The Macallan recently revealed that fashion photographer Mario Testino is their fifth Master of Photography (previous incarnations have included Annie Leibovitz and Elliott Erwitt) and this time they did something a little different for their award-winning series. The famed spirits brand chose to bring its foundation stones, The Six Pillars, to life through Testino's vision and distinct style.
Using six casks (which were chosen by the Master Whisky Maker from over 200,000 maturing casks at The Macallan distillery) to show the brand's complexity, the Masters of Photography: Mario Testino Edition ($3,500) is packaged in a black presentation box that was also designed by Testino. Each whisky is meant to reflect one of the Six Pillars—with individuals characters, flavors, and aromas—and when brought together they "create the perfect single malt with unparalleled depth, darkness and diversity."
Testino's accompanying four photos were shot in Beijing at the China Club and show a group of different characters that represent "the spirit of the ultimate party," with each person cast based on specific visual qualities. At the heart of the group is the waiter with, of course, a bottle of Macallan.
Only 1,000 Mario Testino Editions have been produced and each one comes with a print of one of the four photos, as well as an exclusive booklet featuring 20 images taken during the Beijing shoot, six miniature bottles from each cask, and one bottle of the resulting single malt whisky.
