The Macallan’s Harmony Collection burst on the scene last year as the new badging for a limited edition, annual release. The first release (now referred to as Harmony I) celebrated the world of chocolate with its “Rich Cacao” expression. The second release (you guessed it – Harmony II) celebrates the world of coffee, and so The Macallan now brings you The Harmony Collection Intense Arabica.
To clear up any confusion or misinterpretation, none of these whiskies utilise infusions or flavourings to achieve their connection with chocolate or coffee. Rather, they are inspired by those flavours, and The Harmony Collection relies simply on Macallan’s traditional use of mixing and matching sherry-seasoned casks (both American oak and European oak) from a range of different ages to achieve a final flavour profile that shares attributes with the product providing the inspiration (i.e. chocolate or coffee).
The Harmony Collection Intense Arabica is inspired by the Ethiopian Arabica bean. As part of the Sydney media launch for this release, attendees gathered at the Genovese Coffee House in Alexandria, where guests were treated to a wee presentation about the history and traditions of coffee and, in particular, the features of the Arabica bean and Ethiopia’s coffee heritage. Simon James of Genovese Coffee prepared up a specially-brewed pot of Arabica coffee (French Press, 1 part coffee to 14.5 parts water, for the coffee enthusiasts out there), and it didn’t take much imagination to join the dots between the delicious aromas wafting out of the steaming cup and the juicy dram of Intense Arabica sitting alongside.
There are official tasting notes for the Harmony Collection Intense Arabica which you can find online at The Macallan’s website, but yours truly spent some serious time with the whisky and picked out the following…
The Macallan Harmony Collection – Intense Arabica, 44% ABV
Nose: The nose is initially restrained and on the quiet side, needing a bit of teasing. With time and agitation, the unmistakable hints of milk coffee notes arose from the glass, followed by Macallan’s signature spice and fruit. Currants and blueberries featured strongly. Digging under the fruit, the influence of the oak started to emerge more, bringing out dark chocolate and cappuccino notes.
Palate: Macallan’s DNA never strays too far from centre. This is a rich dram with a wonderfully textured mouthfeel that is surprisingly complex in the flavours it offers up. There’s cereal (malt, obviously, but also oats, ala porridge); spice (gingerbread); and then bittersweet notes of dark chocolate, caramel, and tiramisu.
Finish: Medium in length, the finish is grippy and delivers a second wave of favour that really brings home the bacon…er…coffee. The lasting footprint is a perfectly balanced sensation of bitter-sweet, like dark chocolate, or a well-prepared coffee that has inherent sweetness to contrast the bean.
Comments: A bit like what the annual Ardbeg Day releases do for Ardbeg fans, the Harmony Collection gives fans of Macallan the chance to try the spirit in a slightly different light or from a different perspective to the standard core-range expressions. To Whisky & Wisdom’s palate, the highlight of the Intense Arabica is the delicious interplay between bitter and sweet, and if you like both coffee and whisky, this will be right up your alley!
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As part of the philosophy and thinking behind the Harmony Collection, built off the pursuit of more sustainable practices in the whisky industry, there’s also a link to the packaging. The accompanying gift box that houses the Intense Arabica bottle is made from repurposed and recycled materials, including coffee bean husks! This follows on from the previous release, the Rich Cacao, which featured packaging made from the discarded husks of cacao pods.
You may also have seen or heard about the Harmony Collection expressions “Fine Cacao” and “Smooth Arabica”. These are variations on the same themes, but produced exclusively for the Travel Retail market.
Allocations of Intense Arabica into the various markets are extremely limited, and by the time you read this, there’s a good chance a few of the major retailers will already have sold out. For Australian readers, there are a few bottles still in the wild at the time of publishing, with an asking price of around A$750. It’s also behind the bar at a few places, so check out the on-premise side to try it by the dram.
Cheers,
AD
PS – you might like our other Macallan articles…
The Macallan – A Night On Earth
The highs and lows of Macallan
