Scottish Whisky distillers The Macallan has released the second edition in its limited annual release series Home Edition, which seeks to showcase the natural beauty of the birthplace of the brand.
Inspired by the extraordinary natural beauty of The Macallan Estate, River Spey release celebrates the 1.5-mile stretch of water that flows gently through the Estate and is an enduring source of inspiration.
The expression offers rich hints of raisins, treacle sponge and fruit on the nose, accompanied by velvety notes of sultana, butterscotch and chocolate on the palate before giving way to a medium finish with toasted oak spice.
In collaboration with photo-realist artist Michelle Lucking, River Spey is presented in a unique pack featuring a watercolour painting that exquisitely captures the River Spey in its majestic winter beauty.
Lucking used naturally pigmented pastels to create a suite of six original paintings of the River Spey, bringing the water to life with an intensity and exceptional realism which exquisitely captures the light and movement of the great river.
“Water, for me, is a constant source of inspiration,” explained Lucking. “I wanted to convey the importance not just of the river itself but all its elements, the pebbles, the amazing autumnal colours in the surrounding landscape–from the soft yellows and ambers to the burnt umbers and deep treacle tones–hues that I had seen reflected in the natural colour of the whiskies.
Creating something of beauty takes patience,” Lucking continued. “I like to recreate all that fine detail with natural pigmented pastels. Layering and layering, creating all the different blends of colour, getting finer and finer so you end up with this incredible fine detail, and that’s something you can never rush. A lot like creating whiskies here at The Macallan–it takes time.”
Steven Bremner, Whisky Maker at The Macallan, said: “Crafted from a combination of European oak sherry seasoned casks, American oak sherry seasoned casks and refill casks, The Macallan Home Collection, River Spey embodies the dedication to incomparable craftsmanship and creativity, which The Macallan is renowned for.
The Macallan Home Collection, River Spey brings together our time-honoured traditions and our continual inspiration from the nature that runs through The Macallan Estate and offers our community–at home and around the world–a unique insight into what makes our whiskies so exceptional through different aspects of our home.”
Home Collection, River Spey is sold together with a set of three limited edition giclée art prints by the artist Michelle Lucking, exclusively available on The Macallan e-Boutique at https://usshop.themacallan.com/products/home-collection-river-spey.
Members of The Macallan Society will receive priority access to the new release. Consumers interested in joining The Macallan Society can visit https://www.themacallan.com/en-us/the-macallan-society.