I am a big fan of the Macallan sherry line, but my previous experience with the fine oak line has only been the 10 year, which I found very bland and uninspiring. I decided to include this in a flight I was doing just to see if the age makes any difference. This is aged in both bourbon and sherry casks.
Price: $110 for 750ml
Distilled/Owned by: Macallan / Edrington Group
Region: Speyside
43% ABV
Aged For: 15 Years
Mashbill: 100% malted barley
Cask Type: Spanish sherry, American bourbon, and American oak sherry
Chill Filtered: Yes
Color Added: No
Drank: Neat, in a glencairn
Color: Straw Gold
Nose: Faint oak and light fruits. Orange, a bit of cinnamon, and spring flowers. Honeycomb.
Taste: Predominantly vanilla and caramel. Milk chocolate with just a bit of raisin and citrus. Very watery and light.
Finish: Very gentle with just a slight warmth. Orange, cinnamon, and just a touch of mint. Vanilla oak.
Thoughts: Certainly a summer dram. It’s not very complex or heavy, but it’s leagues ahead of the 10 year in flavor. For half the price you can get Balvenie 14 Caribbean cask and I enjoyed that a bit more than this.
Score: 79 out of 100
