To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the iconic 1926 Macallan which topped records as the world's most valuable bottle of wine or spirit ever sold at auction, the Speyside Scotch distillery is bringing the band back together for the Romantica Collection, centered around a single cask of 1986 Vintage Macallan that will feature the art of Sir Peter Blake, Valerio Adami and Michael Dillon, who were the very trio who contributed to the original art for the Macallan 1926.

The legendary Macallan 1926 was laid down by Macallan's brand custodian, Janet "Nettie" Harbinson 100 years ago, only seeing the base of a bottle some 60 years later, filled by none other than her great nephew Allan Shiach, with the cask yielding just 40 bottles. And as its maturation came to an end in 1986, the distillery decided to kickstart a new journey that very same vintage, this time with a single Sherry seasoned European oak cask No. 9925, that was filled and left to age until now in 2026 as part of the Romantica Collection.

Macallan 1986 Romantica Collection by Valerio Adami.

And thus, it seemed only befitting to reunite the three original artists, who have now created a new set of works for the Romantica Collection, with each print forming a trinity that expresses the themes Time Travel, Nature and Community, inspired by their individual interpretation of the journey taken for cask no. 9925 from 1986 to 2026, rendering it in their own unique signature style. The name "Romantica" itself was chosen to represent the art style that emphasises "imagination, emotion and introspection, and often celebrates nature and freedom of spirit". Every bottle will feature a personally signed label by the artist, with a total of just 258 bottles produced - that is, 86 bottles from each artist, making for a total of 86 sets. Each bottle will also come packaged in a bespoke European oak wood presentation box, with its making overseen by Macallan embodying the distillery's philosophy of "forest to finished form", and will also don the artist's work, with inside a numbered certificate signed by Master Whiskymaker Kirsteen Campbell, along with a Collection Booklet, and a limited edition giclee art print of the particular artist edition.

Macallan 1986 Romantica Collection by Sir Peter Blake.

Official Tasting Notes

Cask No: 9925, Single Sherry seasoned European oak cask

Nose: Remarkably bright and vibrant with apricot conserve, canned peaches and bittersweet toffee. Further complexity builds with crystalised ginger, gentle cinnamon, antique oak and integrated fragrant woodsmoke.

Taste: Initial velvety sweetness from brown sugar, glazed peach and tropical lychee. Great depth develops from dark cherries, treacle and a subtle hint of peat.

Finish: Lingering dried fruit and a gentle touch of leather and rich cacao. Long lasting and memorable.

 Macallan 1986 Romantica Collection by Michael Dillon.

The labels are as follows:

• Acclaimed pop artist Sir Peter Blake's collage, titled The Music Room, transports viewers to Easter Elchies House - the spiritual brand home of The Macallan as immortalised on every bottle – in 1986, where guests gather to celebrate the opening of The Macallan Octagon Room, a music room inside the manor house and a symbol of community at the heart of The Macallan.

• Renowned for his distinctive style of narrative figuration, Valerio Adami's bold composition, Romantica (1986), portrays Janet 'Nettie' Harbinson - custodian of The Macallan at the time the 1926 was distilled - standing in a bold red dress with a backdrop of the Scottish landscape, bridging past and future through a reflective reinterpretation of the 1926 bottle.

• Mural artist and decorative painter Michael Dillon's evocative landscape, The Macallan Estate, captures the natural beauty of Speyside and reveals the Estate's modern distillery nestled almost imperceptibly beneath its undulating green roof, inspired by the beauty and fragility of nature.

The whisky itself - the 1986 Macallan - has been bottled at 48.6% ABV (at natural color), and has been aged entirely in its Sherry seasoned European oak cask, said to "reveal a remarkably bright and vibrant character from the first moment. On the nose, notes of apricot conserve, canned peaches and bittersweet toffee unfold with growing complexity, enriched by crystalised ginger, gentle cinnamon, antique oak and a whisper of fragrant woodsmoke. On the palate, a velvety sweetness of brown sugar, glazed peach and tropical lychee gives way to dark cherries, treacle and a subtle hint of peat. The finish is long and memorable, carried by lingering dried fruit, touches of leather and rich cacao, leaving a lasting impression of depth and elegance".

The Macallan Romantica Collection will be released as a complete set featuring the three artist editions (each containing the same whisky across all three artist editions) directly from Macallan beginning on 30th July 2026.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team