Review: The Macallan Harmony Amber Meadow Adds A Distinct Sweetness To Your Whisky Collection

Easily one of the most recognizable whisky brands in the world, The Macallan has been in business since the 1820s. Over the years, the name has come to be synonymous with high quality — and high price tags. At its most affordable, a bottle bearing The Macallan label will set you back $80 — limited releases frequently hover around $500, and very exclusive bottles (like the scotch brand's collab with luxury car company Bentley Motors) have been priced closer to $50,000. And that is before you even start considering the secondary resale market or auctions.

With all that in mind, when The Macallan reached out and asked if I'd like to sample the new addition to its Harmony Collection, Amber Meadow, there was no way I was turning it down. The bottle came with a picnic kit and food pairing suggestions, leaning into the end-of-summer and nature themes the bottle is being marketed with. Very posh.

Of course, looking fancy and being expensive doesn't always translate to quality or value. So let's dig into The Macallan's newest addition to the Harmony Collection, Amber Meadow.

As stated above, The Macallan's Harmony Amber Meadow scotch is part of its Harmony Collection, which was first announced in 2021. Other releases include 2021's Harmony I, which explored the relationship between whisky and chocolate, and Harmony II, which was released in 2022 and coffee-inspired. The brand explains the collection seeks to highlight The Macallan's historic connection to nature and the land its distillery sits on (a pattern for the 200-year-old whisky company), with an emphasis on sustainability and new packaging techniques. All scotches in the collection are single malts and made in collaboration with an expert from outside the Macallan family — in this case, the McCartney sisters Stella and Mary. (If you're unfamiliar, yes, that McCartney, though both sisters are well-respected in their own rights and in their respective industries.)

The Macallan's Harmony Amber Meadow is an homage to the "lush, fertile lands of Scotland." As with other bottles in the Harmony Collection, it repurposes remnants from its inspiration to craft the bottle's label and box: meadow clippings. The box is printed with some of Mary McCartney's photographs of The Macallan Estate in Speyside, Scotland. The expression was released in tandem with a sister bottle, Green Meadow.

First announced in October 2023, The Macallan Harmony Collection's Amber Meadow bottle was sold as part of a pair, with its Green Meadow counterpart. Solo bottles began to be released in December 2023.

A bottle of Amber Meadow retails for $210 and can be purchased on The Macallan website or from Reserve Bar's online store. Presumably, it can also be purchased at select liquor stores in person, as a search online brings up a variety of results from retailers across the U.S.

Unsurprisingly, as the brand is from Scotland, the whisky is also widely available in the U.K, as well as the E.U. and other countries. Prices vary slightly from place to place, but not enough for it to be a notable difference.

The color of The Macallan's Amber Meadow very much delivers on its name's promise: a bright amber, honey yellow hue. It evokes hot end-of-summer evenings, just before the sun begins to truly set. The legs are thin, but slow to dissipate, mirroring some of the (pleasant) discord I found in the flavor profile and mouthfeel.

The smell is light and not super boozy; there is some woody quality that I can't quite place. The brand describes it as ripe barley, coconut, vanilla, honeysuckle, lemon, and orange. Upon further inspection, I for sure get some tropical coconutty notes and vanilla. I'm not sure the citrus is coming through. I sense a touch of honey, and though it's been a long time since I had a honeysuckle, I do feel it's there, but not in an overly floral, perfumey way.

I'm not quite sure how The Macallan managed it, but the Amber Meadow made me nostalgic for late Augusts of my childhood (and not because I drank much — or any — whisky back then). I had a visceral reaction to the pour, softening into the warm, golden ocher tones and sweet, light scent. It feels like racing home to make it in time for dinner: lying sweaty in the brittle grass but sensing a hint of fall in the air; fields of corn and wheat; beachgrass spread across rolling sand dunes, with the ocean at your back daring you to go for one last swim. Or maybe that's the whisky talking.

Flavor-wise, this expression surprised me, as it's unlike most Scotch I've had before. It's quite strong and sweet, with a rich oak coming through. Other flavors it's described as having are lemon, "classic scone," almond, and green tea. I am definitely getting almond, almost marzipan, due to the forward sweetness. The texture is almost syrupy but not in a viscous or unappealing manner. It lingers up front but doesn't stick around for too long.

There is little to no burn, but The Macallan's Amber Meadow whisky does give you that pleasant warming sensation in the chest, which stays with you in a soothing way. The finish is very rich and almost reminds me of cacao nibs, adding some bitter, nutty notes in the back of the throat. I would say this is the only point at which any smokiness comes into play. The syrupy flavor and quality are almost entirely gone by the end, but it didn't feel lacking.

Suggested food pairings are green olives, Murcian wine cheese (which is a semi-soft goat bathed in red wine), fried almonds, breadsticks, grapes, and apricot marmalade. I was easily able to source the olives, grapes, and marmalade, but ended up going a bit off script for the cheese (I opted for Drunken Goat), almonds (I didn't have time to fry them, but I assume they tase like the roasted and salted kind, only ... warm), and breadsticks (oddly they did not have these near me! I chose olive oil tarelli, which feels similar in spirit).

Out of the foods, I felt the almonds, grapes, and cheese partnered best with the whisky. The almonds cut through the drink quite nicely and highlighted that marzipan note I recognized earlier in a new way. The soft, robust goat cheese coated my tongue and brought some bitterness forward that I had found hints of in the finish. The grapes, however, were the real wild card, and my favorite bite. Obviously, grapes are quite refreshing, but they do not have a particularly strong flavor, so I didn't expect them to impact the taste quite as much as they did. The fruit gave the whisky a softness and round quality I didn't expect.

This is a single-malt Scotch whisky from the Macallan — of course it's good. The Amber Meadow's limited nature definitely adds an aspect of appeal to this bottle for whisky fans, but beyond that, I think they will appreciate how it stands out from other expressions I've tasted from the company. It could be a dangerous bottle to have on hand, as it goes down incredibly easy. It's very well-rounded, starting off sweet and ending quite complexly. There is a lot going on, and the long finish gives you time to puzzle it out. For the price, I feel this is a solid purchase, especially for whisky drinkers open to or searching for something a bit unique.

For someone just getting into Scotch, this is either a fantastic or horrible purchase, depending on how strongly you feel about peated whiskies, as there is little to no smoke and the palate is not dry. Similarly, I'm not sure I would buy this for a friend who is a no-fuss bourbon drinker. However, for an adventurous whisky drinker like myself, The Macallan's Harmony Amber Meadow is the perfect addition to my collection. I look forward to slowly savoring it while I dream of summer in the coming months.