5 Things You Should Know About the Macallan A Night On Earth The Finale

The 5 things to know about the Macallan A Night On Earth The Finale are that it is the fifth and last edition of a series about New Year, that a new artist made the packaging for every edition and Hill Spriggins made this one, that it is the first edition set in America, that like the Jerez edition it matured only in sherry seasoned oak, and that it is bottled at 43%, like every edition since The Journey. On Spiritory it costs €119 plus shipping. The four earlier editions are In Scotland, The Journey, In Jerez de la Frontera and The First Light.

Key Takeaways

• A Night On Earth has five editions, and each one celebrates New Year in a different way. The Finale is the fifth and last.

• In Scotland celebrated Hogmanay, The Journey the trip home to family, Jerez the Spanish New Year's Eve and The First Light the first sunrise of the year in New Zealand. The Finale celebrates New Year in New Orleans.

• Every edition had a new artist. Erica Dorn, Nini Sum, María Melero and Bonnie Brown came before Hill Spriggins, who painted three pictures for The Finale.

• The Finale and Jerez are the two editions made only with sherry seasoned oak. The other three also used casks that once held bourbon.

• The Finale is 43%, like every edition since The Journey. On Spiritory it costs €119 plus shipping.

Tip: Open the box of The Finale slowly and look at all three layers. A red one shows Bourbon Street at night, a blue one the jazz clubs of Canal Street and a yellow one the first morning of the new year. Together they follow one night in New Orleans.

1. It Is the Fifth and Last Edition of a Series About New Year

The Macallan calls A Night On Earth its yearly gifting series. Each edition looks at how one place, or one tradition, welcomes the new year. The Macallan A Night On Earth The Finale is the fifth and last, so for the first time the whole series can be seen from start to finish.

Here are all five, in order.

• In Scotland, first released in 2021, celebrated Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year's Eve.

• The Journey, from 2023, celebrated the trip home to the people you love at New Year.

• In Jerez de la Frontera, from 2024, celebrated Nochevieja, New Year's Eve in the south of Spain. It came out in the year The Macallan turned 200.

• The First Light, from 2025, celebrated the first sunrise of the year in New Zealand, one of the first places on earth to see it.

• The Finale, from 2026, celebrates New Year in New Orleans.

Seen together, the five read like one long night that moves around the world. The Macallan gives The Finale the same idea in its own words. Every New Year is both an ending and a beginning, and so is this last edition.

2. Each Edition Had a New Artist, and Hill Spriggins Painted the Last One

From the start, The Macallan has asked a different artist to design the box for each edition. The box opens in layers, and each layer tells part of the story.

• For In Scotland, the illustrator Erica Dorn, who has Japanese and French roots and whose work has appeared in films by Wes Anderson, drew playful designs inspired by the fire rituals of New Year. They show Scottish customs such as first footing, when the first visitor after midnight brings shortbread, whisky and coal.

• For The Journey, the Chinese artist Nini Sum showed the way home in stages, from a blue city on the back of the box to a warm yellow inside that reminds you of lantern light.

• For Jerez, María Melero, who was born in Jerez, showed a vineyard at night on the outside, the tiles of a Jerez home inside, and golden grapes at the heart of the box.

• For The First Light, Bonnie Brown, who was born in New Zealand, drew bonfires on the beach, fireworks over the sea and finally the first golden light of dawn.

For The Finale, Hill Spriggins, who was born in New Orleans, made three paintings from her own memories of New Year in the city. They follow one night, from Bourbon Street to the jazz clubs of Canal Street to the quiet first morning with street musicians. The outer box has a texture that feels like canvas, so you can feel with your hands that these began as paintings.

3. It Is the First Edition Set in America

The first four editions took you to Scotland, home to your family, to the south of Spain and to New Zealand. The Finale crosses to the United States, to New Orleans, a city The Macallan says is widely seen as the birthplace of jazz and of the Sazerac cocktail.

Each edition built its story around one New Year custom. In Scotland had first footing. The Journey had the family dinner at the end of the trip home. Jerez had the custom of eating 12 grapes as the bells ring at midnight. The First Light had bonfires on the beach and the first sunrise. The Finale is the one built around music, with jazz and brass bands in the streets.

We like this as an ending for a simple reason. It makes sense to end a series about New Year with a party, and New Orleans is a city people know for exactly that. Even a guest who knows nothing about whisky understands the story of this bottle in one sentence.

The Macallan also suggests a different way to drink each one. For In Scotland it was neat with shortbread on the side. For The First Light it was a long drink or a pairing with pavlova. For The Finale it suggests a Sazerac, the cocktail of New Orleans.

4. Like Jerez, It Matured Only in Sherry Seasoned Oak

All five editions use oak casks seasoned with sherry, which means the wood held sherry before the whisky went in. The difference is what The Macallan added to them.

• In Scotland and The Journey also used American oak barrels that once held bourbon.

• The First Light used a small share of casks that once held bourbon.

• Jerez and The Finale used only sherry seasoned oak, both American and European.

For The Finale, The Macallan explains what each wood brings. The American oak gives the sweetness and the European oak gives the warming spice. Its notes start with orange peel, cinnamon, clove and star anise. Then come creamy vanilla, almond praline, dried fruit and cherries, with sweet oak and soft spice at the end.

The flavours of the earlier editions followed their own stories. In Scotland was built around shortbread, dried orange and spice. The Journey echoed the sweets and snacks of Nini Sum's New Year memories, from rice pudding to sunflower seeds. Jerez was described as pastry, grape and anise, and The First Light as berry compote, toasted marshmallow and Manuka honey. The Finale sets warming spice next to sweetness, which The Macallan links to the food and the cocktails of New Orleans.

Even the colours have names. In Scotland was called warm ember, The Journey sunrise gold, Jerez naranja quemado, or burnt orange, and The First Light deep golden sand. The Finale is vibrant brass, a nod to the brass bands of New Orleans.

5. It Is Bottled at 43%, Like Every Edition Since The Journey

The Finale is a single malt at 43% in a 70 cl bottle, with no age on the label. In Scotland first came out in 2021 at 40%. The Journey, Jerez, The First Light and The Finale are all bottled at 43%.

That makes the last four easy to compare. With the same strength in the glass, you can pour two of them side by side and taste the difference in flavour without one being stronger than the other. It is also a gentle strength for a night you spend with other people.

On Spiritory, The Finale costs €119 plus shipping. You can start with it and work backwards through the series, or pour it next to the edition you already have.

If you want to see it next to other Macallans, it sits in our Macallan collection with the Macallan 20 Years Old Carta Nautica, a Travel Exclusive, and the Macallan 12 Years Old 110 Proof at 55%. For the story behind Carta Nautica, read our guide.

Tip: If you have the Jerez edition at home, pour it next to The Finale. Both are 43% and both matured only in sherry seasoned oak, so you compare two whiskies made the same way, one described as pastry and grape, the other as orange and spice.

FAQ

What is the Macallan A Night On Earth The Finale?

It is the fifth and last edition of the A Night On Earth series, a single malt at 43% with no age statement. It celebrates New Year in New Orleans and matured in American and European oak seasoned with sherry.

How many A Night On Earth editions are there?

There are five. In Scotland from 2021, The Journey from 2023, In Jerez de la Frontera from 2024, The First Light from 2025 and The Finale from 2026.

Who made the artwork for each edition?

Erica Dorn made In Scotland, Nini Sum The Journey, María Melero Jerez, Bonnie Brown The First Light and Hill Spriggins The Finale.

How is The Finale different from the earlier editions?

It is the first edition set in America, the one built around music, and with Jerez one of the two made only with sherry seasoned oak. Its outer box also has a texture that feels like canvas.

What does The Finale cost?

On Spiritory, The Finale costs €119 plus shipping.