consamp
Reviewed
October 5, 2018 (edited May 22, 2019)
The quest to diversify my growing collection of whisky has continued as I finally broke down and bought my first bottle of Macallan. After hearing so many people complain they are not worth the money and not wanting to pay for their aggressive marketing campaign I stayed away as long as I could.
I was a convert to scotch early this summer after drinking exclusively bourbon and beer for the past five years. My introduction to scotch was Lagavulin 16 so peaty whisky is what I consider my “home” and first love. Sweetness was something I associated with the corn from bourbon and was not something I had been looking for in this new found hobby of buying and tasting scotch. Holy hell have I been missing out.
The nose may have brought me to my knees had I smelled this for the first time while standing. Chocolate, vanilla, wood, berries, and honey. The shock came from just how sharp and in your face the scent hit me. It is the exact opposite of a Laphroaig/Ardbeg in regards to flavor/scent profile but I’ll be damned if the volume of this isn’t turned up to eleven as well. I think I smelled this for ten minutes before taking my first sip. The wood and vanilla really come across on the palate well. The sweetness is not as strong as the palate suggests but I did get pear and cinnamon on the finish. I would have guessed this was a 40-43 ABV but I appreciate the Macallan clocking in just over 48 ABV.
I don’t know if I just got lucky with this bottle or if I am really loving strong sherry finished whiskys now (my only previous experience is the Glenfarclas 12 and 25). The store had nine more of this edition and I may pick up another bottle as reserve.
Any recommendations for sweeter drams are very welcome as I prepare for another trek to the store to see what else I may be missing out on.
4.75/5
109.0
USD
per
Bottle