Macallan Sienna Review

“She Loves Me…She Loves Me Not…She Loves Me…She Loves Me Not…”

Country: Scotland

Region: Highland

Brand: Macallan Sienna

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS 

Alcohol: 43%

Date: 20/03/2014

Colour: Reddish Brown/Chestnut (Natural Colour)

Nose: Sweet and Fruity. Not really a "Sherry Bomb". I find Orange, Mandarin, Peach, Banana, Cherries, Mango, Buttered Croissants, light Vanilla, Toffee, Sherry, Brown Sugar, Milk Chocolate, light Honey, light Oak, Nuts, Raisins, Malt, Nutmeg, Cinnamon and some Floral tones. A little bit of Alcohol around. I find relatively little Sherry Cask influences here. The Nose is not overly complicated but pleasant enough and well-balanced.

Taste: Still Fruity but with more Sherry and Spices now. I find Dark Fruits like Plums but also Mandarins, Apricot, Orange, Apples, Dark Chocolate, Licorice, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, light Pepper, light Vanilla, Bourbon-like Oak, Nuts and Malt. I'm missing a bit of a Punch here. A slightly higher ABV would have further improved this Macallan.

Finish: Middle-Long. Sweet at First but quickly Drying. I find Red Apples, Nuts, Mandarin, Vanilla, Orange Marmalade, Mint-Chocolate, Dried Fruits, Caramel, Cinnamon, Aniseed, Licorice, Pepper and slightly Bitter Wood.

I added a few drops of water and on the Nose the Fruits and Milk Chocolate gain additional power. On the Palate and in the Finish, Licorice and Spices arrive in force. Certainly room to experiment with a couple of drops.

Rating: 85.5

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21 – Finish: 21 – Overall: 21.5

Elchies House

General Remarks: The Macallan Distillery was founded in 1824 and is located in Craigellachie, Moray. It is part of the Edrington Group since 1999. Generally, the Macallan whisky is considered a Sherried Speysider by nature although by law (2009) Craigellachie is considered Highland territory. Gold, Amber, Sienna and Ruby form the NAS "1824" Series. The Sienna matured exclusively in 100% First Fill Spanish Oak Casks from Jerez and American Oak Casks, all seasoned with Oloroso Sherry. No Re-Fill Casks were used. All Macallans of these series are named after their Colour. Sienna is a Natural Pigment. The Series honour the fact that all Macallan Whiskies are free from Artificial Colouring. The Sienna sells at around 100 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: I think that most Whisky fans will agree with me that sometimes you immediately fall in love with a Distillery and their spirits. It happened to me with Ardbeg, Caol Ila, BenRiach and Talisker, just to name a few. And on the other hand, sometimes it just doesn't click. Edradour, Clynelish and, to a certain extend, Highland Park frequently disappoint me. And then there are Distilleries where I simply can't make up my mind. I keep on sniffing, advancing and retreating, almost like a dog when you suddenly put something to eat under its nose. This is the case with Macallan for instance. I can't say I like their Spirit a lot but I also can't say it really disappoints me. In the specific case of the Sienna, I really like the Nose but on the Palate and in the Finish the spirit doesn't do a lot for me. It's like somebody asks you: "Would you like some more" and you answer "Yeah, okay" instead of Yes, please!! The Sienna is certainly not a bad Single Malt but I can't see me spending 100 Dollars on a full bottle!

Jan van den Ende                                                             March 2014