El Celler De Can Roca 3
The Macallan Unveils Distil Your World
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
The Macallan and Roca Brothers Create Magic in London
THE MACALLAN AND THE ROCA BROTHERS LAUNCH TWO GASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCES IN LONDON
The Macallan, in collaboration with world renowned chefs, the Roca Brothers, have launched two innovative gastronomic experiences at some of London’s top bars and restaurants. Each experience has been created to encapsulate the very essence of the city of London, with consumers being given the chance to try a distinctive gastronomic dish, paired with a new Macallan single cask whisky, only available to purchase by the measure at these chosen locations.
Titled, ‘Distil Your World London’, the experiences were created by Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca, owners of El Celler de Can Roca in Spain, twice named Best Restaurant in the World, and Steven Bremner, Whisky Maker at The Macallan, exploring the city of London, with the purpose of capturing the essence, aroma and flavour of the capital.
The first experience features a scallop dish served in an elegant malt broth, with fennel, roasted hazelnut and artichoke puree, representative of London’s produce from land and sea. The second experience consists of three types of candied nuts; curry candied walnuts, Earl Grey candied macadamia nuts, and mint and ginger cashew nuts, each infused with unique London tasting notes, such as lemongrass, curry spice and Earl Grey.
To complement both gastronomic creations, Steven Bremner and Josep Roca have carefully selected an exclusive single cask at The Macallan Distillery. The remarkable single cask whisky is limited to 465 bottles and only available through the on-trade. The whisky delivers distinctive tasting notes of oak spice, lively ginger and cinnamon, inspired by the unique essence, aroma and experience.
Consumers will be able to experience the iconic consommé dish and single cask whisky pairing exclusively at Rosewood London, in a setting which captures the character and essence of The Macallan Estate in Speyside.
The candied nuts and single cask whisky pairing experience will also be available at Rosewood London, as well as The Macallan Estate and in a selection of other exclusive London bars and restaurants, including The Ritz and The Connaught.
David Sinclair, The Macallan Prestige & Experience Manager, said: “We were determined to offer consumers an exceptional experience which really celebrated the essence of London.
“By partnering with world renowned chefs, the Roca brothers, we’ve been able to create two distinctive gastronomic experiences which celebrate the flavours and aromas of the capital and work perfectly with our specially selected The Macallan single cask whisky.
“Having Rosewood London as the venue to deliver our iconic dish, as well as a selection of other exclusive London bars and restaurants offering our candied nuts and whisky pairing, we believe we’re celebrating all that London has to offer and we hope consumers will enjoy this unforgettable experience.”
Josep Roca, said: “London has a depth: it has a history, and centuries of written cuisine. Thinking up dishes and snacks that remind us of a city is a real challenge. Encapsulating the aromas, the essence, an idea for an appetizer. For a whisky to have that kind of connection with a city is fascinating and all of these challenges arise in the kitchen at El Celler de Can Roca.”
The elegant consommé dish and whisky pairing experience will come with a welcome cocktail and will be available at Rosewood London, from the 19th October. The experience will cost £100.
The three types of candied nut and whisky pairing experience, will also come with a welcome cocktail and will be available at Rosewood London, from the 19th October. The experience will also be available from The Macallan Estate and in a selection of exclusive London bars and restaurants, including The Ritz and The Connaught from November 2020. The experience will cost £90.
Distil Your World London is part of the wider Distil Your World campaign, a ground-breaking new series of single malt whiskies and gastronomic experiences for The Macallan, inspired by some of the world’s greatest cities, beginning with London. It marks the next chapter in the brand’s long-standing relationship with the Roca brothers.
For information on how to book a spot at Rosewood London, visit https://holborndiningroom.com/theterrace/ .
For information on how to book a spot at other bars and restaurants across the city, keep an eye on The Macallan website for details https://www.themacallan.com/en/distil-your-world
EDITION NO. 2 – THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION THE MACALLAN AND EL CELLER DE CAN ROCA
The Macallan has unveiled Edition No. 2, a new limited edition. This latest release brings together seven handpicked cask types from four different bodegas to showcase the strength of co-creation and mastery.
Continuing the diverse story of The Macallan’s oak casks and our obsession with wood, the focus for this limited edition is to unlock the workings of the intricate whisky making process and give people the chance to explore how the whisky was created. From the provenance of the oak to the expert crafting of the cask, the seasoning and the size, it is these diverse components and, in this instance, the distinct personalities of the collaborators, which have ultimately shaped Edition No. 2.
The masters behind this collaboration are Bob Dalgarno, The Macallan’s Master Whisky Maker and the Roca brothers, co-founders of El Celler de Can Roca, twice voted best restaurant in the world. The distinctive and dynamic character of Edition No. 2 has been shaped not only by the use of seven exceptional oak cask types, which contribute up to 80% of the character of The Macallan, but by the creative spirit of each of the four collaborators.
The whisky is crafted from seven different cask types handpicked by the collaborators to represent different aspects of their personality. The European oak Tevasa casks selected by Bob Dalgarno define and carry the shape of Edition No. 2 with characteristic notes of rich, dried fruit. This speaks of his ever curious, patient and empathetic character.
This is closely followed by notes of green wood and toffee from the Diego Martin casks selected by Joan Roca, American and European. These casks bring to life the generous, reflective and passionate nature of this co-creator. The notes of allspice and ginger come from the European oak Jose Miguel Martin casks selected by Josep Roca which denote his complexity, warmth and maturity. Finally, notes of citrus and light vanilla combine from the American oak Vasyma butts and puncheons chosen by pastry chef Jordi Roca which reflect the lively and vivacious aspects of his larger than life personality.
Spain is a key element in the story of Edition No. 2. Not only is it the home of the Roca brothers, it is one of the most influential factors in the final character and profile of The Macallan, due to the extent of the cask production and seasoning that takes place across the country. The seven cask types that underpin Edition No. 2 have been taken from four Spanish bodegas – Vasyma, Diego Martin, Jose Miguel Martin and Tevasa.
Bob Dalgarno, The Macallan’s Master Whisky Maker, said: “By collaborating with the Roca brothers we have combined our knowledge of whisky making with their creative culinary expertise. The result – a single malt that challenges expectations.
“The driving force behind the Edition Series is the freedom we have to explore different and distinctive casks, some that might not typically be used in other Macallan whiskies. With wood at the very heart of this series, we very much enjoyed the opportunity to delve into each individual cask, discovering the style and the special influence it can impart on the resulting whisky. The harmony and balance of Edition No. 2 reflects not only the hand selected casks but the relationship that we have been developing with Joan, Josep and Jordi over the last few years – it is a powerful collaboration and one that I have loved being a part of.”
Josep Roca, Sommelier, El Celler de Can Roca, said: “Our shared values and passions with The Macallan are taken a step further with our Edition No. 2 collaboration. Working with Bob to identity casks which reflect each of us personally was truly a unique and magical experience. We are really proud of this partnership and the exceptional whisky created as a result.”
With an ABV of 48.2% for a richer and fuller flavour, Edition No. 2 presents a warm, spicy and complex character that brings to the fore notes of apple, oranges, toffee, dried fruit and vanilla. A complex, yet approachable whisky that challenges expectations and reflects the uncompromising creative spirit of the collaborators.
The Macallan Edition No. 2 is available in specialist whisky retailers for an RRP of £65.
Issued by BIG Partnership on behalf of Maxxium UK, for further information, please contact:
Laura Hutchinson laura.hutchinson@bigpartnership.co.uk 0131 557 5252
Gabbie Roscamp gabrielle.roscamp@bigpartnership.co.uk 0131 557 5252
