Country: Scotland
Brand: Macallan Sherry Oak
Type: Single Malt
Whisky
Region: Speyside
Age: 10 Years
Alcohol: 40%
Date: 29/04/2012
Colour: Pale
Gold/Sauternes
Nose: Light. First impressions
are Toffee, Malt, Oak and some Sherry. Buttered Toast with Orange - or Apricot Marmalade.
Apple Pie with Cinnamon. Very light Peat.
Taste: Sherry is a bit more present now. Toffee, Baked Apple. Nuts and Butter. Very light Spices.
Finish: Middle
Long. Sweet at first with Sherry, Honey, Toffee, Sultanas and Cinnamon but dry
towards the end with Oak, Malt and hints of Ginger.
I added a few drops
of water and you get more Apple Pie and some Floral Notes on the Nose. On the
Palate this Malt becomes slightly bitter and the Finish does not benefit as
well. Better drink this Macallan straight although you can experiment with a
few drops while Nosing.
Rating: 84
Nose: 21 - Taste: 21 – Finish: 21 – Overall: 21
General
Remarks: This Single Malt matures exclusively in Sherry Oak Casks from Jerez in
Spain. The Macallan Distillery was one of the pioneers in Sherry Cask Single
Malts.
Drinking
Experience Straight: Good
Conclusion: I’d
heard a lot of good things about this Single Malt. It was supposed to be the
Single Malt against which all others would be measured. I don’t agree with that.
I find this Single Malt to be too dominated by Toffee /Caramel. I would have
expected more influence of the Oloroso Casks but apparently getting good Sherry
Casks is difficult and/or expensive these days. This Macallan could also do with a bit
more of the Floral Tones that very good Speysiders offer. It’s certainly an
enjoyable Single Malt but it does not deserve its fame. Maybe it was great once
but today I would qualify it as merely good.
Jan van den Ende April 2012
