The Macallan’s ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ Release Has Been 18 Years in the Making. Here’s When You Can Drink a James Bond Movie

Any true James Bond buff will admit that the legendary character and the iconic franchise have, at one point or another, surprised them with a sudden plot twist and sharp turn they never saw coming.

In that same spirit, Macallan's Diamonds Are Forever55th Anniversary release is not what it seems.

On the outside, it's very dark and rich, staying true to Macallan's signature mahogany color. But, again, not everything is as it seems, says Macallan Whisky Maker Russell Greig.

"It kind of deceives you a wee bit like the film as well," Greig tells Men's Journal ahead of the Diamonds Are Forever 55th Anniversary release. "On the palate and on the nose, there's a sweetness and a brightness and vibrance that's unexpected. If you know about whisky, you would think it was a European Sherry-seasoned whisky that would deliver a different flavor profile."

Just like with the James Bond 60th Anniversary release and its six-bottle collection in 2022, The Macallan pays homage to Mr. 007 himself in several and very strategic ways, most notably that the Diamonds Are Forever 55th Anniversary release had casks filled, yes, in 2007, and matured for 18 years.

On the nose, the expression presents polished oak, vanilla bean, and rich dried fruits. The palate opens with smooth layers of caramel and cocoa-dusted truffles, revealing fruit-driven complexity and a hint of nutmeg before a long, refined finish.

"Like Bond himself, this whisky holds its secrets," Greig says. "It may appear dark and mysterious, yet on the palate it surprises with elegance and lightness."

He adds this is "a testament to the shared spirit of innovation that connects The Macallan and James Bond."

Bottled at 45.5% ABV, the whisky’s signature natural color evokes the Nevada desert's red and orange Aztec sandstone, another nod to the film’s iconic Las Vegas setting.

Then there's the striking design of the bottle and presentation box.

Jaume Ferras, creative director at The Macallan, tells Men's Journal that his team accessed the James Bond archives and got a close look at sketches and scripts, among other things, as they designed the 60th Anniversary's presentation box. And it was during that creative process that he started thinking about the design for the next anniversary release.

"The broad design has 15 elements that are from the actual archive and script of the original movie," Ferras explains to Men's Journal.

But the element Ferras and his team are giddy about seeing in the presentation box for the Diamonds Are Forever release is a snippet of the original script showing Sean Connery's James Bond mentioning Sherry.

Yes, Bond enjoys his martinis (shaken, not stirred), but his Scottish roots also mean the man knows his whisky, too.

"The thing that we're the proudest of the design is the original script when the Sherry is mentioned," Ferras tells Men's Journal, "because we as a brand are so committed to Sherry-seasonal casks. The fact that the James Bond script has a Sherry mention was a very happy moment for us."

The Macallan's Diamonds Are Forever 55th Anniversary will evoke different emotions from each individual who sips this special release. For Ferras, it conjures up a feeling unlike any other.

"It's not that often that you can drink a movie," he says. "And I think what makes it special is when you look at the design, when you look at the story, and when you understand what [Greig] has done." 

For Greig, it's a full-circle moment: growing up and living his entire life in Scotland's whisky-rich region of Speyside to working at The Macallan and producing a special Bond whisky collection.

"For me, to work at The Macallan is a massive privilege and something I always aspired to," he tells Men's Journal. "But then to be involved in a whisky, making a whiskey with a James Bond connection as a big James Bond fan, that's massive as well. I'm quite emotional and looking forward to experiencing that first time with friends and family and telling the story of the film, my whisky making, and how it came together."

The Macallan's Diamonds Are Forever 55th Anniversary release is available now on the distillery's website, and it retails for $750.