Weeks after the news of a forthcoming collaboration with Bentley, Macallan have announced that they are partnering with another British icon: James Bond. As 007 reaches his 60th anniversary, Macallan will be launching a series of six bottles to celebrate the world’s greatest spy.
James Bond really needs no introduction as one of the most successful film franchises of all time, with 25 films over 6 decades. Whether or not you’re a fan of the films, they are undoubtedly iconic. The character of Bond is timeless; a man of his time, through changing times.
That’s where Macallan see a connection with themselves. For over 200 years, Macallan have innovated and adapted to change in order to produce a consistently high quality whisky. They are a world leader in premium produce. Both Bond and the Macallan brand are outstanding in their respective fields for their consistency and longevity.
And while Bond’s better known for his very particular martini order, he’s also partial to a single malt Scotch, older Macallan in particular. Combine all that with a shared Scottish heritage, and this partnership comes as no real surprise.
But beyond all that bluster, let’s talk about the whisky.
Well… there’s not much to say really. No information has been released about age, vintage or cask make up for this release. All we know is that it’s bottled at 43.7% (it’s like 007, you see, but with some other numbers thrown in) and that it promises to reflect the character of James Bond: “a force of nature defined by his Scottish heritage” with a “sense of style and maturity which has evolved over the years”.
This translates to, according to the official tasting notes, a nose of vibrant lemon and lime with sweet vanilla leading to a palate that offers orange zest, gentle oak and subtle ginger spices, with a long, sweet finish.
What this series does offer is six unique bottles that celebrate the six decades of the franchise’s history. Each bottle comes with unique packaging that features original illustrative design pieces, and offers an insight into creative process behind some of the films’ iconic gadgets, scenes and moments.
Perfect for fans of the franchise, or films in general, but whisky fans may be let down by the fact that it will be the same whisky across all six releases.
It would have been interesting to see 6 different whiskies, perhaps something to reflect the 6 different actors who have portrayed Bond over the years. Something effortlessly suave and smooth for Sean Connery, something quirky and a little silly for Roger Moore, something you’ll dram once and never drink again for George Lazenby.
Of course crafting a dram for such abstract concepts would be a thankless experiment, and one not worth pursuing when there’s money to be made pumping the same spirit into 6 different bottles and charging £600 a pop. And, as is often the case with such releases from Macallan, it’s unlikely that many, if any, of these bottles will be opened, so does what’s inside really matter?
Obviously - or hopefully - this is not the case. Macallan has a reputation for producing some of the finest Scotch whisky ever to be released, and it’s that reputation that has lead to the popularity of series such as these. Surely they can’t be gambling with putting any old NAS swill into these bottles? Surely?
It’s almost as if we need someone to get on the inside to find out what’s really going into these whiskies. A spy. I think I know just the guy…
