This is the last bottle of Macallan I have that I will open, I promise. This is the 2017 edition of the 18 year old, coming in a glossy purple box. I bought it for $230. You might still be able to find it on shelves for $200-300. Future value of this is probably $1000. I shouldn’t have done it, but sometimes you just have to have something that is the whisky equivalent of a blowjob. Purple box Macallan 18 sherry oak is like getting head in the back of the club. $200 might be fair for that. The new black box Macallan 18 sherry oak is like getting hit in the back of the head with a club. Do you see how, if you are stuck on branding, and you had to choose between getting head in a club and getting hit in the head with a club, you may be prone to pay more to get head than the intrinsic value of getting head? That is the secret to the exorbitant value of old Macallan’s. Every time they rebrand and the quality gets ponderously lower, the older Macallan’s become even more valuable. Except, I seriously do not know if the current line up can hold up as investments when they inevitably release even more undrinkable shite. We may have reached a threshold where buying new Macallan is no longer smart for consuming or investing purposes. I thought I would never give the investment advice to snatch up purple box Macallans at $300, but this is the last accessible Macallan that is delicious, and that is sure to appreciate. High quality oak, very little sulfur, rich sherry influence, and a balanced finish. It is a simple, but precise pleasure. I still think the Billy Walker Glendronach 18’s are better in all aspects, but you aren’t going to sell a Glendronach 18 to a Rolex-wearing ponce. Collecting, hoarding, flipping, investing, and otherwise not drinking the bottles of Macallan that you buy should be completely acceptable behavior in our current environment. Macallan should be celebrated as a protector of single malt Scotch, draining the resources of the astute investors and the cluelessly wealthy so that other brands can be relatively reserved for the enthusiasts. Score: * (unforgettably good) How much does a bottle cost?: Too much for consumption How much do I think a bottle is worth?: $180 (if judging only the intrinsic value of the liquid)