Another day, another bottle of Scotland’s finest. This time around, I went with a bottle of The Macallan 12 year.
Back before I knew anything about whisky, I knew about Jonny Walker, and Macallan. I bought my Dad a bottle a few years ago. I also bought one for my boss last Christmas, albeit a 10 year. I just heard that it was really good stuff. I heard if you were to buy a bottle of whisky for someone, you couldn’t go wrong with The Macallan. Knowing so much more about whisky than I did just a few months ago, I can honestly tell you that The Macallan wouldn’t be my first choice.
All that aside, I just had to try a bottle just to see if I’d been gifting some pretty crappy whisky or not. At almost $60 bucks a bottle, it better be “the good stuff”.
It’s bottled at 43%, so it’s a wee bit stronger than anything I’ve had yet.
I don’t know if it’s just the lighting, but it looks pretty dark, but it’s the same color as Johnnie Walker.
On the nose, you can really tell that extra 3% is there. It’s pretty strong. I’m not picking up those apple blossoms and floral scents that were written on the review that I read, but I’m definitely detecting those sherry casks.
The palate is supposed to be medium-body and quite firm. It is. After drinking many, many bottles of 40% whisky, I can really tell that extra alcohol is there. There’s supposed to be notes of pastry, marmalade, sultanas, and barley sugar. I wasn’t picking any of that up, but it does have a hint of sweetness, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I guess it’s the mix of fruity flavors. I added just a splash of water to help open it up. I can really taste the oak on the finish.
My wife likes it. She’s not about to have a glass of it, but with just a sip, she said she preferred it to over the
Glenfiddich. I found that really surprising. I thought that little extra kick would have turned her off, but she said it’s surprisingly crisp. I agree. It has a kick to it, but it’s a very fresh, clean tasting whisky with some really nice woody smells and tastes. I really like smelling and tasting the wood in my whisky, so the Macallan doesn’t disappoint.
It did take 2 or 3 glasses (without water) to fully appreciate it. I don’t know if I’d buy another bottle of it. It was good to finally experience The Macallan, but I wasn’t exactly blown away.
