The Macallan is a Speyside Scotch whisky label that is globally famous for its exquisite single malts. When Alexander Reid, distilled his first batch of The Macallan whisky in his curiously small stills in Speyside, Scotland, back in 1824, he couldn’t have dreamed of the reach and recognition his legacy would attain worldwide.
Today, we are at the new Avartana in ITC Maratha Mumbai, which is the third outpost for the ITC Hotels’ award-winning restaurant in India, after the first one at Chennai’s ITC Grand Chola, and another in Kolkata’s ITC Royal Bengal. A Luxury Collection Hotel like the others, the five-star ITC Maratha Mumbai is like a modern-day palace, with ornate design, an opulent ambience, and impeccable service.
At Avartana, we will be sampling some of the restaurant’s stellar South Indian fare in a seven-course experience paired with some of The Macallan’s best single malts. Their idea is to showcase how well the flavour profiles of the offerings by The Macallan and Avartana complement each other. The glamorously green-and-gold entrance of the restaurant sets the tone for what to expect right from the get-go, with Indian spices and a grinding stone speaking for its deep philosophy of using traditional techniques and rich ingredients to create dishes that may appear contemporary in construction and presentation but have a true South Indian heart beating at their core.
The table settings are sheer poetry, fitting for a meal that is as refined as this. Personalised place cards add that extra ooh-factor, no matter what age and stage of life the diner is at. The goblets, green for vegetarians and brown for those who eat more than plant-based ingredients, are a clever and discreet touch to ensure the appropriate dishes are served. Not only does the menu offer you allergen and calorific information, but also a ‘choose wisely’ indicator so you can opt for more sustainable ingredients. This is true conscious luxury.
Along with the seven courses, we will be savouring four drams — starting with The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old with the amuse bouche and the first three courses, followed by The Macallan Double Cask 15 Years Old with the fourth, The Macallan Sherry Oak Cask 12 Years Old accompanying the fifth and sixth main courses, and rare The Macallan Double Cask 18 Years Old with dessert. “We were looking to have an association with a restaurant team that took their art as seriously as we take our malts, which is why we have partnered with Avartana for this,” says Madhu Rajigani, Brand Ambassador for The Macallan in India.
“Avartana means mystical, magical. A lot of magic that will happen on the table and there is a certain rhythm that you will experience between the whisky and the food,” promises Chef Diptii Jadhav, who helms the Avartana kitchen in Mumbai. She explains how they highlight indigenous ingredients from the southern hemisphere, with dishes that reimagine the simplest of ingredients, often elevating them in such a way that you may not even recognise them!
The journey begins
Rajigani elaborates on The Macallan’s extraordinary heritage, emphasising their pioneering cask programme, using sherry-seasoned casks, before going on to describe The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old that’s being poured as he speaks, “It’s lighter in profile and showcases the influence of both, American as well as European oak casks.” I agree, easing into the evening with this easy-drinking whisky and looking forward to the Kimaya, or divine menu.
An amuse bouche arrives, sitting on a stone sourced from South India. A sphere rests on a potato nest bed with a touch of beetroot chutney. When you put it into your mouth whole, as you would with a pani puri, you are rewarded with a refreshing pop of pineapple and mango. A martini glass is the receptacle of fresh coriander-infused rasam, poured piping hot from a French press. Made using Telicherry pepper and cumin, it not only pairs well with the food, but also turns out to be a surprisingly perfect counterbalance to the single malts!
The first course is stir-fried chicken, heroing the colourful but not so spicy Byadgi chillies from the state of Karnataka, served with a buttermilk mousse and a tempered curry leaf crisp. While this is art on a plate, the vegetarians have a more interesting dish in the form of tempered bottle gourd with raw mango ginger, which looks like pasta but is, in reality, a salad with a plum chutney that incorporates palm jaggery and tamarind.
The second course is one with dumplings, whose shape is influenced by that of kozhukattai, a sweet made with jaggery and coconut. The vegetarians have a unique drumstick (moringa) variant using the entire plant and has a very fresh feel on the tongue, while the shrimp dumplings use coriander oil and roots, served with a chilli coriander jam at the base have a sweet and sour flavour profile that is elevated by the whisky.
Next comes a bite-sized portion of pan-seared lobster with an emulsion made from very young spring onion. The plant-based counterpart is Talegaon potatoes deep fried with garlic, chilli, and coconut, with a sphere of homemade yoghurt flavoured with ginger alongside, which you have to break and combine with the potato before you take a bite.
A palate cleanser in the form of a perfect little sorbet served on a lemon foam gives the tastebuds a welcome refresh. Chef Diptii explains how this is conceptualised using the tulsi (holy basil) seeds from a typical traditional Indian home’s front yard and lime leaves from the tree in the backyard!
Mid-meal magnificence
The Macallan Double Cask 15 Years Old that is poured next is slightly darker in appearance. On giving it a slight swirl and nosing the dram, I still find it subtle, and a hint of vanilla and warm spices comes through when I sip it.
“The reason we served this one before The Macallan Sherry Oak Cask 12 Years Old is because its coconut notes go perfectly with the asparagus and coconut stew that is being presented next,” says Rajigani. The creamy texture of the coconut lingers on the palate of the vegetarians and is complemented by the whisky. Those who are having the steamed seabass with the gonguura emulsion from Andhra Pradesh, find that it balances the slight sourness of the roselle and allows the subtle sweetness of the fish to shine through.
Next up is the ‘hero dish’ of the restaurant as Chef Diptii puts it, while describing the Uthukuli Morel or Chicken. We learn how the Uthukali taluk in Tamil Nadu is known for its butter, the flavour of which comes from the milk of maize-fed cows. “It’s salty, yellowish, looks like toffee, and we don’t add anything to it. The coating is made with beetroot, whose sweetness complements the butter’s saltiness. The gravy has 54 spices, but none will harsh your vibe. There’s a sweetness from coconut milk and the tang from tomatoes that brings it all together. Chips spiced with byadgi chilli powder add zing, while ghee-laced and delicately layered mini Malabar parottas are great for mopping up all that deliciousness.
The Macallan Sherry Oak Cask 12 Years Old is the right choice to have with this course. As the butter coats your palate, you want a whisky that cuts through it. I find that for a youngish single malt, this one is quite sophisticated. “It is predominantly matured in European sherry-seasoned oak casks, which tend to contribute a darker colour than the American ones. You’ll discover spice notes, along with candied citrus, and a hint of tannins, which makes the palate drier. In fact, it has three times drier tannins than whisky aged in American oak casks,” points out Rajgiani.
Taking a cautious sniff and then a sip, I find that the aging in former Olorosso sherry casks from Jerez, Spain, has given it a distinct taste of boozy fruit. But what sets it apart is the dry and zingy clove, ginger, and black pepper finish, which works well to offset the butter from the Uthukali dish.
Wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed, the rice course, either with jackfruit or lamb, is delectable, and served with an okra yogurt that takes me back to flavours of home.
Ending on a high note
Chef Diptii has pulled out all the stops with the most elaborate dessert. The simply named Fennel Pannacotta is a work of art. A gleaming egg sits in a nest of shiny spun sugar, a dab of golden warq to add some oomph. The team comes around with teeny-tiny elegant hammers to tap open the ‘egg’. A gloriously runny yolk is revealed, made with fresh mango flavoured with ginger. The white part is milk infused with fresh fennel to impart that familiar taste of fennel seeds that most Indians like to pop as a mouth freshener after a meal; then coated with cocoa butter. It tastes even better than it looks. And that’s saying a lot.
To keep pace with the drama of delish, is a dram of high calibre. The last and final pour is the much-anticipated The Macallan Double Cask 18 Years Old. The Macallan’s older whiskies are so hard to procure worldwide that enthusiasts are on perpetual buyers’ waiting lists. Rajigani explains the process behind this one. “When I say ‘Double Cask 18 years’, it refers to whisky that has been rested in the sherry-seasoned American oak casks for a minimum of 18 years, while another portion has been aged in sherry-seasoned European oak casks for a minimum of 18 years. After being aged in each type of cask thus, the liquids are then married. This one showcases the rich, complex notes of both. You’ll also see the impact of time on the liquid,” he whispers. The liquid the shade of the harvest sun with a viscosity one normally associates with a well-aged wine, is like molten gold. But well, this meal has been a golden opportunity to see how South Indian flavours and singular Speyside Scotch whisky can truly shine in each other’s company.
Note – The author was invited by Macallan, but all the opinions expressed are her own.
