By: Haley Bosselman By: Haley Bosselman | August 20, 2024 | Food & Drink, Feature,
From Hollywood to Bel-Air, the hills in Los Angeles hold the city’s best-kept secrets, and The Macallan just joined the lineup.
Earlier in August, the esteemed whisky brand expanded its experiential offerings with the opening of The Macallan Villa. The invitation-only brand home will serve as a space for bespoke and exclusive hospitality experiences for private clients, strategic partners, content creators, The Macallan Society members and friends and family.
Tucked away, just off Mulholland Drive, a visit to The Macallan Villa expertly marries its Los Angeles setting with the scotch’s Scottish Highlands roots. Depending on the day, you might get to begin the experience with a cup of tea accompanied by shortbread and a sensory ornament of greenery that evokes the rolling hills of Speyside.
Inside, the world of The Macallan opens up to one-of-a-kind experiences where the true star of the show may be the gallery wall. The impressive display is inclusive of The Harmony Collection, James Bond Collection and Volumes I and II of Tales of the Macallan, among others. Furthermore, collectors have access here to private client relationship managers who assist with acquiring exclusive limited-release whiskies, prestige and ultra-prestige expressions.
The Macallan Villa also operates at the level of Los Angeles’ best bars and restaurants. From chef Chris Sayegh, who helms Layla in Santa Monica, the culinary menu embraces Scotland while still tapping its hat to Los Angeles with a commitment to sustainability and the use of local ingredients. Bites include Wagyu Pomalison (Japanese A5 wagyu, pompalison, confit garlic aioli, tomato, miso), Otoro (toro, furikake, seaweed, charred cucumber, marinated tomatoes, clarified tomato brodo) and Cranachan (toasted oat, honey gelato, raspberry semifreddo, Macallan sherry oak 12 years old meringue).
Meanwhile, the bar’s sustainability-driven beverage program serves six cocktails that can only be found at The Macallan Villa. Also showcasing a Scottish spirit by way of SoCal’s bountiful produce, the lineup is an innovative range of complex flavors. The Calling Card (The Macallan double cask 15 years old, black tea, white chocolate, guava, Fino Sherry, toasted coconut) is a vibrant approach to the traditional milk punch, while the refreshing Further Sky pairs The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old with amaro, basil eau de vie, blackberry, a citrus medley, lavender and seltzer. The sipping experience is completed by absorbing vast city views, which can also be done outside next to a glimmering infinity-edge pool. From the plush front-yard terrace to the quintessentially L.A. backyard, The Macallan Villa effuses the refined laidback spirit of the city with the legendary heritage of a 200-years-old scotch whisky.
Further Sky
Furthermore, The Macallan Villa may be reserved for a select crowd, but you can have your chance at the handful of openings for members of The Macallan Society by signing up for a membership online.
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Photography by: Courtesy of The Macallan