using only sustainable or recycled packaging by 2025, implementing an all-electric estate fleet
by the same year, and achieving carbon- neutral status by 2030. Similarly, Bentley Motors, which already operates the world’s first certified carbon-neutral luxury car manufacturing facility, is striving to become the world’s most sustainable luxury automotive manufacturer with its Beyond100 strategy that aims to electrify its entire range and reach end-to-end carbon neutrality by 2030. 

So perhaps a collaboration was a fait accompli. In 2021, the two illustrious brands forged a strategic partnership targeting three specific attributes that both value equally: a dedication to the highest level of craftsmanship, a vow to remain at the forefront of innovation, and a commitment to sustainability. Now, three years later, the first physical manifestation to emerge from the brands’ union has been revealed: The Macallan Horizon. The Macallan’s most complex and visionary whisky project embarked on to date, the limited-edition release (there are only 700 bottles globally) first launched in March, two years after the prototype packaging was revealed in 2022, and just last month made its Asia-Pacific debut at the Bentley Tower in Seoul. Attended by the brand’s regional VIPs, the evening was themed around the lucky number six that stretches through this collaboration, beginning in the showroom with cocktails and live music, and followed by a six-course dinner in the upstairs lounge. 

This is not the first whisky-automotive collaboration – in 2023, F1 world champion Jenson Button’s Coachbuilt whisky teamed up with luxury car manufacturer Rolls-Royce to produce 300 exclusive 30-year-old bottlings, and just recently Bowmore announced the final expression in its collaborative series with Aston Martin – but it is unlike any other. Most notably, the bottle design. The Macallan saw the forward-moving trajectory of the automotive world as fertile ground for exploration, questioning if and how this format could be adapted for whisky. The result is a bespoke horizontal glass vessel featuring a unique 180-degree twist detail that defies the conventions of traditional whisky bottling – unlike wine, whisky should never be kept on its side as the high alcohol content will degrade the cork and thus taint the spirit. 

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The bottle materials are an exercise in sustainable design. Inspired by the Six Pillars – the foundation stones of The Macallan that account for its distinctive single malt whiskies – the Horizon incorporates six upcycled, repurposed or ethically sourced materials integral to one or both brands. The glass, a material intrinsic to The Macallan and Bentley, is enveloped in a precision- engineered aluminium ribbon – recovered from the Bentley manufacturing process – that recalls the foundation and bodywork of a Bentley car. A sculptural case protects it, lined with the finest chestnut-hued carbon- neutral leather from Scottish leather provider Bridge of Weir Leather, and held by a copper frame fashioned from recycled copper from the disused stills in the whisky maker’s former distillery. The closure is meticulously adorned with an inlay of oak, sourced from one of the six casks used in the maturation of the whisky, with aesthetics inspired by the Bentley Drive Dynamic Control rotary dial. Adding a touch of refinement, the entire presentation is capped off with Bentley’s Crown Cut Walnut veneer, a specification developed for its vehicles. When one wants to drink from the bottle, it is twisted out of its arty enclosure, the aluminium overcap slid off, and the cap unscrewed for pouring.  

Whisky, of course, is the final defining component. Kirsteen Campbell, master whisky maker at The Macallan, toured the Bentley factory in Crewe to capture the essence of a Bentley car through taste and texture. From there, she whittled down six first-fill, sherry-seasoned oak casks from the estate and began to craft the revolutionary no-age statement single malt. Bottled at 46.6% APV – a nod to the six casks, six materials and Six Pillars – the Horizon is
dark mahogany in hue and serves up aromas of resinous polished oak, plums and dark cherries, alongside fresh leather, that lead to dried fruits and spices. The palate is equally indulgent, packing notes of dark treacle, cinder toffee, crystallised ginger and charred pineapple, followed by hints of sweet vanilla, fudge and dark-chocolate-coated Brazil nuts. The finish is long and complex with rich oak found throughout, mirroring the timeless quality of a Bentley. As The Macallan Horizon exemplifies, it is a spirit of collaboration. 

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