It’s been ages since I had a Malts of Scotland bottling, and it’s been even longer since I had a Macallan.
I was about to rant a lot about why Macallan is no longer regarded as highly as it was 20 years ago, by whisky fanatics at least. Things about age statements, golden promise barley, sherry casks and price points, I think it’s a topic that has been chewed out a bit too much.
This one came from a share a very short while ago through another channel than my own. It looked interesting and I didn’t even check which whiskies were in the share. Somehow I must have read it, but this Macallan was still a surprise. A youngster at only 10 years old, but then again, it has a vintage and not just a random color reference.
Sniff:
Sweet with a dusty nuttiness. Some apricots, with their stones. Barley and a bit of a sweet pound cake note, with a dark buttery crust.
Sip:
The arrivals is quite sharp on the first sip. All the nutty goodness, but in a biting way. Oak, pastry, nuts.
Swallow:
The finish has quite some bite. Dry, woody, lots of assorted nuts. Apricots and almonds for a touch of bitterness on top of the sweetness.
The reviews on Whiskybase are utter trash for this one, but I quite liked it. It’s weirdly nutty, maybe even some ‘picked nuts’ which seem to pop up in this distillery’s profile now and again. It’s weird, it’s definitely not run of the mill single malt, but I found it rather enticing.
86/100