INTRODUCING THE MACALLAN DISTIL YOUR WORLD: THE LONDON EDITION
An extraordinary new collaboration with the Roca brothers
The Macallan has unveiled Distil Your World: The London Edition, a unique limited edition single malt whisky providing a sensorial journey through one of the world’s greatest capital cities.
Marking the first global release in a ground-breaking series in collaboration with the Roca brothers to discover the essence of some of the world’s greatest cities, Distil Your World: The London Edition embodies London’s special charisma, and captures the people, experiences, colours and history that ultimately define the city.
United by an insatiable curiosity, quest for knowledge and dedication to mastery, The Macallan and the Roca brothers, owners of El Celler de Can Roca in Spain, twice named Best Restaurant in the World, explore different cultures and source inspiration for their own worlds of whisky-making and gastronomy.
Distil Your World: The London Edition is inspired by the long-standing partners’ journey and exploration through an uncharted London, with the purpose of distilling its soul and capturing the unique essence, aroma and flavour of the city in an exceptional single malt whisky.
In homage to its birthplace, the edition will be unveiled to the world in a highly coveted window display in Harrods’ world-famous flagship store in Knightsbridge, London on 1st November 2020. Over the years the renowned Hans Crescent window has hosted iconic displays from some of the world’s leading luxury brands and will showcase The Macallan’s remarkable whisky on a global stage.
During their adventure, The Macallan’s Whisky Maker Steven Bremner and Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca spent time with the craftspeople and creators who fuel London’s inimitable creativity and entrepreneurial drive; the committed leaders who add to its vibrancy; and the special thinkers who understand its past and anticipate its future. They truly immersed themselves by discovering emblematic buildings and going behind the scenes to uncover the unique flavours and scents that define London and unearthing its vibrant community spirit.
Ultimately, this journey led them to their own complex and sensorial map of the city and with this map as inspiration, they masterfully selected the perfect combination of six first fill European oak Oloroso seasoned casks to translate London’s values into an extraordinary single malt with unique tasting notes representing the spirit of the city.
A character led whisky with encapsulating nuances of orange caramel, curry spice and Earl Grey tea, rare to find in The Macallan single malts, this expression takes the taste buds and imagination on a journey of discovery, bringing London’s soul and unique character to life, while retaining The Macallan’s renowned signature taste. Seeking out these distinctive flavours among thousands of casks was a complex and highly skilled process, but Steven Bremner and the Roca brothers’ mastery of flavour, aroma and craftsmanship enabled them to distil the essence of London into a remarkable whisky.
Steven Bremner, Whisky Maker at The Macallan, said: “London is an international city, a melting pot of culture, cuisine, architecture, and art and its rich heritage and myriad of cultures, combined with a timeless spirit and an innovative nature, made it the ideal playing field for this journey of mastery. It is not just about being there, but about immersing yourself and dedicating time to understand what’s underneath everything you see, and we are proud to have collaborated with the Roca brothers on this exploration.
“Like the London soul, our single malt whisky, matured in its unique sherry seasoned oak casks, delivers rich complexities, harmonious flavours, and vibrant aromas. This whisky is something new – with London notes like curry or the sweetness of Earl Grey tea – but it keeps The Macallan’s signature taste, and that’s the difficult part.”
Josep Roca, said: “The places we visited, the people we met, all that now takes shape in this whisky – our own distillation of the London essence. There is part of umami, the subtle touch of curry, orange, vanilla and raisin. There are some special notes that are really rare to find.”
Distil Your World: The London Edition is housed in a striking presentation box featuring a triangular engraving design to represent the map of London and red detailing inspired by the city’s red bricks. As well as the limited edition whisky, the box contains a luxurious book capturing the different inspirations behind this single malt, alongside rich London photography, which combined, form a picture of London as created by Steven Bremner and the Roca brothers.
The Macallan Distil Your World series is the next step in the brand’s long-standing partnership with the Roca brothers. They have previously worked together on a range of ventures, including The Macallan Edition No.2 which was inspired by the brothers’ distinctive and dynamic characters and Distil Your World Scotland, a culinary journey through Scotland to explore the country’s rich cuisine tapestry which resulted in an innovative publication and documentary.
Limited to 2,000 bottles worldwide, Distil Your World: The London Edition has an RRSP of £2,630 and will be available globally from November 2020, including in Harrods, The Macallan Boutique in London Heathrow and The Macallan Estate Boutique.
For further information visit www.themacallan.com
Whisky Maker’s Notes:
ABV: 57.5%
Colour: Autumn chestnut
Aroma: Nutmeg, sweet Earl Grey tea, orange caramel, lemongrass, kaffir lime, soy sauce and polished oak
Palate: Wood and curry spice, Earl Grey tea, treacle sweetness, aniseed. Slightly salty with a complex umami feel
Finish: Long, viscous, complex and savoury
Notes
About The Macallan
Founded in 1824, The Macallan is renowned worldwide for its extraordinary single malt whiskies. Their outstanding quality and distinctive character reveal the uncompromised excellence pursued by The Macallan since it was established by Alexander Reid, on a plateau above the River Spey in north-east Scotland.
In 2018, The Macallan opened a new chapter in its history with the launch of its award-winning Speyside distillery. Designed by internationally acclaimed architects to promote sustainability, the building takes inspiration from the surrounding ancient Scottish hills. It stands nearby Easter Elchies House, the Highland Manor built in 1700 which is The Macallan’s spiritual home and remains the heartbeat of The Macallan’s beautiful 485-acre Estate.
Fresh and delicate on the nose, with stone fruit—especially peaches—white pepper, orange Creamsicle, and spice. A generous oak backbone provides the foundation for plums, nectarines, black pepper, clove, chamomile tea, and piney cedar that sweeps into a dry oak, cocoa, iced-tea finish. Although a bit hot at times, the balance and array of flavors is an outstanding coup for this young distillery. (SSB winter 2018) 
