Barhopping with Kevin McKidd and Macallan Scotch

Macallan Skyline

Macallan Skyline

The Macallan invited me to go bar hopping with Kevin Mckidd (Grey’s Anatomy) to celebrate the launch the limited edition Master of Photography bottles. Four of Kevin’s photos shot by famous photographer Annie Leibovitz are on this series of bottles. The bottle named “Skyline” which shows Kevin and the New York skyline is now on sale at the Ten Pound Bar at the Montage in Beverly Hills. Two other bottles are available in the US and a fourth bottle is exclusively sold in Duty Free shops. All four bottles however can be purchased at the Distillery. That might be your best bet if you wish to acquire the bottles and show you’re the biggest Kevin McKidd fan. The other bottles are named “The Bar,” “The Gallery” and “The Library.”

Coincidentally, Kevin worked at the distillery when he was 17. He told a great story how he’d line up every morning and share a dram with his fellow workers- actually, it sounded like a shot from the same glass used by all. I didn’t have such a glamorous job when I was that age.

We started our tour at Ten Pound Bar where we had Macallan 12 and a sample of the Skyline (retails $2750). All the bottles in the series are from single casks. The Skyline is the youngest one but still had a nice weight to the Scotch. I would love to do a comparison tasting but I suppose I must go to Scotland.

See all the pictures here.

on the party bus with Kevin McKidd

on the party bus with Kevin McKidd

After Ten Pound, we hopped on the party bus with Kevin and headed off to Bar Marmont. Although I was born in LA, I have never been to the quintessential Hollywood hang. The bar is decorated in a retro Chinese theme with lanterns and other Asian touches.

Macallan 12, 15 and 18 YO

Macallan 12and 15 YO

We had drams of the Macallan 15 at Bar Marmont.

Bar Marmont

Bar Marmont

I like the 12 but the 15 is even smoother and probably too easy to sip. I like these two neat.

We also had a chance to try Macallan 22 which hasn’t been released yet. They are working on special packaging that is not traditional yet very much so. Stay tuned.

Macallan 15

Macallan 15

Roger Room

Roger Room

We ended our night at The Roger Room. There we had drams of Macallan 18. I did add ice to mine not because I don’t like it neat but because I’ve now had Macallan 12, 15, 22 and Skyline. I needed a little something different.

Luckily for me, that came with tasting the 18 with a bit of peanut butter. This “odd” combination really worked. Chocolate also is a great companion to pair with the Macallan 18. We tried it with Compartes chocolates.

This was one of the best Scotch tasting experiences I’ve ever had. Getting to try several expressions in different venues made this the ultimate bar crawl.

The Macallan

Masters of Photography

£10 Bar (Ten Pound Bar)

Bar Marmont

Roger Room

© The Minty 2013

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