Where The Macallan Begins: A Tasting Session That Starts in Andalusia, Not Scotland

The brand's monthly education series at The Macallan House in Central offers Hong Kong drinkers a rare look at the supply chain behind one of the world's most coveted single malts.

The invitation said whisky. What arrived, over two hours at The Macallan House on Duddell Street, was a lesson in viticulture, cooperage, and the particular obsessiveness of a distillery that has spent 200 years refusing to leave quality to chance.

Stephane Levan, The Macallan's Brand Ambassador for Hong Kong and Macau, opened proceedings with a statement that immediately reoriented the room. "For a lot of people, they think that the journey of The Macallan starts in Scotland," he said, pausing for effect. "Actually, the whole journey of The Macallan starts in Spain."

What followed was one of the more illuminating spirit education sessions available in Hong Kong, a city that, for all its sophistication around fine wine and premium spirits, rarely gets this close to the production fundamentals. Levan hosts these sessions on a monthly basis at The Macallan House. For anyone with a serious interest in Scotch whisky, attending one should be considered essential.

The Sherry Triangle and Why It Matters

The session began not with whisky but with geography. The Sherry Triangle is a designation within Andalusia, Spain's southernmost region, defined by three towns: Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlucar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa Maria. It is the only place on earth where sherry can legally be produced, and it is, Levan explained, where The Macallan's character originates.

Only three grape varieties qualify for sherry production. Palomino Fino underpins the dry styles. Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel yield the sweet varieties that leave the deepest imprint on the wood. Summer temperatures in the region can reach 50 degrees Celsius in direct sun, making harvesting a nocturnal operation. Workers move through the vineyards from midnight until approximately five in the morning, racing to deliver fruit to the winery before heat begins to degrade quality.

The sherry that seasons The Macallan's casks is produced through two distinct ageing methods. Biological ageing, conducted beneath a protective layer of flor yeast that seals the wine from oxygen, produces lighter, mineral-driven wines. Oxidative ageing, with full exposure to air, produces the darker, richer profiles with pronounced nutty and dried-fruit characteristics.

During the session, guests tasted both styles. A Fino from Valdespino, The Macallan's partner producer, was strikingly pale and almost saline on the nose, demonstrating how little the flor-protected wine would transform a cask. More arresting was El Candado, a Pedro Ximenez from the same house, its viscosity visible as it clung to the inside of the glass. At 400 grams of sugar per litre, derived entirely from sun-dried grapes, it read closer to liquid confection than wine. The implication for oak seasoning was obvious.

The tasting context mattered because of what The Macallan has done, systematically, to control it.

In September 2024, the distillery's parent company, Edrington, announced the formation of Tevasa Forestal Group, a joint venture in which The Macallan holds a 50 percent ownership stake. The new entity combines the Tevasa cooperage in Jerez, which has produced European oak casks for the brand for over 40 years, with Forestal Peninsular and Forestal Peninsular de Cantabria, two sawmills in Lugo and Cantabria that source oak from forests in northern Spain and southern France.

This announcement concluded a series of investments that began in March 2023, when The Macallan acquired a 50 percent stake in Grupo Estevez, the family behind Valdespino Sherries, along with its vineyards and bodegas. Six months later, the distillery acquired the Vasyma cooperage in Jerez, specialising in American oak casks, and entered a joint venture with Coopers Oak, a sawmill in Ohio that supplies American oak staves to Vasyma.

The result is a level of vertical integration that Levan described without understatement. "Ever since last June 2025, The Macallan owns the finest sherries and broker casks in the world," he told the group. "No other whiskey brand as I speak today comes close to that."

That claim can be evaluated against the facts of the partnership. The Macallan now has ownership positions reaching back to the forest, through the sawmill, through the cooperage, through the sherry producer, and finally into the seasoning process itself. Casks are filled with sherry at Valdespino facilities for 18 to 24 months before any whisky touches them. The distillery specifies the oak dimensions, the toasting level, and the seasoning duration. Nothing is left to the supplier's discretion.

Igor Boyadjian, Managing Director of The Macallan, framed the investment in terms of heritage rather than commercial strategy. "As we celebrate The Macallan's 200th anniversary, this further expansion of our supply chain will ensure our reputation for richness and complexity for generations to come."

One of the session's more counterintuitive moments came during Levan's explanation of the solera ageing system used for sherry production. Unlike Scotch whisky, where age statements reflect the minimum time liquid has spent in cask, sherry vintages are not fixed. The solera is a dynamic system of stacked barrels, with older wine drawn from the bottom tier and replenished by younger wine from above. The age on a sherry label represents an average rather than a discrete vintage.

Some casks within Valdespino's soleras carry wine that is approaching 100 years old. Levan described one such example as "literally a liquid history in a glass," a phrase that applied with equal accuracy to the El Candado we were tasting, and, by extension, to the casks that will eventually travel north to Speyside.

Hong Kong occupies a specific position in the global single malt market. The city's duty-free status, gifting culture, and high concentration of affluent consumers have made it a bellwether for premium Scotch performance across Asia. The global whisky market reached approximately 78 billion dollars in 2025 and is projected to continue growing, with Asia Pacific leading expansion through the 2030s across markets including China, India, and Japan.

The Macallan leads the secondary market by both value and volume, a position reinforced by the kind of provenance storytelling that Levan delivers each month in Central. For a Hong Kong audience accustomed to evaluating luxury goods on the basis of heritage, craftsmanship, and supply chain integrity, the sherry cask narrative is not incidental to The Macallan's appeal. It is the appeal.

Attend the Next Session

The sessions reward curiosity. By the time the first whisky glass was raised, the room understood exactly what it was drinking, and why the glass smelled the way it did.

As Levan put it, with the Fino still on the table and the El Candado catching the light: "That veil is actually protecting the wine from oxidation... your wine at the end will be very, very, very dry."

The Macallan is betting, with the receipts to prove it, that the opposite of dry is where the real value lies.

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The Macallan House is located in Central, Hong Kong. Monthly tasting sessions are available by private invitation and booking. 

All images Vincent Tsang 
Words.P.Ramakrishnan

Driven to Sustainability: A Dialogue between two iconic brands: The Macallan and Bentley Motors

United by a dedication to craftsmanship, creativity, and innovation, The Macallan and Bentley Motors have joined forces for a partnership program that is unprecedented in its scale and its stature. They share a joint vision of driving towards a more sustainable future, while continuing to pursue the uncompromised excellence for which both are known. The sustainability strategy is wide-reaching and incorporates a range of elements including giving back to communities; nurturing The Macallan Estate; progressive packaging; and partnering with sustainable suppliers.

Ultimately, the partnership hopes to build on the legacy of balancing excellence with environmental and social responsibility. A partnership that will hopefully inspire others to join us on a journey that can be both exceptional and ethical.

In conversation with Elizabeth McMillan, Senior Marketing Manager, Sustainability, The Macallan and Alex Quelch-Cliffe, Decarbonisation Manager at Bentley Motors, it seemed pertinent to ask them to join in this conversation together. Both share the excitement for the opportunity to learn from the other and utilise their respective areas of expertise to drive forward our own sustainability journeys.

What are the breakthroughs from this collaboration that is new to both brands with regards to sustainability?

Elizabeth McMillian: Through a programme of knowledge exchange and the open sharing of innovative projects and plans, The Macallan and Bentley will benefit from each other’s expertise, advancing the decarbonisation transition of each of the brands’ operations on their journeys to become carbon neutral on The Macallan Estate by 2030.

Bentley already operates the world’s first certified carbon neutral luxury car manufacturing facility. Like The Macallan, the goal is for carbon neutrality to now extend across the entire business. By harnessing partnerships with organisations that share a common purpose we will seek to find solutions to big challenges and Bentley Motors’ ambitious sustainability vision echoes that of our own.

What do you think is the most exciting part about The Macallan and Bentley collaboration?

Alex Quelch-Cliffe: At the heart of our collaboration is a shared vision of sustainability. Personally, I am interested in not only the immediate benefits we can deliver from our two brands working closely together – but the potential for Macallan’s insights to bring a different perspective and solutions to the challenges we face in the wider automotive industry.

Is there a new sustainability implementation for the brand that you’re working on currently already in place?

EM: The Macallan and Bentley will look to support one another in their mutual goals to achieve the following: becoming carbon neutral by 2030, a conversion to electric vehicles, The Macallan Estate will transition to a 100% electric passenger vehicle fleet by 2025, including two exclusive hybrid Estate vehicles from our partner. The entire Bentley range will be electrified by 2023, and fully electric only by 2030. The partnership will unlock access to a wider network of suppliers for both to further evolve the progressive sourcing principles of each brand. Promoting the use of sustainable materials with responsible sourcing and packaging will be fundamental to the creation of mutually curated products, experiences, and content. The partnership will build upon the innovative research, sourcing and use of sustainable materials by both and finally, investing in people and cultivating a community of artisans to realise its vision of creating beautifully distinctive products and accessories.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face in the journey towards sustainability?

ACQ: Rather than seeing challenges, the most striking thing both we have encountered are the opportunities for rich storytelling, shared learning and collaborative development. This is very important to both of us, to ensure that we conserve natural resources as much as possible whilst also creating products and experiences that are extraordinary for our customers. We are exploring all avenues to reduce single use plastics and waste from our production processes and products.

When the proposal to collaborate with a car came up weren’t you originally surprised?

EM: We identified the luxury automotive sector as a valuable opportunity to broaden The Macallan’s reach beyond the spirits category and to bring our single malt to our target consumers around the world in new and engaging ways, while also appealing to existing aficionados and their passions and interests.

What’s the biggest message to Prestige readers about this unique, unprecedented collaboration – what should people take away from it?

ACW: Through this global brand partnership with The Macallan, we will travel forward using our imagination, to envisage how the world will be and embark on an exciting and extraordinary journey into the future.

EM: Our partnership is built on a long-term shared commitment to seek to find solutions to the big challenges we both face. Through our global brand partnership, my hope it will take us to thinking and innovation that we would not have reached on our own around sustainability. Both brands demonstrate a commitment to sustainability across key areas of the business including innovation, environmental performance, and community development, so together we will enhance our progress.

The Macallan’s ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ Whisky: When James Bond Meets Sherry and a Surprise Twist

Though James Bond is known for his martini — shaken, not stirred — I was recently whisked away to a private tasting in The Peninsula Suite, where the iconic spy’s world collided with one of Scotland’s most revered single malts. There, The Macallan unveiled its latest limited-edition release: the Diamonds Are Forever 55th Anniversary Release, a sophisticated homage to the 1971 James Bond film that marked Sean Connery’s final outing as 007.

This isn’t just another celebrity-branded bottle. It’s a thoughtful, layered single malt that mirrors the film’s central theme — nothing is quite as it seems. Distilled in 2007 (a clever nod to 007), the whisky spent 18 years maturing before being bottled at 45.5% ABV. What makes it truly special is the cask selection crafted by Whisky Maker Russell Greig, an avid Bond fan who decoded the movie’s narrative into oak and spirit.

At its heart, the release celebrates Bond’s refined connoisseurship of sherry. Early in Diamonds Are Forever, Bond demonstrates his knowledge by nosing a Solera sherry. The Macallan, whose signature character comes from exceptional sherry-seasoned oak casks, leans into that connection. But Greig added an unexpected dimension: American oak casks that previously held red wine — the first time The Macallan has incorporated red wine casks into such a release. 

This twist echoes a pivotal later scene in the film where Bond’s forensic knowledge of red wine literally saves his life. The result is a whisky of glittering depth and complexity. Bespoke hybrid sherry-seasoned casks (combining European and American oak staves in the same cask) deliver the rich, dried-fruit and spiced notes Macallan lovers expect. The red wine casks introduce a textured softness and subtle tannic grip more commonly associated with fine aged wine, creating a mouthfeel that feels both familiar and intriguingly different. 

On the nose, expect polished oak, vanilla bean and rich dried fruits; on the palate, smooth caramel, cocoa-dusted truffles, fruit-driven layers and a hint of nutmeg that lingers into a refined, long finish.

Visually and thematically, the whisky pays tribute to the film’s American settings. The natural golden-amber color evokes the Aztec sandstone of the Nevada desert, while the American oak stands in for the bright lights of Las Vegas and the California coast where much of the action unfolds.

This limited release continues The Macallan’s successful partnership with the Bond franchise, following the 2022 Six Decades collection. It’s available initially through The Macallan’s website and estate boutique, with wider distribution at select retailers from March 2026.

Flashy collaborations I've covered for years but The Macallan has delivered something more substantial — a whisky that rewards slow sipping and close attention, much like the best Bond films. 

The Macallan’s Latest “Distil Your World” Release Is a Tribute to Hong Kong

 

 

Funny how the bottle doesn’t say 852, and yet all the characteristics and character of the vibrant city has been captured—nay, distilled and bottled.

Releases by The Macallan are always a matter of peak interest, and the latest drop in its celebrated Distil Your World series, focused on Hong Kong, exemplifies this developing pattern that’s intrigued us since we launched Robb Report Hong Kong in 2023.

The Macallan’s decision to encapsulate the essence of this vibrant city in whisky form stems from a desire to connect with its unique cultural tapestry and dynamic evolution, says Euan Kennedy, The Macallan’s lead whisky-maker, in an exclusive interview with Robb Report Hong Kong. He shares that the inspiration for Distil Your World Hong Kong is rooted in the city’s duality, where its rich traditions are juxtaposed with modern innovation.

Read the entire feature here at Robb Report Hong Kong.

The Macallan Unveils the TIME : SPACE Experience in Hong Kong

In an extraordinary celebration of its 200-year legacy, The Macallan has launched the “TIME : SPACE Experience” at Pacific Place, Hong Kong. 

This immersive exhibition invites connoisseurs and enthusiasts alike to embark on an immersive journey through time, space, and nature, offering a rare insight into the brand’s unparalleled whisky-making philosophy. 

At the heart of this initiative lies the TIME : SPACE COLLECTION, which features two exclusive releases honouring The Macallan's bicentennial. This collection is emblematic of the brand’s spirit of exploration and innovation, which has shaped its identity for two centuries. 

The exhibition’s theme, the Circle of Life, encapsulates the cyclical rhythms inherent in both nature and whisky production, showcasing how The Macallan harmonises tradition with innovation in crafting its exceptional offerings. 

Central to the experience is the TIME : SPACE Mastery—an exceptional single malt whisky that embodies The Macallan’s storied past. This remarkable expression is distilled from 14 unique cask types, including European and American Oak sherry-seasoned casks, each contributing to its intricate layers of aroma and flavour. 

The whisky is presented in a meticulously crafted circular vessel, symbolising the exhibition’s theme and featuring 200 spikes, a tribute to The Macallan’s enduring legacy and the protective embrace of nature. The exhibition promises a multi-sensory journey, enriched by a captivating display of flora and fauna that reflect the brand’s deep-rooted connection to the natural world. 

Among the highlights are the peacock, thistle, hedgehog, and oak cask—each representing vital aspects of the whisky-making process and the protective qualities of nature. Furthermore, exclusive tasting sessions will be available via pre-booking, allowing guests to savour The Macallan’s craftsmanship first-hand. 

This unique opportunity enables attendees to immerse themselves in the artistry behind The Macallan’s renowned single malts, crafted with unparalleled precision. 

This exhibition is not just a celebration of whisky mastery; it is an invitation to explore the intricate relationship between nature and The Macallan’s legacy. Visitors will gain invaluable insights into the brand’s unwavering commitment to excellence, as they journey through its illustrious past and promising future. For further information and registration, interested parties can visit The Macallan’s official website.

The TIME : SPACE Experience at Pacific Place runs from 18th to 31st October 2024, open daily from 11 AM to 7 PM. 

The Macallan Has Released a Five-Age Colour Collection, But You’ll Have to Travel For It

 

It’s available exclusively at airports and travel retailers only.

Last week, The Macallan unveiled a striking new bottle set, The Macallan Colour Collection, available exclusively at Hong Kong International Airport and other such retailers around the world. In fact, while in transit at any major airport in the region, look for the impressive five-age statement collection of 12-, 15-, 18-, 21-, and 30-year-old whiskies (naturally, with similarly escalating prices ranging from HK$625 from HK$34,750 per bottle).

Read the entire feature only at Robb Report Hong Kong here.