LouisianaLonghorn
Macallan 12 Year Sherry Oak Cask
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed
December 30, 2020 (edited August 17, 2022)
Have you ever met a celebrity? Or a politician? Or someone with a public profile? Somebody who you’ve seen hyped and advertised foe years and years and built up an expectation of that person, good, bad, or otherwise? What was your reaction when you met that person? Did they meet your expectations, or did they come up short? I suspect ones first time drinking a MacAllan feels similar.
MacAllan is one of the few names in the whisky world that non-whisky people know. It’s given as a gift as a symbol of corporate dick measuring. It’s featured in movies and television as a symbol of luxury. Older bottles sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. With all that hype, it may seem inevitable that the actual whisky is a letdown, but damnit all of MacAllan doesn’t make good stuff.
Nose is redolent of rich oloroso, with clear evidence of quality casks. Perfumey, floral, fruity, nutty, and deeply enticing. MacAllan always shines on the nose. The palate translates that nose with the addition of the signature MacAllan almond/marzipan note I get from their spirit. Rich, creamy, and lovely. Finish is only medium length, but like a fine meal, you enjoy every bit of it.
I must admit, I didn’t think I would like this. I didn’t want to like it. It’s overpriced (I got it on sale for $65...about $5 more than I would pay for a 12 year single malt). It’s overhyped. The packaging is ridiculous with all the holograms and security seals (see a 2017 issue of Whisky Advocate for more info). But the whisky inside is good. Very tasty. Easy to drink. Good dram to introduce someone to single malt scotch, and a bottle I will continue to enjoy. Cheers!
65.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@Ctrexman it has become quite tasty. It was also an unexpectedly pleasant contrast to all the bourbon I’ve been drinking lately (also delicious).
Reading your review again makes me want another bottle, I really like this stuff....creamy sugared figs mmmm
I’m upping my score to a 4. This got way better with air. Recommend.
Its not the best but It still has enough cache to warrant this discussion we are having
@cascode well and precisely stated.
Well folks, I seem to have generated a little conversation here. I feel compelled to point out that I do believe this is in fact “good” whisky, but not “great” whisky, as I do feel about other sherry monsters on the market.
@skillerified what a great mooch story!
At Thanksgiving 2019 I had one, then poured myself three more, glasses of the 18 year. Didn't know what it was at the time, just knew it was delicious. Later, I looked it up, saw the price, and suddenly understood the slant eyes I got from the in-laws as I poured those extra glasses. No regrets, though.
A speculators wet dream...a whiskey enthusiasts mediocrity...unless you are prepared to pay high three figures a bottle..
Macallan has had its day, as far as I'm concerned. Even just 10 years ago the 12 and 18 year olds were a force of nature but almost everything recently has been "good" at most, and sometimes substandard, yet their prices are still inflated. Macallan is, and always was, all about great sherry casks and the plain fact is that the casks of yesteryear do not exist any longer. Which is also the reason why old, mature Macallan sells for silly money (to people who do actually drink it). The stratospheric prices commanded by very, very old Macallan is just driven by clueless "collectors" with way more money than sense or taste.
Ivy League. Pretentious, wildly overpriced, probably needs a good ass-kicking, but more often than not knows their business and stays a step ahead of the pack. Anyway, that’s my totally uneducated midwestern assumption that I’d like to keep intact to stoke my biases.
I think Karuizawa might now have overtaken Macallan for the highest priced single malt.