I know this is ridiculous thing to blog about, but I’ve just learned that a delicious drink I discovered in the Highlands of Scotland last year has been discontinued by its creators.
‘Amber’ is a whisky liqueur that is, or rather was, quite possibly the tastiest drink I have ever had the pleasure of sipping. Created by whisky makers The Macallan, Amber mixes their famous single malt scotch with maple syrup, pecans, and pear nectar. Just opening the bottle in any room of my apartment would fill the air with it’s rich aroma readying you for the taste to come.
It was created for the American market and therefore was difficult to come by here in the UK, and now it would seem what little stocks there were have all but dried up just as my bottle of this rare drink is about to run dry itself.
Despite visiting highland distilleries last year with my friend Susan, I have never developed a taste for whisky, but Amber was something else and nobody whom I have shared it with has disliked it. Even my whisky loving friend Zeb (Martin) found that the uniquely tasting drink went down surprisingly well.
The drink was on a limited release to Washington, Denver and Seattle after small-scale trials in Boston. However, after just over a year The Macallan have decided to discontinue it. Bottles are still available in the U.S. for as little as $30 (£15), but here in the UK the few websites that have it listed are selling it for upwards of £32, that’s almost $70! I can’t help but feel royally ripped off at that price, but nonetheless I’ll probably get myself one last bottle and save it for special occasions.
My friends have often times relentlessly teased me for drinking flavored coffee, smoking the occasional flavored cigar, and more recently drinking this flavored whisky liqueur. But while I haven’t developed a taste for whisky on its own, I have now developed a taste for these heavily flavored whisky liqueurs. Yes I know they’re primarily marketed to females, but I don’t care about all that. Now I have to find a new drink to occasionally indulge in. Any suggestions?
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Wrote the following comment on Mar 23, 2008 at 10:50 am
Living in Scotland myself I have never heard of “Amber” :S Can’t ever recall seeing it at any of our big super markets either. Think next pay day will check it out :)
Wrote the following comment on Mar 23, 2008 at 1:38 pm
That’s the point though Si, it was never sold directly here in the UK. It was only ever an experimental drink, specifically tailored for the American market. You used to be able to buy it online from one or two UK locations, but the primary place to get hold of it was Boston, USA.
I guess in the end it The Macallan decided it wasn’t a successful enough drink to continue producing.
Kevin Erskine from The Scotch Blog told me he liked Amber, so I think that must surely be an endorsment of the drink, if a person who created an entire blog about scotch likes it!
Wrote the following comment on Mar 23, 2008 at 7:52 pm
That’s a very cool looking bottle. I’m intrigued now. It’s probably too sweet for my liking, but I’m curious to taste it.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 23, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Sugary sweet whisky. Yuk. Give me a guid single Malt anytime. Some Bruichladdie or Glengoyne please.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 23, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Well I’ll be honest, I’ll not be sorry to see this go. An artsy bottle and three year whisky. I’m sitting here with a dram of my personal favorite , Laphroaig, wondering what’s next. When Connery did the ads for Japanese “scotch” I was ready for a bit of cultural franchise protection. Never happened from what I’ve observed, and now The Macallan of all people pull a stunt like ‘Amber.’ Ye Gods! I guess Bellhaven and McEwan’s will be showing up diluted on our US shelves in Tupperware? Yikes!
Wrote the following comment on Mar 23, 2008 at 10:56 pm
I guess it’ll be very nice or like rocket fuel. Am going to ask about see if anyone has tasted it. Am very surprised a Scottish “product” but never released in the UK :S
Wrote the following comment on Mar 23, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Simon, just go out and buy yourself some maple syrup. Then when your done with that buy yourself a bottle of 30 year old Macallan and drink it sparingly on those special occasions you mention.
I tried a bottle of Amber and thought it was a crying shame to dress it up as anything to do with the finest single malt in the world. In the end I put it on my waffles in the morning!
Wrote the following comment on Mar 24, 2008 at 1:12 am
They shelved Amber in order to make way for their next venture. Maple and pecan single malt whisky ice cream. Look out for trial tubs at Disneyland!
Wrote the following comment on Mar 24, 2008 at 8:18 am
Simon, You might want to look for the Glenfiddich single malt whisky liquer. It won’t have the same ‘American’ taste as your beloved Amber, but you might still enjoy a wee dram. Also, though not at all to my liking, look out for a bottle of ‘Stags Breath’ whisky liqueur.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 24, 2008 at 10:29 am
This is such a patronising idea…
Why should women want to drink a liqueur when they can have a good single malt. It’s gender politics and it stinks!!!
I would describe myself as a well qualified, middle class professional forty something woman, and I do not drink liqueurs…but I do drink good single malts, am a member of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, subscribe to a Whisky magazine, visit distilleries and actually know quite a bit about what I’m drinking.
Drinks aimed at a particular gender are sexist whether aimed at males or females.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 24, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Oh Simon, you’re a brave brave man coming to a scotch forum and asking questions about where to get a bottle of Maple syrup!
But then I read your blog about menthol cigars and then it all made sense to me :-)
Like your site by the way. Had to laugh at GodTube!
Wrote the following comment on Mar 24, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Caz. My friend Susan actually bought me a bottle of the Glenfiddich liqueur when we went to their distillery last year. It was good stuff, but after I finished that bottle Susan had very generously got me a bottle of Amber for Christmas, and having tasted it at The Macallan distillery in Scotland, it was every bit as good as I remember.
As for Stags Breath, this has actually been mentioned to me before, but I have to confess the name does rather put me off. I can’t imagine a stag would have particularly sweet smelling breath can you?
Wrote the following comment on Mar 24, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I’m with you Simon. This drink is really quite extraordinary.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 25, 2008 at 1:23 am
I am very much an American. I even have some Cherokee along with my Scots blood. Whay is Macallen catering to knotheads that would not know good whisky if it was sat in front of them. They should leave good whisky to those that appreciate it.
Wrote the following comment on Mar 25, 2008 at 3:55 am
Come now Gloria, this is not sexism it’s simply marketing. They aimed the drink at a market and pulled it because it didn’t work and it’s not cost effective to just make it for Simon.
Things are marketed in all manner of ways and while I dislike the fancy flavours and strange shaped bottles, some of them are sure to catch someones eye.
There are hundreds of really enjoyable whiskies out there, and not just a few liqueur varieties, so where’s the harm in pandering to this niche market?
Oh and by the way, I heard that Harvey Nicks had introduced a whisky based perfume. Now, to me, that sounds inspired!
Wrote the following comment on Mar 25, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Whisky perfume. Is that the Scottish equivalent of “beer goggles?”
Wrote the following comment on Mar 25, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Simon, Amber was a drink for gays! You must be a gay!
Wrote the following comment on Mar 25, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Amber! What a joke. Probably the creation of a south of the border thin blooded marketing graduate who hadn’t heard of simgle malt before he got the job of creating this sweet shit for rich American ladies and gay boys!
Wrote the following comment on Mar 26, 2008 at 1:32 am
I’ve purchased a whole bunch of whisky liqueors in manatures so that I can have a little laster of each. I believe Stags Breath was among the selection as was “Cock of the North” which surely must invite another comment from Ken. :-)
Wrote the following comment on Mar 26, 2008 at 3:04 pm
In response to Aaron’s comment:
Whisky icecream is really nice. I marinade walnuts overnight in whisky before making whisky and walnut icecream. So pecans will be just as good. Gley Bha, and Drambuidh makes nice icecream also.
As for the sexist angle, the only time I have a problem is when some idiot bar tender pours my malt, then starts adding water and says “say when” because I am a woman, and they assume I cannot drink it straight. (That has only happened twice in my life).
Simon, I loved your post from Scotland by the way. BEAUTIFUL pictures!
Wrote the following comment on Mar 26, 2008 at 10:06 pm
yeah simon, youre totally “a gay”
i can testify to that.
hahhaha
Wrote the following comment on Jun 16, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I got this for my boyfriend for his irthday and have tried almost everywhere to get some more but am struggling. We first discovered it in edinburgh and didn’t buy it at the time unfortunately. If we had known it was going to be discontinued I would definately have bought at least 2 bottles more of it. And as a few people have said noone we had let try it have disliked it. Even my boyfriends parents who dont like any alcohol and only drink water or lemon juice.
I personally think we should petition the making of more from mcallan and get them to advertise it in the uk. they have stopped a very good drink.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 1, 2008 at 8:56 pm
I know you dont want to hear this but you might want to try making your own version of Amber sence you know the majer flavor inhancers (pecon mapel pear etc )other flavors and aromas flavored liquers are not hard to make at home but remimber to start with a quite strong alcohol 100 prof or better so your add ins dount make it to week play with the flavors have fun.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 2, 2008 at 12:20 am
You know Jojo I already kinda did by getting a ten year old Macallen and adding a very thin maple and pecan syrup :-)
However I’ve since discovered another nice nice tipple. Old Pulteney Scotch Whisky Liqueur. The Gelenfiddich Liqueur is also very good. But hey, thanks for the suggestion.