I’ve been curious about The Macallan’s coffee-inspired 2nd edition of the Harmony Collection since it was launched, and finally got to try it at the “It's Coffee Time at The Macallan in Kuala Lumpur” experience at APW. The whisky is inspired by Arabica coffee, and comprises two expressions: The Macallan Harmony Collection Inspired By Intense Arabica; and the travel-retail-only Smooth Arabica. The event is a one-hour experience that has a short coffee-related tour, after which you get to choose one of five beans that will be made into a Long Black for the tasting, where you get a dram of Intense Arabica, a bowl of popcorn, and the coffee you chose. So, after all that, what do I think about the whisky? Intense Arabica is made from a combination of whiskies from ex-sherry American and European oak casks to achieve a tasting profile that is reminiscent of a sweet yet strong espresso coffee. I have to say, this is arguably my favourite of the new Macallan releases these past few years. On the nose, it has a pleasant coffee-tinged nuttiness, and fresh and light grassiness that sets it apart from the usual dark fruit notes of Macallan’s sherried whiskies. The palate is creamy and mouth coating, with more of that coffee-like nuttiness and bitter dark cocoa, segueing into a long, creamy finish that reminds me of the tail end of a nice espresso. Paired with the coffee (I chose a more robust Ugandan bean), I found that the whisky actually enhances the coffee more than the other way round, giving it a nice balance of sweet coffee notes and mellowing out the more robust bitter notes nicely. (Makes you wonder what it’ll be like as an Irish coffee LOL). The “It's Coffee Time at The Macallan in Kuala Lumpur” event runs from 17 to 19 Feb (10am-7pm) at The Bookmark, APW Bangsar. You can try registering here to see if there is still space: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/its-coffee-time-at-the-macallan-in-malaysia-tickets-525354317907 #themacallan #themacqllanmy #harmonycollection #intensearabica #whisky #whiskey #scotch #singlemalt #tipsyturvywhisky #mytipsyturvy #coffee (at A Place Where - APW) https://www.instagram.com/p/CowlIbBJtDF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
