The Macallan is once again making it rain chocolate with the launch of Fine Cacao, the second cocoa-inspired single malt to join its highly exclusive Harmony Collection.
The limited-edition bottle made its global debut in Singapore in May and is only available at retail outlets until its global release later this month.
Unlike the dark, bittersweet notes of the first Rich Cacao, The Macallan Fine Cacao brings a smoother milk chocolate profile, which was achieved through different oak barrels and a lower ABV. “It lets you experience the story the whiskey maker is trying to tell,” said Macallan Brand Ambassador for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Randall Tan.
The story begins once again with Macallan Whiskey Maker Polly Logan traveling to Girona, Spain to meet acclaimed pastry chef Jordi Roca and master chocolatier Damian Allsop of Casa Cacao de Roca. There they worked together to identify the distinctive flavor profiles of chocolate. Logan also recently collaborated with Jordi’s brother, Joan, on a limited-edition New York-inspired whisky.
Logan then searched for these characters in barrel-aged single malts at The Macallan’s warehouses, which she found in sherry-seasoned European oak casks. She then combined it with the vanilla note imparted by sherry-seasoned American oak casks to sweeten the Speyside whiskey slightly.
“With a natural color of roasted cocoa beans, this exquisite single malt has a unique and elegant medium chocolate profile with hints of raisins and caramel and offers a wonderful whiskey and chocolate pairing experience,” a- she declared. Similar to Rich Cacao, the bottle is packaged in a fully recyclable and biodegradable box made from discarded cocoa pods.
Bottled at 40 percent ABV – four percent less than the previous cocoa whiskey – the unaged Scotch has a creamy nose of milk chocolate, raisins and dried apricot, and the palate features raisins dipped in chocolate, candied ginger and vanilla. Overall it is fruitier and lighter than the Rich Cacao with a similar dusty chocolate finish.
To mark its first global launch in Singapore, The Macallan has partnered with Changi Airport and Lotte Duty Free on a pop-up by June 30, 2022. Located in the departure hall of Terminal 3, the The facility was built from recycled materials and provides an augmented reality experience for consumers to experience whisky.
The Macallan Harmony Collection Fine Cacao sells for S$215 and is also available at duty-free shops at Singapore Changi Lotte Airport. It will be introduced in more travel retail outlets around the world from mid-May 2022.
Comments are closed.