Macallan Classic Cut (2018 Release)

Rich, full, vanilla, this starts in strong and really kicks you in the mouth. I’m an Islay guy, but I love this.

Feels odd to review this a day after their 21 year fine oak (or triple whatever) and it is even odder that going in my expectation is going to award this a significantly higher score. Still, for science lets dig in. Nose - Sweet, bold, sherry, chocolate, caramel, ginger, and there is a fruit candy that is somewhere between a peach and an orange. At the finish you can get some younger oak notes and that doesn't surprise me given that this is likely mostly 6-12 year old whisky. It's however pretty far back and not off putting. Taste - The flavors here are very and I still can't place the fruit. It is a bit of orange but without that citrus bite. There's vanilla. There are some baking christmas spices. Finish - citrus comes out more in the finish and it's long and lingering from the intense alcohol bite. Now with all Macallans we run into more silly...despite the name this isn't actually cask strength. The 2018 being lower abv even comes off more so than the 2017 and you don't get the creamy mouth feel that it could have had. I feel like their random looking abv was intended to fool whisky drinkers and frankly it's just more of their odd marketing. OK, their awful marketing aside how is it overall? This is a very good whisky. I'm going to do the 2017 next and we'll see but I'm finding that they found a way to hide the youth in a very nice way but with even a bit of experience you can tell the difference in well aged whisky and this. Still it's a unique flavor profile and a really good one for me. It's dangerously drinkable and might be one of the best day drinking (on a weekend of course) whiskies around. The complexity is there for a top tier dram but the finish and transitions are much more in line with a far cheaper whisky. 100 bucks - I'd say get it if you like sherry whisky. It's a huge upgrade from the Glendronach batch 7 (tested and proven in a blind taste test), but falls well short of the less expensive Tamduh batch 3 I had in the tasting. 3.0, if this is your wheel house you better go ahead and get it. If not...you need to be someone who spends 200+ on whisky often to make this a gamble.

It's good. Packs a wallop. But overpriced. Glad I tried it, but won't buy another bottle of this, I believe.

Sweet sherry. Easy finish

#WhiskyReview #96 featuring #Macallan #ClassicCut2018. Bottled at 51.2% ABV (less than prior year’s 58.4% — why?). Aged exclusively in Spanish #Oloroso #sherry casks. Reviewed on 5/17/2019. ....…......….…........................................................................... Nose: 87. Candied ginger and powdered sugar. Ripe figs and nutmeg. Classic Macallan nose but muted and less complex compared to similarly priced and similar ABV content of Edition 2, 3, or 4. Sulfur on the nose like #Macallan12. ....…......….…........................................................................... Palate: 88. Chewy ginger candy and orange milk chocolate. ....…......….…........................................................................... Finish: 87. #ClassicCut2018 finishes with spicy oak and vanilla...and a touch of sulfur. ....…......….…........................................................................... Overall Experience: 87. I appreciate the high ABV, but this expression is not quite as good as #ClassicCut2017. The 2017 was amazing; the 2018 version is a huge let down. ....…......….…........................................................................... VFM: 84. This expression initially sold for $100 USD but I’ve seen prices dropped to $80 (the price I paid). It’s still overpriced for what you get.