Bentley reveals the making of the world's weirdest whisky bottle

Fasten your seat belt; Bentley (yes, the luxury carmaker) and Macallan have launched a whisky that looks like some kind of science fiction vehicle that you'll wish you could get behind the wheel off. The Macallan Horizon has even outdone the lightning bolt Tesla tequila for edgy looks.

The design features a striking 180-degree twist. But more radical than that, it represents a conceptual shift in storage of whisky bottles. With no base for it to be able to stand upright, the bottle is designed to lay on its side. Why? Because cars move horizontally, duh!

Bentley says the bottle was "designed by a collective of specialist suppliers, using highly-skilled artisanal and precision engineering techniques". The "unique vessel defies the traditional vertical aesthetic of a whisky bottle to reflect the horizontal trajectory of the automotive world. Created in the pursuit of uncompromised excellence, this collaboration signifies a new dawn of product innovation."

That's quite a claim. Bentley also notes that the bottle comprises "seven exquisite materials", one of them being the whisky contained therein.

A carmaker branching out into alcoholic drinks may seem like a strangely ill-conceived fit, but this is not the first example. As well as the Tesla tequila, the scotch distillery Bowmore has a partnership with Aston Martin.

Macallan doesn't say anything about notes of engine oil in its tasting guide. Instead, it mentions cinder toffee, crystalised ginger and charred pineapple.

The whisky was due for release last year but got held up. There are only 700 bottles, and they cost $50,000 each, which is the premium you pay for a whisky that doesn't feature dodgy AI art.