Craftmanship, dedication to one’s craft and sheer artistry. These are values that connect luxury houses regardless of industry — even the seemingly at-odds world of fine spirits and luxury automobiles. Enter Horizon, a mysterious single malt whisky produced by legendary Scottish brewers The Macallan in collaboration with Bentley Motors.
The result? A bottle design more art piece than mere alcohol receptacle. It is specifically designed to lie sideways rather than on its base. It seems like a polite regard to the celebrated houses’ combined three-century legacy.
Says The Macallan’s Global Creative Director Jaume Ferras on the supine bottle: “Our collaboration with Bentley Motors and the knowledge exchange we have undertaken as a result has inspired us to see things very differently. In the spirits world, everything is upright, such as our stills and our bottles.”
“When we looked at the horizontal direction pursued by Bentley Motors as part of the automotive industry, it made us consider if and how we could adapt this format for whisky, which ultimately requires to be poured,” he concludes.
The bottle and its packaging are made from six upcycled materials
Photo: The Macallan
However, the Horizon is not just a one-off concept. The gorgeous bottle, a collaborative first in the spirits department for the houses, will be made available in summer next year. The bottle and its packaging are made from six upcycled materials. Thereby, it pays its dues to the six pillars that underpin the Macallan’s heritage.
These include copper from retired Curiously Small Stills – the Macallan’s distinct and iconic distillation apparatus. The house partially credits the copper for its spirits’ “rich, robust and fruity character”. The bottle also uses upcycled aluminum from Bentley Motors’ manufacturing process; as are recycled wood, glass and carbon neutral leather.
You might notice a distinct slant towards eco-friendly practices. That’s because sustainability is exactly the value that led to the partnership between the two houses beginning last year. The Macallan is looking to hit carbon neutrality by the end of this decade. Meanwhile Bentley Motors is pledging to a fully electric fleet by 2025.
As for what’s within the bottle — we don’t know much yet, except that it is a “very special single malt that exists for The Macallan Horizon” by the brand’s Master Whisky Maker Kirsteen Campbell, who is developing the flavour profile after visit to Bentley Motors in Crewe, UK.
The Macallan Horizon joins the growing list of car-and-distillery-designed bottles recently brought into the world. Think Bowmore and Aston Martin’s Golden Ratio-inspired single malt, or Bugatti’s carbon fibre bubbly with Champagne Carbon.
