Macallan Edition No. 3

Great nose, a bit spicy on palate, vanilla and dried fruits notes, chocolate, quite floral.

48.3% NAS Chill filtered Color added Nose: Bright and fruit-forward. Red apple; pear; a dark berry note I can’t quite but my finger on; hint of vanilla and nutmeg. Palate: Full mouthfeel, creamy and sweet. A classic sherried and bourbon cask Macallan sweetness of dark cherry and plum; vanilla again developing into mild oak with a hint of clove and ginger. Touch of smoky sulfur and alcohol in the background. Medium viscosity. Finish: Medium length; citrus note of orange and a touch of lemon. Slightly floral as well; light oak and apples carries through. Value: limited release and becoming harder to find by the day. At $110-130 USD, a bit pricy given other options at that price point. Final thoughts: A solid addition to the Macallan “Edition” range, but not a world beater at the price and offering fewer surprises and complexities than the Edition 4. A dram for those who just straight up love their sherried Macallans without too many extras. 3.5/5 Recommend trying or buying a bottle at a good price

It’s time to chronicle my experiences with some of these new Macallan NAS series: Editions. They have released a bottle of this every year since 2015. They are all experimental batches trying different blenders, wood types, etc. Prices have remained consistent on the retail market- about $90-100 for each batch. The secondary market has gone absolutely bonkers over Edition No. 1, though- with prices approaching $1000 for a bottle now. The clear answer to that is “No”. Let’s focus on the 2017 batch: Edition No. 3. This batch was influenced by a perfumer named Roja Dove. The big players here are different styles of oak cask. It’s copper gold in color and forms large, watery droplets and fat legs when you spin the Glencairn. The nose starts with lots of chocolate covered candies and vanilla caramel cremes. Intensely sugary before transitioning to different barrel characteristics: fresh cut oak, sun-bleached driftwood and damp, ex-sherry casks. Some florals creep in as it breathes. The palate is surprisingly harsh and spicy. There’s a strange heat present even though it has a malty and thick mouthcoat. There’s some bitter chocolate and Christmas cake notes, too. The spice and coarse notes overpower any lasting impression. The finish is still spicy, but the heat doesn’t linger here. It’s medium in length while remaining oily and quite heavy. Macallan sherry notes finally make their entrance here, but it’s too late to save this dram for me. This is not the Macallan that I know and love. Overall, the nose is the star player here- if you want to give any credence to this dram. The palate and finish are too harsh and hot to tame. This one only gets 2.75-3 stars from me. I’m hoping the Edition 2 bottle redeems this series for me. Cheers.