The Macallan Harmony Collection Inspired by Intense Arabica is a new limited edition single malt whisky that celebrates the world of coffee.
The punters called it. The Macallan has unveiled the second edition of its limited annual release Harmony Collection series, and it’s all about coffee. Called The Harmony Collection Inspired by Intense Arabica, the new release is a single malt that’s inspired by coffee. In particular, the Ethiopian Arabica coffee bean.
In retrospect the guess wasn’t too difficult. After all the two expressions in the first edition of the collection was the Harmony Collection Rich Cacao and the Harmony Collection Fine Cacao, both of which explored the many nuanced flavours of chocolate.
Coffee was simply the best educated guess as a follow-up to chocolate.
The Harmony Collection Inspired by Intense Arabica was created by The Macallan’s Whisky Maker, Steven Bremner, who took inspiration from Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. Legend of course has it that an Egyptian goat herder first discovered coffee when he found some of his goats becoming energetic after eating the berries from a certain tree. The goat herder, Kaldi, then passed on the knowledge to a monk who made a drink with it, one that kept him alert through long hours of prayer.
The rest is coffee history.
To create the whisky Bremner consulted with coffee masters such as Ethiopian coffee grower Kenean Asefa Dukamo, whose family works with the specific Arabica variety showcased by the whiskies; Scottish coffee roaster Lisa Lawson, a pioneer of speciality coffee in Scotland acclaimed for her roasting techniques; and award-winning American barista Andrea Allen, renowned for crafting incredible coffee experiences.
Armed with all that knowledge Bremner scoured The Macallan’s vast warehouses for the perfect combination of aged stock, settling on a combination of American and European oak casks to express the right flavours he was looking for.
“To create the coffee-inspired second edition of The Harmony Collection, I sought out intense notes in The Macallan’s traditional sherry seasoned European oak casks that would offer the rich and satisfying elements of coffee, with the influence of sherry seasoned American oak casks adding sweeter and softer vanilla notes for a balanced and rounded experience,” Bremner explained.
What’s particularly interesting about The Harmony Collection Inspired by Intense Arabica is that it’s not only formulated to reflect the flavours of coffee, but also created to pair with the caffeinated beverage. Pairing the whisky with different variations of Ethiopian coffee, Bremner says, can “accentuate the unique tasting notes within the whisky when enjoyed side by side, creating an exciting new sensorial experience of The Macallan”.
The new expression also comes in a beautifully crafted box which happens to incorporates repurposed coffee bean husks, a by-product in the coffee-making process.
Looking to find out more about this new Macallan release? The Macallan Boutique at Raffles Hotel is currently hosting a pop-up – available till 18 December 2022 – where guests can purchase a dram of Intense Arabica to pair with their coffee from beans of their choice.
Oh, and if you need to know – the other coffee-based expression in the second edition is The Harmony Collection Smooth Arabica, soon to be released in global travel retail in this part of the world.
The Macallan Harmony Collection Inspired by Intense Arabica has a recommended retail price of S$288 and is available from The Macallan Boutique at Raffles Hotel Singapore, The Macallan Online Boutique and selected premium retailers from December 2022.
Official Whisky Maker’s Notes: The Macallan Harmony Collection Inspired by Intense Arabica
colour Crema.
nose Tiramisu, cappucino, gingerbread, raisins, almonds, sweet oak, vanilla.
palate Espresso, dark chocolate, raisins, tiramisu, blackberry, vanilla, Brazil nut, sweet oak.
finish Long, dark roast coffee, balanced and sweet.
abv 44%
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[…] The first edition in The Harmony Collection commenced with the release of Rich Cacao for domestic markets last year, followed by Fine Cacao for global travel retail earlier this year. Both incorporated discarded husks from cacao pods in their packaging and offered chocolate flavour profiles. As part of the second edition in the series, The Macallan also released The Harmony Collection Inspired by Intense Arabica, the domestic counterpart to Smooth Arabica. Read about the Intense Arabica collection at Spirited Singapore. […]
[…] Rather soon after The Macallan released the second edition of its limited annual release Harmony Collection series earlier this month, the leading single malt Scotch whisky brand has quickly unveiled its global travel retail version. Launched this week, The Harmony Collection Smooth Arabica, like its domestic sibling Inspired by Intense Arabica, is similarly inspired by the world of coffee. […]
[…] entire core offerings, you’ll also find rarer limited edition expressions like the full Harmony Collection available here. And, of course, whiskies from Macallan’s sister distilleries Glenrothes and […]