As part of The Macallan’s 200th anniversary, the legendary whisky distillery unveils Harmony Vibrant Oak and Harmony Guardian Oak.
The Macallan is releasing two experimental single malt scotch whiskeys with Cirque du Soleil this season as part of a continued celebration of the distillery’s 200th anniversary. Macallan Harmony IV is the fourth release in the Harmony collection, but actually includes the seventh and eighth bottles. Each previous release was actually two whiskies — Fine Cacao and Rich Cacao, Intense Arabica and Smooth Arabica. So this collection actually represents quite a few experimental Macallans when all totaled.
Macallan released Harmony first in partnership with chocolatiers, then with coffee makers. The most recent third release was in partnership with the daughters of Paul McCartney in a shared love of the Scottish Highlands. Unlike those previous whiskeys, the Cirque du Soleil partnership is centered around more esoteric ideas of what is beautiful; also unlike the previous releases, these whiskies came with an exclusive Cirque performance at The Macallan Estate, so that’s cool.
The real value in these releases, however, is that they’re an affordable experimental collection from an otherwise not-very-into-change distillery. While Macallan is great at what it does (making sherry-finished single malts), they’ve also released comparably fewer experiments than most other marques. That’s mostly a feather in the Macallan Cap — fewer new releases means fewer disappointments, and fewer disappointed drinkers — but the results have been double-edged. Macallan is a famously beloved whisky, but its whiskies are also famously unaffordable.
From the record-setting Macallan 1926 to the recent 84-year release, it’s less about a splurge and more about a mortgage for most fans of the brand. This Harmony Collection essentially counterbalances those prices for those of us who want to try new Macallan bottles without faking our deaths to commit life insurance fraud.
Unfortunately, The Macallan can’t make it that easy to get your hands on the full collection. While Harmony Vibrant will be available in retail stores domestically, Harmony Guardian Oak will only be available through travel retail, meaning you’ll have to factor in the cost of an international flight to your budget. If you’ve already got one of those planned, snag it on the way back. If you’re currently unbooked and want to go through Scotland to get it, keep in mind that starting in January you’ll need to apply and pay for access to a visa.
The Macallan’s Harmony Vibrant Oak ($200) is matured in first fill American oak and refill sherry oak casks, which the distillery says gives it “intense vanilla bean and sponge cake” aromas, and buttery notes of creamy vanilla, toasted coconut, aple and oak. The Harmony Guardian Oak ($185) matured in a combination of first fill and refill sherry oak casks from European sources. Macallan says that this whisky has aromas of dried figs and raisins, flavors or candied orange peel and ginger syrup and a finish of slightly spicier oak, anise and baking spice.
Should you collect them both? Probably. The Macallan’s Edition Series cost around $200 when it first appeared nearly a decade ago. Now, the first release in the series is prized by collectors and can command thousands per bottle. As for what avant-garde circus troupe Cirque du Soleil has to do with this, don’t get too wrapped up in the details. The Macallan likes picking other forms of art as lenses through which to tell their own stories. You can expect buzzwords like “elegant” and “balanced” to make punny appearances in the notes of some of your favorite whiskey critics. The Macallan isn’t really in that business. When they say something is elegant and balanced, they’re rarely joking.
G. Clay Whittaker is a Maxim contributor covering lifestyle, whiskey, cannabis and travel. His work has also appeared in Bon Appetit, Men’s Journal, Cigar Aficionado, Playboy and Esquire. Subscribe to his newsletter Drinks & Stuff for perspectives on drinks, and stuff.
