The Macallan takes its seat at the K Club – celebrating 200 years of whisky excellence

Creating an exclusive dinner to match The Macallan’s 200 years of whisky making is a beautiful challenge, says K Club Executive Chef Gary O’Hanlon

Listening to Gary O’Hanlon, Executive Chef at Ireland’s five-star K Club Resort, describe food is an experience. He’s talking me through the menu he’s preparing for an exclusive dinner with The Macallan, designed to celebrate a landmark year in the story of this most famous Scottish distillery. 

200 Years

It’s 200 years since whisky first flowed at the Aberlour distillery in the Scottish Highlands and to mark the occasion, this world-leading whisky maker approached the K Club in Ireland’s Co Kildare to form a partnership experience that celebrates the very best of The Macallan’s stunning reputation. 

Gary O’Hanlon comes with his own pedigree. This is the Irishman’s first year leading the dining experience at the five-star resort, but he has spent decades preparing at the highest level. He joined from the Condor at Chateau du Coudreceau, an 18th-century private-hire castle residence in the Loire Valley in France. Before that, he helped build the award-winning reputation of the 17th-century Viewmount House.

Five-Course Menu

The menu for this five-course dinner is a deep dive into the mind of a person obsessed with taste. He describes scallops with ginger zucchini, caviar and squid cream; braised pig cheek with truffled celery and caviar mustard seed; saddle of venison and a reimagined chocolate crème caramel. These are just some elements of a more extensive five-course menu designed to inspire and surprise – but also to tease out and celebrate the personality of The Macallan. 

“The flavours need to be bold to match the Macallan experience, but they also need to marry well. This is a partnership,” he explains, “and each course is paired with either a dram, a cocktail or a long drink made with The Macallan to complement the other.”   

“The way whisky is made fascinates me,” O’Hanlon explains. “Thinking about flavour and the way it is driven by its interaction with wood and from wine casks is an exciting way to understand the magic of whisky – and its relationship with food.”

The Macallan team will guide patrons through each pairing, explaining the provenance and story behind each pour. They have worked closely with the K Club to create what promises to be an outstanding event.

The Challenge

Taking The Macallan as a starting point for an exclusive dinner is a beautiful challenge, O’Hanlon says. “The event is built around the Double Cask collection. Each course is designed to work with the single malt series, and we worked closely with The Macallan team to achieve that. But everything is first and foremost about flavour and texture.” 

The Macallan Double Cask series is a collection of superb single malts. It comprises single malt whisky matured to 12, 15, 18, and 30 years of age, epitomising excellence in cask selection and maturation. 

Each bottle comes packed with flavour. The combination of American and European sherry-seasoned oak creates a complex and decadent pour, fused with the dark fruit of sherry and the spiced vanilla of the American oak. As the releases mature through the collection, you follow a growing flavour intensity and evolving personality at each age statement. But at every stage, there’s a clear link back to the DNA of The Macallan.

Take a Seat

The K Club’s DNA also shapes this event. Held in the Barton Room, considered the top dining area among the five main restaurants at the K Club Resort, it comfortably reflects this modern resort’s standards and international outlook.

Now one of the most prestigious resorts in Ireland, it’s a global leader in the development of five-star hospitality. Naturally then, the K Club is a perfect partner for a global brand like The Macallan.

If you’d like a seat at The Macallan Dinner at the K Club and meet the teams driving both brands, then click here. 

View more of our Macallan bottles here