James Bond Knew His Wine: The Macallan Diamonds Are Forever
A solera sherry, a red wine that saves Bond’s life and the Nevada desert: the story behind The Macallan Diamonds Are Forever, an 18-year-old celebrating the film’s 55th anniversary.
A solera sherry, a bottle of claret and a sandstone desert. The Macallan has turned the most memorable scenes of Diamonds Are Forever into an 18-year-old whisky that celebrates the film’s 55th anniversary.
In 1971, Sean Connery put on James Bond’s dinner jacket once more in Diamonds Are Forever. Diamond smuggling, Las Vegas, Blofeld’s doubles and a laser satellite. But amid all the action there are two moments that no wine lover forgets. Those two moments are the starting point of The Macallan Diamonds Are Forever 55th Anniversary Release.
Scene 1: the sherry Bond recognises at first sip
Early in the film, Bond and M visit a diamond expert who offers them a glass of sherry. Bond tastes it and names a vintage. M corrects him: sherry has no vintage. Bond replies that he means the original wine of the solera. It is a tasting lesson in the middle of a spy film.
The Macallan answers that scene with sherry casks, the hallmark of the house. Here they are also bespoke hybrid casks, combining European and American oak staves in a single cask.
Scene 2: the red wine that saves his life
In the finale, two hitmen pose as waiters to get rid of Bond. He unmasks them thanks to one detail: one of them cannot answer a question about the red wine he has just served. Knowing his wine quite literally saves Bond’s life.
That is why this edition includes American oak casks that previously held red wine, a novel addition for the house. It is the most original nod in the bottle.
Scene 3: Las Vegas and the Nevada desert
Diamonds Are Forever was shot mainly in the United States, between Las Vegas and California. That American journey is translated into the American oak of the casks. Even the colour of the whisky is inspired by the film: it recalls the title sequence and the reddish sandstone of the Nevada desert.
Not everything is as it seems
The film plays with doubles and deception, and so does the whisky. Whisky Maker Russell Greig, who chose the casks, puts it this way: like Bond, this whisky keeps its secrets. Its colour is dark and mysterious, but on the palate it surprises with its lightness and elegance, with bold depth and a gentle sweetness.
It is an 18-year-old single malt, distilled in 2007 (or "2-007", as the house itself signs it), bottled at 45.5% ABV. To enjoy it, serve it neat in a tasting glass, then try it with a little water.
A collector’s piece
The presentation is a trip into the film’s archive. The cylindrical case shows details from the film’s creative process: the doubles, the laser beams, the villain’s white cat and the Las Vegas lair. This edition continues the collaboration between The Macallan and 007 that began with the 2022 collection marking 60 years of Bond on screen.
Get yours at Vinozia
This is a special release with very few bottles: only a handful remain at Vinozia. A cinematic gift for every Bond fan, plus every Macallan collector.
Discover The Macallan Diamonds Are Forever 55th Anniversary Release at Vinozia and explore the rest of our whisky range. If you would like to discover another of the house’s editions inspired by gastronomy, read our article on the Roca brothers and The Macallan.