Macallan Cask Strength

The best bottle I’ve ever had; a fiercely muscular flavor that lasts longer than a newbie on leg day.

figs

I wandered into my semi-local whisky bar yesterday after riding around Richmond (VA) looking for the last few bottles of Classic Cut that are sitting on shelves around town. I mentioned that to the bar owner and he convinced me to buy a pour of Classic Cut with a side car of the original Cask Strength- to compare the two. For $22, I couldn’t refuse. I love the new Classic Cut, but this bottle of Cask Strength (from 2013, at 59% ABV) is on an entirely different plane. The depth in color transfer over to the palate- you can tell this bottle has some serious age to it, despite being NAS. The raisin, prunes and plums add serious sweetness to keep that higher alcohol in check- even better than Classic Cut does. It’s incredibly complex, too. It’s like taking the Rare Cask and upping it to 60%. There’s a restrained burn on the finish but the crazy flavors return once the heat subsided and hang around until you chase them away. I quickly did a rare bottle search and found a few bottles of this online, but the retailers were asking over $500 for it. That’s crazy high, especially for a NAS, but damn this is a crazy good bottle. If you can find a friendly bartender- grab a pour and if you have the means- buy a bottle and find out for yourself. This one is Macallan at its finest. 4.5 stars.