Macallan Harmony Collection collectors look out - here's the fifth release coming right at you!

This time Macallan is partnering with tea company JING to bring you Macallan The Harmony Collection Inspired By Phoenix Honey Orchid Tea.

As we know, the Macallan Harmony Collection was created to champion sustainability efforts in an innovation fashion, with each edition of the collection showcasing unique tie-ins with various collaborators from coffee producers, chocolatiers, to the McCartney sisters and even the world's most famous acrobatics troupe, where a unique material is used as part of the whisky's packaging.

This time, it seems like we're headed up into the mountains of Guangdong, China, to the Shuangji Gardens of the Phoenix mountain ranges for some Oolong tea!

The Macallan Whisky Mastery Team has developed this whisky inspired by the Phoenix Honey Orchid; an expertly crafted Oolong Tea, selected by JING. With notes of peach and apricot, and a honey-sweet finish, it is a beautifully complex and aromatic whisky.

In homage to the world of tea, waste tea leaves deemed unsuitable for consumption have been repurposed in the paper of the presentation box and bottle labels that you now hold in your hand.

According to JING, the Phoenix Honey Orchid Oolong tea is also sometimes known as Dan Cong or "single bush" tea, and itself holds a mythical origin - it was said that the original ten tea bushes used to create this style of Oolong tea each had a unique flavour and aroma, and were bestowed upon the emperor by a phoenix, and hence its name! The tea itself is said to be fruity and floral, with notes of peach and citrus over a honeyed base, and comes with a roasted richness and a touch of bitterness. It's typically harvested in Spring, and is then oxidised to a 40% level.

As for the whisky itself, Macallan tells us that the whisky comes matured in a combination of sherry seasoned European and American oak casks, with a subtle inclusion of casks that previously held bourbon. The new Macallan Harmony Collection Inspired By Phoenix Honey Orchid comes in at 43.9% ABV.