Macallan 12 y.o. Sherry Oak

40% abv

Score:  86.5/100

Admittedly I am a little hard on Macallan.  One of the most revered distilleries in Scotland, with one of the most storied reputations, and…one of the highest price points.  These factors make it impossible not to expect a damn good whisky from Speyside’s iconic Macallan.  Oh yeah…and it struts about under the title of “THE Macallan”.

I must say first and foremost that this is a great nosing whisky.  If you need something to practice scent dissection with, this is your dram.  Chock full of bold and assertive notes, none of which is buried so deep that peeling them out becomes a chore.

A wallop of heavy-handed sherry right out front.  Mild milk chocolate with orange, nutmeg and almond (or marzipan).  Slightly floral and fudgy.  Dark caramel with a wee sour green apple tang.  Some vanilla, a little smokiness, some woods and a bit of distant maltiness.  With this many individual strands it creates quite an interesting pastiche in the end, but somehow it works.

This arrival is large, oaky and tannic.  Big sherry and dark red fruits.  Across-the-room smoke and a fairly unremarkable ebb and fade.  Somewhat middle-of-the-road in terms of viscosity, but that suits this whisky, as it isn’t necessary here to douse the taste buds to pick out the strong flavors.  Not uncharming though, in its own way.

Not a bad drink, this one simply lacks the charisma I’d expect a Macallan to possess.  An early evening sipper with a Steinbeck novel in hand.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

-Photo:  Curt