
March 27, 2018

Happy International Whisky Day!

Every year since 2008, the original, true non-commercial International Whisk(e)y Day celebrates the birthday of the late Michael Jackson, eternal king of whisky writing. Today raise a glass to Michael Jackson and please help fight Parkinson's Disease!

International Whisky Day

What's more, it’s become a tradition at WF Towers to have some Macallan on March 27, to celebrate Michael Jackson’s life and work. And this year, we’ll try to have one that he may well have sipped on numerous occasions...

Macallan 10 yo ‘100 proof’ (57%, OB, 75cl, +/-1990)

Macallan 10 yo ‘100 proof’ (57%, OB, 75cl, +/-1990)
This is the one that had ‘This Whisky is 100 proof’ on a large red sticker, I suppose some good folks had been buying it without noticing, and had been surprised when pouring their first dram. At that time, such high strengths were often seen as too extreme if not totally crazy. Things may have changed… Anyway, here’s to you, Michael! Colour: dark amber. Nose: essentially Macallan, with all the raisins, dried figs and dates of the creation, plus touches of thin mints, cough syrup, fir wood, and espresso coffee. I think it’s the sappy/honeyed combination in the background that gives it away. There are also flints and a little wood smoke. A big dram, actually subtler than I remembered, but that maybe be OBE. With water: oh great, fern, autumn leaves, beef stock, Grisons meat, even marrow soup… Mouth (neat): very potent, almost viscous, and extremely rich. Did someone invent fruitcake after this, or was it the other way around? Many many raisins, also coffee liqueur, and an ‘intense’ (MJ’s very word) fruitcake-iness. Under that thick raisiny layer, notes of cough medicine, pine liqueur, and a little charcoal. Plus marmalade, of course. With water: it’s pretty perfect and seemingly more herbal/pine-y that the low-strength young Macs from that period of time. Finish: very long, and rather more oloroso-ish, that is to say drier. Walnuts and all that. Comments: had it at 89 around the year 2000, but OBE may have brought one more point to the table. Dear MJ had it at 89 points, by the way. Cheers Michael!
SGP:661 - 90 points.

Good, I think that little Mac is now feeling alone. So let’s find an older one, and we will be done.

Macallan 1967/2005 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, Speymalt)

Watch it, there was recent 1967 Speymalt at 43% vol., but this very one was indeed offered at 40%. Another cask that the official owners haven’t bought back. Colour: amber, I would have almost written ‘Cognac’. Nose: rounder and, above all, smoother, we are indeed in old Cognac territories, with notes of stewed peaches, sultanas, pollen and honey, broom and wild daffodils, then a lighter fruitcake after the 100 proof, with figs, a touch of butterscotch, milk chocolate… What’s striking here is the elegance of this nose, but at this low strength, the palate could be a little, say fragile, let’s see… Mouth: no it’s not, although I wouldn’t say it’s a fearless fighter. A wee tannicity right from the start (black tea), then rather coffee and chocolate, Smyrna raisins, perhaps prunes… But it tends to nosedive a bit after ten seconds, and that’s the lower strength. Having said that, there are funny notes of old Demerara rum, bordering on dried bananas, while it remains rather chocolaty and coffeeish, even while it starts to whisper really low. Finish: a little short, dry, with tannins, coffee… The finish is not the best part. Comments: some superb phases, some weaker spots and that’s all because of the low strength. But it’s a fantastic whisky, one should almost redistill and re-mature these bottles (S., you Philistine!)
SGP:451 - 88 points.

Check the index of all Macallan we've tasted so far