Therefore easily a favorite when on my shelves. Having said that it is a damn fine Whisky, that for the price is easy drinkable. Hardly any wood, which is a bit odd after give or take 32 years in the cask. The wood does show itself in the tiny bitter (and soapy) bite that graces the finish.Ībsolutely a fine nose, alas the taste doesn’t match up. Hints of black tea and a tiny hint of anise. Estery and some acidity, that makes for great balance. Hints of a bonfire and vanilla (pudding). Toast and burn paper in the finish of the nose. It’s not an in your face Sherried Speysider, but definitely a very nice and elegant Macallan. The wood turns into old cardboard, but it works. The initial blast of fruitiness, and waxiness leave the building. These whiskeys don’t skew towards the budget conscious, but despite some whiskeys costing thousands of dollars, there are some great Macallan bottles available at a mid-range budget. Lovely! Old soaked wood and very deep half-sweetness. Having been producing whiskeys for well over 100 years, Macallan has a vast range of products. Nose: Hmmmm, fabulously old and waxy smelling Speysider we have here.
If I’m not mistaken Gordon & MacPhail can bottle Macallans in the Speymalt series, with a vintage, when the distillery themselves do not have a vintage of that same year themselves. This is an independently bottled Macallan, and it doesn’t look like a heavily Serried Speysider. Alas from a connoisseurs point of view it not thát much of a Sherried Speysider anymore, not as they used to.
Since the “new” Fine Oak series, Macallan have again a huge reputation, but this time more as a marketing giant, but again with a huge following. The quality is unmistakable there, just have a look what older bottles fetch these day at auctions. Macallan is a brand with a huge reputation as a Sherried Speysider, and therefore a huge following. Next up an already rather “old” Macallan.