Macallan Classic Cut (2017 Release)

I don’t really understand this whiskey. It’s just not a pleasant experience overall. It doesn’t taste nearly as good as the Edition No.2 or even the 12 for a similar priced whiskey. It tastes unrefined on the palate, and the finish has some bitterness to it. The high ABV Macallan is always welcomed, but I just wish it can taste a bit better.

I’ve been wanting to try this limited release from Macallan for a while, and thanks to @LeeEvolved I now have that chance. Classic Cut is bottled at cask strength of 58.4% ABV, is non chill filtered and natural color of dark copper. The nose is powerful. Sweet sherry, heavy raisins and dates and dark cherries. Sherried sawdust...I’m sorry sir I just dropped this bottle of sherry on the floor. That’s ok ma’am, it just so happens I have a bucket full of sawdust from when I ground down my old oak tree stump. Let me just soak up that sherry...that’s what it’s like. Sherried nuts, pecans, walnuts, almonds and cashews. A touch of mint. Being cask strength I had to experiment with some water. Water releases lots of vanilla, toffee, caramel, maple syrup, brown sugar and milk chocolate. A little musty, more oak, a light malty character and some concord grapes. The palate is even more powerful than the nose. Spicy sherry. Raisins, dates and molasses cookies. Orange oil, tobacco and old leather. A bit okay but balanced. Red berries, cherries and toffee. A full bodied mouthfeel that starts smooth, then turns dry, then hot, then mouthwatering. The finish is long. Sherry, dry oak that leaves a dusty feeling in the back of the throat, cherries. This definitely feels like a cask strength version of the standard 12 year old. Strong and intense flavors that demand water. I added roughly 2-3mL of water per 30mL (1oz.) of whisky. Classic Macallan profile cranked up to 11. A good value for money at around $90 for a cask strength Macallan. I still think I would take the 12 year Double Cask over this one though as I like the higher proportion of American oak that is used. Of course the Rare Cask is better than both but who can afford to make that one a permanent member of their collection? Still I have to give it up for this one. A solid 4.25 Cheers

Orange, sweet