LeeEvolved
Macallan Double Cask 12 Year
Single Malt — Highland, Scotland
Reviewed
May 13, 2017 (edited September 3, 2021)
So, since my fellow Scottish Distillery Tour compatriots have already sampled one of their own offerings for the second round of the tour- I gotta get in on that. So I gave myself a long pour of the Macallan 12 year Double Cask. This one comes in at 43% ABV and uses ex-sherry casks from America and Europe for this new, core offering from Macallan.
It's a dark gold/dirty copper in the Glencairn and makes some oily, but thin legs after giving it a swirl. The nose is mostly sherry (of course), but there's some nice chocolate notes bursting through along with a bit of dried fruits. Then there's that ever-present "Macallan note".
On the tongue, a nice pop of spicy oak really catches your attention before being washed away by the normal sherry and dark fruits. It's incredibly smooth, just like most from Macallan. I haven't had the regular 12 year old in a while, but this definitely seems less harsh than what I remember from that one.
The finish is bright- spicy and zesty before being overtaken by the chocolate and darker fruit sweetness. There's a tiny bit of burn from the ABV, but it's over pretty quickly and finishes drier than I'd like.
Overall, it's a typical Macallan. Tasty, yet non-offending at all. I kind of want to apologize to the guys on the SDT group because I claimed Macallan off of the list and supplied this run-of-the-mill sauce. I know there are better offerings from Macallan that would've probably went over better, but here early on we are all a little cost conscious and I've had this bottle under the bar for quite some time. We can cross Macallan off the list, but I should've done better. 3.5 stars. Cheers, my friends.
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Precise review - couldn't agree more.
Thanks for the clarification, Paul & Lee, I'm almost as quick to jump to conclusions as put my foot in my mouth! I can only but concur with the "law of relativity!" @Pranay, no worries old boy! I'm on my annual alcohol sabbatical month, reviews to resume the 'Glorious First of June.' I still have a few of your samples to expunge... 🤓
Davie!!!??? You're still here? I thought we lost you to a tea blog 😊
Lol@Davie- that's the scotch "snob" coming out in Paul. When that scotch count gets up into the triple digits perhaps it's how we tend to start classifying malts. I make those same comments from time to time, I think without truly meaning them. When it comes to Macallan I seem to hold them to a higher standard simply because their stuff tends to hold my wallet hostage. I'm quicker to label a run-of-the-mill Macallan a dud (unfairly) for that reason alone, but if my local and home bar had only this, JW White, Cutty Sark and Glenlivet 12- well, then I'd probably be reaching for that 5-star Macallan Double Cask all the time. If you catch my drift, lol. Cheers.
Oh I'm sure I've had and will continue to try worse than this Macallan. But as Macallans go, this might not be even close to the best, just more affordable which is one of the stipulations of our group. By "dud" I'm simply saying it might not live up to expectations.
...whuzzah? @Paul, I wouldn't label this a 'dud'... and if you're truly questing to sample EVERY distillery in Scotland, you'll be swilling MUCH worse than decade-old Macallan. PS: Brilliant description Lee!
Agreed.
It's ok. With the amount of samples coming we won't have time to dwell on one or two duds