Macallan Double Cask 15 Year

On the nose, it has a less acetone feel than the 12 double cask-surely the extra 3 years made it more mellow. Sweet, with hints of toffee, butterscotch, a hint of dried fruit, milk chocolate and vanilla. On the palate is sweet as well, way more than the 12 yr. Little spicy, with cinnamon, white pepper, caramel, clove, raisin, toffee again. Not long legged on the finish side, but not too short either. I bought this bottle overseas, where the dollar to Colombian peso conversion brings it down to $120 with taxes, so I pulled the trigger. It’s a 700ml bottle however, but I don’t feel dissatisfied nor disappointed. I think I will rather save money and drink this one over the 12 yr Double Cask, but that is because I have family in Colombia that can bring me a bottle every 3 months or so.

The finish is this whisky’s drawback. Two or three more points in the ABV scale would have worked wonders to remedy such a weak finish. It’s worth mentioning that The Macallan 18 year old Double Cask is noticeably better, even at an anemic 43% ABV. Can the difference be chalked up to three more years in wood, or is there something else, as well? Hard to say. On the other hand, The Macallan 15 Years Old Double Cask is better than its Triple Cask sibling, even from years gone by. Bravo. Aside from a weak finish in the more recent 15-year-old Double Cask release, there is that hint of gun powder on the nose to consider. Sulfur is a tricky thing, which, unfortunately, can come with the territory if sherry wood is involved in the aging process. In this case, the note is far from overpowering. But even the (metaphorical) hint of a smoking gun has been known to cause some hands to cover their glasses politely, should a second round be offered. By way of a disclaimer, it should be mentioned that aversion to light sulfur in a whisky’s scent is a matter of opinion. This view is by no means universal, or even definitive.

Nose: Raisin, Vanilla , Chocolate Palate: Raisin, Toffee, Cinnamon, Ginger Finish: Spicy Chocolate and Ginger

Standard Macallan type of flavours. Caramel, Vanilla, smoothness in droves