Macallan
- OWNER: EDRINGTON GROUP
- FOUNDED: 1824
- REGION: SPEYSIDE
- PRONUNCIATION: Mick-ALLEN
Though today it is one of the world’s leading luxury spirit brands, Macallan began as an illicit distilling operation on a hillside estate in Speyside (though there is some debate over whether it’s actually in Speyside, and the bottles specify only “Highlands”). The Macallan is the BMW of single malts: expensive, but worth the money, and with a relatively moderate starting price that escalates rapidly, with some bottles reaching six figures at auction. Among other things, it is famous for its “curiously small stills,” which it claims provide body and texture to stand up to the distillery’s signature sherry-cask regimen. Despite its luxury trappings, Macallan is an enormous distillery, which after a recent $150 million expansion will churn out about 14 million liters a year. Macallan has also invested heavily in its wood program: It buys the wood directly, has it fashioned into casks, and then loans the casks to sherry bodegas for seasoning for up to three years.
Fine Oak 10
Unlike the traditional Macallan expressions, the Fine Oak range is aged in a combination of bourbon and sherry-seasoned casks—a concession to the scarcity of true ex-sherry barrels and a nod to drinkers who want a lighter drink.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE 10 years old
- ALC/VOL 46%
- NOSE More sherry than you’d expect: blackberry jam, marzipan, mint, green apple, and a slight feintiness. The nose disappears with water, then purrs back with cocoa and vanilla.
- PALATE There’s very little sherry here; instead, there’s sweet cinnamon up front, morphing into cherry cough syrup, biscuits, and a touch of cigarette ash. The finish is dry, short, and lightly herbal.
- GENERAL Innocuous, perfectly serviceable aperitif whisky—as one panel member put it, it’s “the Jack Daniel’s of scotch.”
The Macallan
12 Years Old
Aged exclusively in ex-sherry barrels, this is the classic entry-level Macallan malt.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE 12 years old
- ALC/VOL 43%
- NOSE Deep, rich sherry notes of cherry, roses, roasted nuts, fruitcake, oak furniture, and malt; water calls forth a bit more fruit.
- PALATE Quite sweet, with candied pecans, maple syrup, and cherry gum, it then darkens into a leathery, gingery mid-palate and a quick finish.
- GENERAL A multipurpose crowd-pleaser—the single malt to buy for people who say they don’t like scotch.
Double Cask
A curious take on the traditional Macallan—new American oak is fashioned into barrels in Spain, where it is “seasoned” with sherry before shipping to Scotland. The whisky is also aged in sherry-seasoned European oak—hence the “double cask.”
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE 12 years old
- ALC/VOL 43%
- NOSE Muted, with whiffs of oak, varnish, ash, and fruits; there isn’t a whole lot of sherry. Water brings out some cocoa.
- PALATE Quite sweet, with bubblegum, then quickly transitioning to a musky, ashy flavor with dates and leather; the finish is mild, with red fruits and bitters.
- GENERAL Not a noticeable improvement over the Fine Oak 10, except for the higher price tag.
The Macallan
Classic Cut
A one-time release from the Macallan, Classic Cut is aged in a combination of sherry-seasoned American oak and sherry-seasoned European oak, and bottled at cask strength.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE No age statement
- ALC/VOL 58.4%
- NOSE Vanilla, plums, dried figs, raisins, and a hint of matchstick; water turns it sweeter, with strawberry milk and brown sugar.
- PALATE Thick—think cherry syrup—with notes of dried fruits, potpourri, unsweetened chocolate, baking spices, and cotton candy; adding water dries it out significantly. The finish is long, bitter, and woody.
- GENERAL A powerful, hirsute whisky, and quite enjoyable for that—but it lacks evolution and benefits from a good dose of water.
Fine Oak 15
Same as the 10 Year Old, with five more years of age and a slightly higher proof.
- PRICE $$$ · RATING
- AGE 15 years old
- ALC/VOL 43%
- NOSE Soft and fruity, with creamy vanilla, dried fruits, fresh paint, cherry Coke, and linseed oil; an ashy, chocolate note comes out with water.
- PALATE Sweet up front, followed by raisins, honey, pineapple, vanilla, and almond skins; the medium finish is muted and undistinguished.
- GENERAL Nice up front, then thins out quickly. It’s more nuanced than the Fine Oak 10, but don’t expect the complexity of traditional Macallans.
The Macallan
Fine Oak 17
Aged in a combination of ex-sherry and ex-bourbon barrels.
- PRICE $$$$ · RATING
- AGE 17 years old
- ALC/VOL 43%
- NOSE Rich tropical notes—baked banana and melon, honey, balsam, and a hint of sweet smoke; water calls forth baking spices.
- PALATE Creamy vanilla, golden raisins, light toffee, and the softest hint of smoke; the raisins and toffee dribble down the finish.
- GENERAL Muted, elegant, and almost refreshing, but ultimately uninteresting.
18 Years Old
The iconic baller single-malt, it’s aged exclusively in ex-sherry casks.
- PRICE $$$$ · RATING
- AGE 18 years old
- ALC/VOL 43%
- NOSE A sherry bomb—raspberry jam on biscuits, fresh-picked strawberries, toast, and a slight hint of citrus; water only weakens it.
- PALATE Hella smooth, with a toasty, malty backbone, alongside figs, baker’s chocolate, and muted ginger, and a lingering sherry finish.
- GENERAL The nose beats the palate, which is flavorful but—like so much of what constitutes luxury products these days—a bit characterless.
The Macallan
Rare Cask
Made from a combination of sixteen different sherry-seasoned casks, at different ages, drawn from the top one percent of the distillery’s barrels—a testament to Macallan’s sophisticated wood-management program.
- PRICE $$$$ · RATING
- AGE No age statement
- ALC/VOL 43%
- NOSE Fresh-hewn oak, vanilla, raisins, grapefruit, dried apricots, creamed butter, sea air, and a hint of mint and smoke.
- PALATE Sweet up front, then deepening into rye crisps, chocolate mint, strawberry candy, and a muted maltiness; the finish continues the mint, like a slowing bass line.
- GENERAL Critics like to hit on the Macallan’s use of sherry-seasoned casks, as opposed to true ex-sherry casks, but at least in this case, it doesn’t matter. Rare Cask is what a sherried malt should be—light, almost playful, without losing complexity. And it’s only available in the United States.