
Mars 29, 2022

A quintet of Macallan

Long time no Mac. Let's first try a few more or less recent ones including some No-Age-Stated expressions (are the actual ages that shamefully low?) and then an old one that's really old.
Circa 1985. Charlie, were you there? ->

Macallan 15 yo 'Double Cask' (43%, OB, +/-2021)

This baby is a self-blend of ex-sherry-seasoned American oak and ex-sherry-seasoned European oak, hence the name 'double cask', so apparently, it's not double maturation. I tried this before, informally, and so have now a good feeling. Colour: full gold. Nose: great nose, with something of old Macallan of, well, of old. Some burnt wood, toffee, pecan pie, brown toasts, a drop of molasses, then more and more maltiness that would come together with a few floral notes (meadow flowers), thick ale and butterscotch. A minimally salty smokiness. Mouth: very good drop, no questions. There's the traditional Macallan complexity that quite a few recent bottlings had forgotten about, with some spicy marmalade, chestnut and heather honeys, pancake sauce, drop of miso soup, dried apricots, apricot jam, mirabelle jam, all that while the honeyness keeps growing. Do they have beehives at the mothership? I mean, at the Distillery? Finish: pretty long, honeyed and toffee-ed. The expected coffee/chocolate/marmalade trio in the aftertaste. Comments: one of the malts that can take a low strength such as 43% vol. without turning a hair. Possibly one of the best within the official range, if I may, I find it more 'Macallan' than others.
SGP:551 - 89 points.

Excellent, let's move on…

Macallan 'Rare Cask 2021 Release' (43%, OB)

There, one of those nasty NASses. Is the age really unmentionable here? I remember 2018's version was pretty cheap (WF 78). I mean, cheap on your palate, it is a very expensive bottle (300€ for a NAS, three times the price for the fantastic 15 yo). Colour: gold. Nose: eh? Don't I find metal polish, old coins, old copper (grandma's kettle) and a lot of acacia blossom and honey? And drops of trappiste beer? And biscuits? Madeleines? Shoe polish? Glazed chestnut? Mouth: I find the 15 superior, but they are not that far away. This one's more rustic, a little gritty and rubbery around the edges, perhaps a little too gingery too, but I would not cry foul, it's a pleasant, malty, honeyed, rather old-school palate. Now is it 300€ pleasant? Finish: medium, a tad 'cooked', malty and toffee-ed. The usual aspects in the aftertaste (remember, coffee, chocolate and marmalade) plus a little pencil shaving. Comments: some sides make me think of some lovely armagnac. I mean, 50€ armagnac. In any case, way better than earlier batches in my book.
SGP:551 - 85 points.

Macallan 'Enigma' (44.9%, OB, Quest Collection, 2017)

Fully ex-sherry-seasoned European oak. Viva Europe! With a name such as 'Enigma', we could forgive the lack of any age statement. For once. Colour: deep gold. Nose: more on brownies, chocolate cake, darker molasses, darker honeys, darker fruitcakes, a drop of soy sauce, beef bouillon… And really a lot of chocolate. I think they should tell us about the kind of sherry too, about the bodegas… In any case, I do enjoy this very chocolaty nose. Mouth: it is very different on the palate, rather more 'stewed', on cakes, Jaffa cakes, cinnamon chocolate, ginger cookies… It would never stop getting spicier, the European oak is having the lead here. Finish: rather long, all on chocolate and oak spices, with a dominant cinnamon. Not quite my favourite part. Comments: hold on, they actually told us about the bodega here, my bad! It is Tevasa, in Jerez. In general, those bodegas do not produce any drinkable sherry, they only build and season bespoke sherry casks for the whisky industry. In short, they are kinds of subcontractors to the whisky industry. Well, not exactly, I know… Anyway, very nice drop, but still, the 15, any place, any time, any circumstances.
SGP:561 - 85 points.

Macallan 'Concept no.3 David Carson' (40.8%, OB, 2020)

I find it fantastic that they would not write it 'CON' and later 'CEPT' anymore. Life is about learning. Cask bill here includes sherry butts, bourbon barrels and just 'American oak'. I would suppose that's virgin white oak. Now I don't know what the strength of 40.8% means. Very old whiskies or just cheap ultra-reduction ? There's also something 'digital' about this bottle, but we now know that all what us humans need is 'less digital' rather than more. The pendulum is swinging back and this is all getting very tricky for brands. Colour: gold. Nose: massive, immense, huge chocolate. We're simply having hot chocolate somewhere in Mittelleuropa. Say Vienna? Also, hold on, apple juice. Mouth: all right, this is very good and the lousy low strength doesn't even feel. Typical Macallan 'body'. Mead, raisins, honeys, flowery teas, spicy cake (Stolle), old desert wine, mullein syrup, quince jelly… I really enjoy this and at 40.8%, you can drink a lot of it. My, with such statements, they'll shut down this web site sooner or later. Bring 'em on. Finish: medium, extremely chocolaty. Pralines, ganache, or anything by my favourite Parisian chocolatiers. No, no names, I wouldn't want to ruffle any feathers. Comments: very good. At least, the juice isn't digital.
SGP:451 - 87 points.

Good, to the source of many old ones…

Macallan 1968/2009 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail, Speymalt)

With the famous red ribbon that was already to be found, albeit horizontally, on the older 'official' handwritten 1938, 1940... As it says on the label, this was 'Selected, Produced, Matured and Bottled by Gordon & MacPhail'. Many old official bottles of Macallan are actually ex-Gordon & MacPhail. Gordon & MacPhail have been and still are 'seminal' to many a Scottish whisky brand or distillery. Good, G&M, that's going to be one pint (of beer, not of Brora) next time we meet. Colour: full gold. Nose: oh yes oh yes oh yes oh yes. Pencil eraser, pollen, many honeys, beeswax, stearin, broom and gorse, old hardwoods (we used to mention dashboards of old Jaguars), tangerine and citron liqueurs, lime blossom, zucchini flowers, acacia, and hundreds of different nectars. Probably one of the most floral whiskies you could ever nose. Mouth: of course there is a little fragility, and indeed 'their' Glen Grants, Glenlivets or Longmorns are superior, but this is all subtleness, floralness, honeyness and… cakes and teas. Earl grey and amaretti. In short, whisky for your Five O'clock tea in an old Scottish hotel such as The Balmoral in Edinburgh. Touristy, carpet everywhere, incredibly out of fashion and even rather dusty in all senses of that word, but if you never did this, do it at least once. Better book. Finish: Comments: totally lovely old Macallan, a little fragile here and there, but lovable. Drink while listening to Peter Skellern or Brian Ferry's jazzy tunes, and please avoid Led Zeppelin or Kamasi Washington!
SGP:551 - 91 points.

(Thanks to the Burlet gang)

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