It's not very often you run across an independent bottling of Macallan, one of the Fine Old Names in Scotch. Well known for having old bottles selling at auction in the tens of thousands of dollars/pounds, they tend to guard their brand very, very carefully, and presumably they don't like to have their name and reputation out there floating around outside their control.
On the other hand, their brand has become a bit silly in the last few years, with rapidly climbing prices and more and more No Age Statement bottlings that verge on the ridiculous with the amount of hype and pretension invested in them. Many people have commented that they are perhaps too obsessed with their own image. So what to make of this bottle?
The core bottlings - especially the 12 Year and 15 Year - are all good-to-very-good representations of quality sherried Scotch whisky. When the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) unveiled this single cask natural strength Macallan for their annual Speyside festival, I jumped at the chance to try it. Usually the SMWS has ancient bottles of Macallan for the expected exorbitant prices - it's nice to try a more accessible bottle.
It's aged 12 years: the SMWS took several oloroso butts and vatted them in a first fill American oak Pedro Ximenez hogshead, which was then eventually bottled at a whopping 63.3% ABV. Nicknamed "The Deepest of Mahogany" by the SMWS. Let's see how one of the supposed "premiere" sherry-oriented Scotch distilleries comes through in an independent bottle:
Nose: First, a rare note about color - this one of the darkest whiskies I've ever tried. It looks exactly like sherry - the name, The Deepest of Mahogany, is very apt. The nose itself is rich and thick: raisins in syrup, cherry cola, Maraschino cherries in syrup, and an oak note. And of course, some significant alcohol fumes (63.3%!). It's very concentrated, and some water does not go amiss here to help space out the aromas. With water, an added nuttiness comes forward: walnuts, specifically.
Mouthfeel: Absurdly thick and resinous.
Palate: Well, this is exactly what the nose would have you expect: deeeep raisins, figs, spicy oak (peppery), some chocolate, and tons more cherry. With water, the official tasting notes are right on the money: poached pear emerges, along with wine, cola, and more chocolate. Big, rich flavors. There is also a sort of bready/yeasty quality when you add water, which I sometimes find with heavily sherried whiskies. Some spicy ginger on the tail end; the same nuttiness from the nose comes through here as well.
Finish: On the brief side - spicy oak and cherries are the brunt of it, but it fades out pretty quickly.
Verdict: This is fascinating stuff - it's not as much like the regular 12 Year Double Cask as I would have initially thought. Instead, it's more lively, more vivid, and full of flavors that are turned up to 11 - especially the broad cherry cola note that I found from start to finish.
*edit* Apparently Macallan does have an official higher strength bottling, the Classic Cut - and it's damned expensive (of course). Also rare - I have never seen it in a DC liquor store, and the website says it's out of stock. It's bottled in the mid-50%s, so I'm unsure if it's actually cask strength or not. I will still try to find some and sample it, if I can.
The flavors in this SMWS bottle are so full and robust, it makes the regular 43% bottlings seem pretty pale in comparison. Worth having, if you ever chance upon it - a different side of Macallan.
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