A MOMENT IN TIME
The Steven Klein Edition is the sixth entry in The Macallan’s award-winning Masters of Photography series. Joezer Mandagi flew to Hong Kong for the lavish launch
IN THE WORLD of top-tier whiskies, time is expressed in years - indicating how long the distilled liquor has matured in old wooden casks. In contrast, taking a sip and tasting the initial opening notes of a well-aged Scotch whisky can feel like a singular moment that stretches into infinity.
Certainly, tasting a great Scotch whisky like The Macallan 12 Year Old is a poetic experience. It is also true that time has always played a central and definitive role in the creations of The Macallan. And now, an extraordinary interpretation of this element takes centre stage in The Macallan’s Masters of Photography: Steven Klein Edition.
The Steven Klein Edition is the sixth entry in The Macallan’s award-winning Masters of Photography series. It was preceded by collaborations between the brand and notable photographers, including Rankin, Albert Watson, Annie Leibovitz, Elliott Erwitt and Mario Testino. And as part of the festivities surrounding the launch of this limited-edition whisky, The Macallan held a lavish cocktail party at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
As they entered the venue proper, guests were greeted by their first glimpse of Steven Klein’s visual style: four body-lengths mirrors placed in a dark room. Carefully-placed lights turned the mirror transparent for a couple of seconds, revealing models posing behind them. So, one moment you’re standing face-to-face with your own reflection, and the next thing you know you’re staring at a total stranger looking right back at you.
Past the dark room and a series of art installations featuring water trickling down stone tubes, the main hall was bathed in an eerie red light. While the whole event took on a rather edgy vibe—which was par for the course when it comes to Steven Klein’s works— free-flowing cocktails featuring The Macallan whisky kept the mood mellow and the atmosphere festive.
A couple of hours in, The Macallan Creative Director Ken Grier took to the stage to present the star of the show: The Masters of Photography: Steven Klein Edition. As part of The Macallan’s Master of Photography series, the new edition revolves around a series of images that offer a unique perspective of The Macallan lifestyle. To this end, Klein has created 10 images, each depicting a single moment that is slowed,
stretched and ultimately distilled. An accompanying short video can be viewed at timecaptured.com. The scene is a bar stylized in Klein’s distinctive retro-industrial style. The speakeasy atmosphere of the images hint at the smoky profile of whiskies from the era, while the pinkish tone of the imagery hint at the Rioja-seasoned casks used by The Macallan.
The actual Masters of Photography: Steven Klein Edition comes in a solid wooden box. Within you can find a signed print of one of the aforementioned photos, a limited edition whisky bottle, an exclusive bottle stopper along with a cocktail making kit inspired by culinary legends the Roca brothers. The boxed set, of which only a thousand are made available, certainly makes for a most exclusive collectible item— or a gift for whisky connoisseurs, photography enthusiasts or both.
Of course, the limited edition whisky alone puts the Masters of Photography: Steven Klein Edition a couple of notches above your average single-malt scotch whisky. For one, it uses peated whiskies from around 1942 to 1950, which gives the whisky a uniquely smoky aroma. Hints of berries and dried fruit make up the opening notes, while orange rounds up the whisky’s bouquet. As you take a sip, your palate will meet a smoky and spicy sweetness, followed by a combination of dark chocolate and orange zest.
Now, while there are no right or wrong ways to enjoy a limited edition whisky, or any whisky for that matter, Grier is more than happy to offer some interesting pointers for anyone lucky enough to obtain the Masters of Photography: Steven Klein Edition.
“The first thing I’d do is buy a couple of other bottles,” Grier begins. “If I bought a bottle of The Macallan 12 Year Old, I would start by really trying to understand that. What I would then do is buy a bottle of The Macallan Rare Cask, take the cocktail equipment out of the kit and then I would actually use it. Finally, I would take the bottle out - and I’d probably take five years to drink that.”