Spiced fruits, smooth toffee, golden hues: The Macallan’s Timeless Collections offer something for every palate

Two centuries of whisky-making creates a legacy that speaks through every carefully crafted drop. Such is the case with The Macallan, where a single dram reveals everything about the label’s traditions, ambitions and the hand of the craftsman behind it. 

Having celebrated its bicentenary in 2024, The Macallan is not simply looking back at heritage but charting a bold course forward. Central to this new chapter is the Timeless Collection, a family of whiskies that includes the Double Cask and Sherry Oak Collections.

Different collections, one signature

Established in 1824, The Macallan’s Speyside distillery has become a byword for excellence – an icon defined by its distinctive distillation methods, its exceptional sherry-seasoned oak casks and its insistence on natural colour. 

With the Timeless Collections, the distinct yet complementary whisky collections are each defined by the harmonious relationship between sherry wine and oak.

The Double Cask Collection is a celebration of balance, marrying American and European oak casks seasoned with sherry from Jerez de la Frontera. Expect smooth, creamy notes of fresh fruits and toffee alongside dried fruits and soft spices, with baked fruits emerging as the whisky matures.

As its name suggests, the Sherry Oak Collection uses European oak casks seasoned with sherry, producing rich, deep and complex flavours. The collection’s natural mahogany hues reveal layers of dried fruits, ginger and wood spice that intensify with age, reflecting the depth of The Macallan’s heritage.

Craftsmanship meets creative innovation

Defining the story is American design icon David Carson, whose bold, experimental typography and magazine layouts redefined the visual landscape of the 1990s. A longtime creative collaborator with The Macallan, Carson has expanded his artistic sensibility to the Timeless Collections, imbuing them with a whole new identity that captures both history and the future.

Jaume Ferras, The Macallan’s creative director, describes how the Timeless Collections reflects the distillery’s heritage: “The Macallan has never stood still and never will. This distinctive new identity offers a multitude of visual cues to tell our story, from sherry seasoning to the American and European oak casks which contribute to the complex taste and flavour profiles in every bottle of The Macallan.”

Drawing on the raw, deconstructive approaches of graphic design, Carson brings the same spirit of boldness to whisky. Layering colours, textures and patterns to communicate beyond words, he celebrates the rawness of The Macallan’s craft and the transformation of humble materials into something extraordinary.

Key design highlights include how the sweeping silhouette of the distillery’s green roof, built into the rolling Speyside hills, has inspired the new bottle design, a reminder of how the estate itself shapes the spirit. 

Then there’s the triangular shoulder label which evokes Spain’s Sherry triangle, the region home to the sherry-seasoned oak casks that imbue The Macallan whiskies with their deep hues and complex flavours.

On the back of each bottle, a newly introduced cask type symbol translates aromas and tasting notes into a visual language. These cues connect directly to the materials themselves: American oak lending toffee and citrus brightness, European oak imparting spice and dried fruit richness. The wood, shaped and seasoned over years, is as much a raw material as the barley and water that begin the process.

Articulating this vision, Carson says: “Like whisky, design is all about balance – with The Macallan, I wanted to create a visual identity that respects its rich history and encapsulates its forward-thinking spirit. Each detail, from the label designs to the bottle’s form, is a tribute to the mastery behind every dram.”

Exemplifying Macallan’s commitment to innovation, each bottle also features anti-counterfeit technology and authenticity by way of individual QR codes. This enables whisky lovers to have both peace of mind and foster a deeper, albeit digital, connection to each expression. 

As The Macallan steps into its third century, the brand’s Six Pillars – The Estate, Curiously Small Stills, Exceptional Oak Casks, Sherry Seasoning, Natural Colour and Mastery – continue to guide its journey. This is both a celebration and promise that will see the brand lead with intention and purpose to honour its foundational values of craftsmanship, integrity and innovation, while embracing new creative horizons.

Keen to elevate your whisky experience? Discover The Macallan 360 experience at The Singapore EDITION, 38 Cuscaden Road, from Oct 17 to 19, and celebrate the brand’s boldly reimagined and evolved identity through an exclusive learning encounter. Register here.