Jose-Massu-Espinel
Macallan Edition No. 5
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed
June 30, 2020 (edited March 8, 2021)
I have said this at least a dozen times, you know im not a Macallan fan, i have had some excelent, normal and bad ones. Actually i have had the 5 editions, and hated No. 2, liked 1 and 3 and loved No. 4.
What im trying to say here is that i believe that i do not fall for Macallan's Marketing Hype as other people do; nor i trash talk it just to be internet cool. I try to be objective about my hobby: reviewing whisky.
Having said all that, this one is a very good whisky, that has one of the best aromas i have ever found on a dram. Edition No. 3 was supposed to have the best aroma, since it was selected by a perfume maker. That one doesn't even come close to edition No. 5's Aroma. Lets review this dram:
First, this edition is a tribute to Macallan's original whisky color, and they actually with the Pantone Color Institute to get a special shade of purple that represent Macallan. It's on the box.
Bottled at 48.5%abv, tawny color.
On the nose, best aroma in the whisky world. At least one of my top 5 whisky aromas ever. I did a tasting event and everyone agreed. It is just spectacular. Here are my notes on it:
Grapes. Very floral, resembles a japanese whisky. Very winey. Honey hard candy. Sawdust. Incredibly perfumed. Chocolate, toffee, honey, hazelnut, nutella, TEMPERA PAINT, dates, red fruits. Second sip reveals blackberries, full caramel. Third sip, floral and red fruits. It is just crazy. You really don't need to drink it, you can just smell it.
The rest of the dram is good, nothing super amazing, but good. Strawberries, blackberries, sugary, dried fruits; molasses. A little bittersweet. Herbal and caramel notes. Abv is high enough to give you a decent, powerful flavor.
Aftertaste is where classic Macallan notes appear. Sawdust, oak, sulphur, minerals, salt. A little burn, aniseed, hazelnut and pie crest. A little dry.
Overall i can compare this whisky to David Beckham's football career: handsome and perfumed but gets dirty when needed. I really liked it, and i will give you my individual scores for every part of it:
Nose: 26 over 25 points. (Yes, i had to reward it one point over the limit since it deserves it).
Palate: 22 over 25.
Aftertaste: 21 over 25.
Balance: 22 over 25.
So 91 over 100. That is really a fair score for it. Sláinte!
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@Whiskey_Hound thank you very much
Solid review. This one is very good. I'm also a big fan of the 2, which I found this one to be most similar to. I rated both far above 3 and 4. Just goes to show how widely preference and perception can vary, even between people who agree on other whiskies. Very nicely done with this review