Macallan 25 North Star Bottling

To finish up my exploration through some Macallans, I have a sample of a 25-year IB that was distilled in 1993 and bottled in 2019 at 49.2%, from a single bourbon hogshead that was finished in a sherry octave. The nose is bold and syrupy rich starting with powdered sugar dusted cherries jubilee, sweet lemon lime cheesecake and dusty leather-bound books then blonde espresso, dark chocolate ganache over figgy pudding, musty cavernous minerality and freshly lit sweet pipe tobacco followed by butterscotch caramel over poached pears, sautéed mangoes and mandarin oranges that transitions to ginger, cloves, cardamom and polished antique furniture with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a rich syrupy mouthfeel starting with a mix of sweet creamy tropical fruits, butterscotch creme brûlée, Black Forest gateau and dusty leather-bound books then blonde espresso, caramelized figs, cavernous minerality and sweet pipe smoke followed by poached pears, sautéed mangoes and mandarin oranges that transitions to ginger, cloves, cardamom and freshly lacquered antique furniture with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with creamy tropical fruits, butterscotch pudding, Black Forest gateau, cavernous minerality, blonde espresso, sweet pipe tobacco, dusty leather-bound books and freshly lacquered antique furniture. This is whisky decadence that the nose is bold and intense which permeated the room with syrupy rich sweets and creamy citrus that is underscored by dusty polished oak and earthy spices that carried over to the taste with a thick syrupy mouthfeel that is perfectly balanced with the addition of tropical fruits that finishes long starting with a mix of rich creamy fruits, butterscotch and luxurious chocolate before turning mildly earthy with musty earthiness and antique furniture that lingers for minutes after each sip. After tasting the 2020 release of the regular 25-year Macallan, I felt that it was an exceptional dram that the flavors were subtler than I prefer along with a mild bitter spice that kept it from achieving a perfect score, but this single cask from North Star rectified those issues by dialing those flavors to an 11 with no bitter spice that was an exquisite and powerful dram to experience.