Memories of home: Macallan’s new Journey celebrates the Lunar New Year

A Night on Earth is The Macallan’s way of capturing the spirit of the quiet moments during the season. It recognises the universal truths of home, meditating on them through good old-fashioned single-malt scotch whisky.

The new limited-edition A Night on Earth – The Journey is The Macallan’s addition to this yearly spectacle. This time, the second release in the series hopes to celebrate the world’s varied ideas of the holidays. Here, the Macallan collaborated with acclaimed Chinese mixed-media artist Nini Sum to come up with a drink that reflects her memories of the Lunar New Year tradition. From its unboxing down to the actual tasting, A Night on Earth – The Journey is an invitation to unravel their essential characteristics.

The first layer, for instance, goes from left to right, depicting a night sky with stars and fireworks transitioning into a gorgeous daylight scene. Meanwhile, the second layer offers a cosy blue colour palette portraying urban life. One can also see vibrant strokes, others adorned in yellow and orange tones, meant to symbolise the great migration that comes as people make their way back home.

Nini Sum conceptualised a design that is meant to conjure up warm recollections of home lives. “I wanted to recreate that atmosphere, those precious moments of gathering and reunion under a bright moon bringing us all together,” she says.

“The collaboration with Nini Sum focuses on the idea of bringing something special back to your family when you return home,” explains The Macallan Global Creative Director Jaume Ferras, “the coming together of old friends and family, with reflection on the past year, and hope for the coming one.”

This single malt scotch whisky is said to have been inspired by Nini Sum’s own “sweetest Lunar New Year memories.” Made from The Macallan’s signature sherry-seasoned European and American oak casks together with American ex-bourbon barrels, A Night on Earth – The Journey mimics the complexity of flavour synonymous with her childhood.

Each element of the tasting experience was made to replicate the artist’s first encounters with milk candy, the smell of rice pudding, and carts of rice popcorn vendors on Shanghai streets. In terms of The Journey’s primary notes, toasted oak, vanilla and a bit of coconut milk pudding first come to mind. Traces of lemon and lime are unmistakable, too, as it finishes off smoothly with a sweet vanilla blend and some more of that delightful nuttiness.

“During this time of the year, people who work in big cities go through the world’s largest annual human migration to go back to their hometowns for that moment of reunion with their families and friends,” Sum adds. When the fire is lit inside and paper lanterns hang from the roof, you know there is someone there waiting for you to come home so they can welcome you with a hot meal and a hug.”

For more information, visit The Macallan.

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