The Macallan Masters of Photography: Elliott Erwitt’s The Great Scottish Adventure Comes to Asia

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Many know The Macallan as a premium distiller of single malt whiskey and their whiskey for being the poison of James Bond’s choice in Skyfall (2012). Beyond whiskey though, The Macallan is also a fervent supporter of arts and photography. In this vein, we were one of the lucky few flown out by The Macallan, to Kuala Lumpur for the special unveiling of Masters of Photography: Elliott Erwitt Edition. Malaysia marks the exhibition’s first Asian destination, before it proceeds on its next world tour pitstop in Korea.

For the uninitiated, Elliott Erwitt, aged 85, is a photography great who was President of the prestigious Magnum Photos agency for three terms back in 1968. To date, he continues to be regarded as one of the leading figures within the international photography field. He has authored nearly 30 photography books throughout the course of his career and exhibited at significant public venues, including, but not limited to, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA New York), International Center of Photography and The Smithsonian Institution (Washington D.C.).

Elliott Erwitt, Photography Great, with Ken Grier, Director of Malts, Edrington Group
Elliott Erwitt, Photography Great, with Ken Grier, Director of Malts, Edrington Group

Above: Elliott Erwitt with Ken Geier, Director of Malts, The Edrington Group

The Macallan, in line with its support for the arts, invited Erwitt to spend 38 days on a photography road trip around Scotland. The magic behind this collaboration lies in their engaging one of the world’s best photographers on a project with no brief and no limitations. Erwitt produced magic – 58 pictures capturing the quirky and raw spirit of the Scottish people, to be precise.

The Macallan paired each of these photographs with a unique single cask whisky, rolling out 2030 limited edition box sets named the Great Scottish Adventure. Each box contains a selected Erwitt print, a 0.375 lite hand-made glass flask filled with the matching malt, concealed in a book showcasing all of Erwitt’s 158 images (priced at S$1850). Of the 2030 boxes, only 224 are available in the whole of South-east Asia.

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Above: The Great Scottish Adventure Box Set (S$1850)

In conjunction with Erwitt’s Scottish Adventures, the Kuala Lumpur launch saw The Macallan inviting Straits-based photographers and influencers, namely, European Pressphoto Agency How Hwee Young, Penang-based photographer Jordan Lye, lifestyle icon Sabrina Van Cleef Ault and social media influencer Daniel Goh, on a photography roadtrip through Singapore and Malaysia. Their photographs were exhibited at the unveiling, alongside Elliott Erwitt’s.

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Above: Sabrina Van Cleef Ault with Elliott Erwitt

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