Macallan Sienna 1824 Series

$90

Nose: Sweet sherry, spicy over-ripe oranges, rose-hip tisane, rockmelon, sandalwood, vanilla, caramelized apples sprinkled with cinnamon, barley sugar. Palate: A rich and velvety soft arrival, honeyed but with a little balancing oak dryness. Lots of different fruits, led by blood oranges, dates, caramelized figs, sweet apples, sultanas, apricots, black cherries and cranberries. Raspberry jam. As the development continues there is a PX sherry note and then rich Christmas fruit cake makes an appearance. A handful of subtle spices (cinnamon, clove, cardamom, caraway) in the background of the fruitcake with some mixed peel and almonds. Very full and mouthcoating. This is a seriously nice fruity palate. Finish: Medium-long, fruity and sugary sweet. Almonds and hazelnuts in the end. Lingering and very enjoyable. Similar in many ways to Macallan Amber (unsurprisingly) but with a lot more depth and maturity. You need to taste all the 1824 series in order to appreciate how they escalate in quality. In my opinion the spirit is identical but the better expressions receive longer maturation in increasingly better casks, with an also increasing input of first-fill. For example, the palate here has a strong berry and rich fruit profile rather than the lighter citrus/tropical palate of the Amber expression, or the very light and dry citrus of the Gold. Also, the fruitcake flavours in the palate are richer and appear more gradually here, whereas in the Amber they jump at you suddenly and are not as developed, and in the Gold they are barely formed and more like yeasty bread. It's quite a sweet profile overall but never cloying and without even a suggestion of bitterness or sourness. A satisfying and approachable whisky and a fine example of modern Macallan style at its most successful. Like the Amber expression, this sings a song of summer to me, a performance to enjoy at dusk on a balmy evening. "Very Good" : 86/100 (4 stars)

170$