The Macallan Edition No. 1

An odd aroma of dark roasted nuts, rubber, vanilla, stewed fruits. It's like combining Macallan with factory by products. Dark fruits, dark malt, and a stark dry smoke finish that is the black sheep of the group. I much prefer the edition No.2.

$115.00

I was lucky to sample this limited edition (which, halfway through 2016 is still available at most retailers, so just how "limited" is this anyway?) at the Brandy Library in NYC. This new NAS whisky definitely sports some aged sherry casks in the mix... it definitely has some of the unctuous red-fruit sherry goodness that you can expect from Macallan's main line. There's also vanilla notes on the nose and palate... this release really plays like a consolidation of the Sherry Oak and Fine Oak ranges, albeit the scales are tipped a bit in favor of the former. There's some wood spice on the finish and a medium heat as well, which is likely a consequence of the higher ABV that is meant to cater to American palates for higher-proof bourbons. The firmly-entrenched anti-NAS camp will cry foul but this is an excellent release from Macallan.