The Macallan - 16 May 2008 @ 7pm GMT

[mikeymad]

First random grab:

Macallan 18yo 40% (Kirkland, Sherry Cask Finish (Costco)) - Glencairn

[mikeymad]

Macallan 18yo 40% (Kirkland, Sherry Cask Finish (Costco)) - Glencairn

Nose - Some caramel and gym socks (musty),

Palate - sweetness, hard candy, white pepper, resolves quite nicely, medium body

Finish - Medium, spices and some caramel linger


-5

[mikeymad]

Okay - warming up now... I think that I will move on to a full OB:

Macallan 18yo 1986 43% (OB) always a fav at my house.

[mikeymad]

Oh.. BTW I am also sitting out in the Islay Chat room in case anyone wonders over there as well.

http://www.spiritofislay.net/warehouse4/stillroom/

Cheers,

[mikeymad]

Macallan 18yo 1986 43% (OB) - Glencairn

Nose - Full rich warm spices, cinnamon, blood orange juice, just overripe red apples, some wood, and vanilla
Palate - slightly oily, huge spice, full bodied, large orange flavors that resolve into a mix of cinnamon, and peppery spices,
Finish - long and warm with the spices and cooked fruit lingering on and on.

This is always a great dram for me. I always have a bottle open, and every time that I have it I know why I always have a bottle open. The '86 is not as good at the '78 I finished, but still a worthy dram.

[mikeymad]

Now to warm up even more - going from Sherry to ultra premium sherry

Macallan 18yo 1979 40% (OB) "Gran Reserva"- Glencairn

And anyone that knows me, I wish I had more of this dram

[mikeymad]

Macallan 18yo 1979 40% (OB) "Gran Reserva"- Glencairn

Nose - hard candy caramel, full ripe oranges, light spice, lovely balance on the nose
Palate - opulent mouth feel, slightly drying tannins as it sits, blend of spices, sugar, fruit
Finish - spicy long finish, warm, cooked oranges goes long.

It is a Mac 18yo vintage kicked up a notch. If you like it, it is a great great dram.

[mikeymad]

Hmmmm next step.... Let me think

In the mean time - Notes:

Location - Easter Elchies - Craigellachie

Water Source - Borehole wells

1824 - founded by Alexander Reid
1965 - add more stills 6 up to 12
1975 - 21 active stills
2004 - Launch Fine Oak

(Source - Scotch Calendar)

[mikeymad]

I think that a good step up is the big 25yo IB

Macallan 25yo 1972 46% (Murray McDavid) - Glencairn

One of the best 25s ever made.

[mikeymad]

Macallan 25yo 1972 46% (Murray McDavid) - Glencairn

Nose - now things get more and more subtle and integrated, blend of spice, cinnamon, vanilla, wood, pine needles, varnish, smoked cheese, cereal grains, yes those are all good things together
Palate - spice, fruit (oranges, apples, cooked watermelon), caramel, full body, almost creamy mouth feel
Finish - long long and long again, this is a 25 minute dram, great spice and oranges, and cinnamon.

One of my top beverages out of 800 or so... very nice drop.

[mikeymad]

Since I don't really like to drink alone, I will stop for now. Maybe get some Ice cream, It is hot here (still). I will keep the thread up in case anyone joins. Glad to see Macallan tasting, and all the notes. There is life behind the sherry.

Cheers,

[Ganga]

I'm here. Let's see. Where to start.

[Ganga]

Okay, I'm back and I apologize to everyone for the interuption. What is it...6 hours? Anyway, I am onthe COI 15 yo and will dram the Macallan at this point...alone.

[Ganga]

You don't even want to know the evenings drams. You're liver would revolt.

[Ganga]

It was punished Nick.

[Ganga]

Trader Joes 10 yo

Nose: Oakey
Palate: spicey, oakey
finsih: nice, still spicey and oakey

[TheTross]

Still unimpressed I missed this

However, I do intend to post some notes here this afternoon/evening; ryguy and Ras Mazunga were good enough to send me some Macallan samples especially for the tasting, so they'll be used for the tasting

[Willie JJ]

Yes I think I will come back and do a few more Mac notes over the next few days.

[TheTross]

Ok, first couple:

Macallan 10yo Cask Stength (58.8%, OB)

Colour: Burnt orange.

Nose: Heavily sherried! Very sweet (possibly mainly due to the alcohol), and very prickly too at first. Quite fragrant, with lots of chocolate. Red fruits and oranges. A minty freshness, though again that could be the alcohol. The prickle becomes subdued over time, with toffee, dark-chocolate confectionary and whisky fudge appearing. Also Cadbury's caramel chocolate. A faint earthiness every now and then. Simply beautiful. Water dulls the sherried note slightly and reveals a little more chocolate, with mint and a faint earthiness lurking in the background.

Palate: A little oily. Hugely sherried, but incredibly smooth - even velvety - with it. Becomes drying after a few seconds. Lightly citric and chocolaty. With water, the power from the sherry is calmed to leave a much more fruity profile.

Finish: Eep! Fizzy, incredibly winy and with a bit of a kick at full strength. Very good though, with chocolate appearing towards the end and a little citrus fruit (bitter orange, perhaps grapefruit) developing after that. Water makes it a little thinner and brings out a bit of mint, largely retaining the winy hit.

[TheTross]

Macallan 15yo Fine Oak (43%, OB)

Colour: Gold with green tints

Nose: Sweet and a little creamy. Very fruity at first (mainly citrus, though possibly some banana). Also a little dusty and herby. Subtle oak and spice. Hints of chocolate, mint, eucalyptus, honey, vanilla and perhaps a little burnt toffee develop after a while. Also a faint winy character?

Palate: Sweet and lightly spicy and honeyed, but mostly fruity again with a slightly bigger oak presence. Fairly robust.

Finish: Quite quiet for the first few seconds, with just a little fruit and mint and maybe some honey, but then a huge winy note hits. Doesn't last particularly long, with just a sweet, dusty grassiness lingering.

[TheTross]

Macallan 12yo (43%, OB)

Colour: Dark gold with green tints

Nose: Heavy sherry and dark mint-chocolate. Malty and spicy. A little earthy? Definitely a little sulphur. Honey and faintly creamy. Also a touch grassy and herby (basil). Citrus, blackcurrants and coffee. The sulphur disappears after a while.

Palate: Slightly oily. Not as sherried as the nose suggests, but it still makes its presence felt. Honeyed. Malty, with some citrus. Spices and dark fruit. A little chocolate.

Finish: Very spicy (cinnamon, aniseed) and well-sherried, with some malt, grass and herbs and a little caramel.

[TheShrink]

After posting my thoughts on the sherried 10 year old and oak finished 15 year old, Treakle Sponge saved some 30 year old for me and met up to share a wee dram. She knows I love Macallan so caught up to let me indulge, bless her cotton socks.


The Macallan 30 yr old

Colour : A rich, lush warm amber. Head to head, looked almost identical to the sherried 10 year old.

Nose : I get sherry. Some folk reckon it's wrong/self evident to say sherry, but heck it's what I get. If I was drinking sherry I['d not say it was like sherry, but drinking whisky I would The nose has a natural woodiness beneath the sweetness that smells a bit like cut wood with even a slight hint of something chemical to me. Treacle Sponge reckoned it was a pleasing bubblegum sort of thing, I got more of a petrol, but it was still a pleasing nose rather than a paint stripper sort of chemical! It's lost the hints of sweet fruit that are more prominent in the sherried 10 year old.

Palate : Very smooth again. There's still the sherry flavour and creaminess but now there's clear wood and a hint of mint too.

Finish : Again, a long and agreeable finish. Sweetness is less evident than in younger expressions, there's a slight (pleasing) almost peppery finish to it.

Hand on heart, that sherried 18 and 21 year old are still my favourite Macallans

[TheTross]

Macallan 18yo 1988 (43%, OB)

Colour: Burnt orange

Nose: Lots of sherry influence. Malt, mint, eucalyptus and some honey. Chocolate, liquorice and marzipan. A little dusty. Citrus fruits (mainly orange). A little rubber (balloons) and sulphur, but other than that very sweet. Red and black Wine Gums. Slightly herby and earthy, and a very faint suggestion of barbecued meat.

Palate: Substantial mouthfeel. Less sherry than on the nose. The faintest hint of rubber and sulphur. Also a little citrus fruit and slightly spicy. Possibly a little herbal too. Quite difficult and closed compared to the nose, but very tasty!

Finish: Honeyed, a little eucalyptus and faint sherry. A little mint (Murray Mints) develops late on.

[TheTross]

Ok, last one from me:

Macallan 16yo (57.4%, SMWS, Cask #24.96)

Colour: Dark gold

Nose: Well, you can smell the sherry from two feet away from the glass. Closer to the glass, and... yes, it's sherried but not overwhelmingly. Also not at all prickly, just a minty freshness from the alcohol. A lovely grassiness in the background. Hints of sulphur. Chocolate. Slight citrus notes and also a little creamy. Eucalyptus. Marzipan. Quite spicy. Becomes soapy with too much water, which unfortunately doesn't really fade over time, though it does help to bring out the sulphur. Less water makes it more minty and seems to remove all traces of the sulphur!

Palate: Quite oily. Lots of sherry and chocolate. A touch sulphuric. Citrus fruits, and quite hot and drying at full strength. A dash of water makes it very thin, only bringing out a little citrus, but adding only a few drops makes it really winy and minty and prevents the sulphur from appearing.

Finish: Sherry, a little citrus fruit and a slight grassiness and sulphur (burnt matchstick). Minty towards the end. A few drops of water increases the mint.

Tulip nosing glass used for all tastings.

And my favourite? Probably the 10yo Cask Strength, though the 12yo is definitely up there!

[OKDiver1]

A beautiful solo effort, Mr. Tross, and great notes.
I have a bottle of Mac Cask Strength coming, and I will surely use them as a reference.

[Ganga]

I kind of expected to be alone in my lack of regard for Macallan. I obviously don't have the palate for it.
WM scores it anywhere from 7.75 to 8.something I find.

I get the impression lots of folk on the forums aren't so big on Macallans. It seems out of fashion, or is it that it tastes different from it's hey-day?

I'd suggest a little of both. There is also the possibility that the huge price increases in their line have turned off many people (18 yo going from $50-60 to $130-175, 25 jumping from $200+ to $450+ in 18 months time).

For me, I think that most of the FO series are only so-so and way overpriced.

My favorite sherried Macallans date from the early to mid-1970s for distillation.

[Ganga]

When I have a sherry I usually say 'Oh it's like that Macallan 15'

That is more like it...

Well played... wish I could try a bit of the 30FO. That and the 8yo I think are the only ones in the FO series that I have not had.

Cheers,

I believe there is a 25FO too. I don't have any recollection of having had this one.

[mikeymad]

Oh you are right ganga. I never thought there was one because I have never seen one. Just 21 and 30. Oh well add another one to the list to try at some point.

Cheers,

[Ganga]

Restarting from the end of Friday night. Trader Joe's Macallan 10 yo from about 2004, 40%. First in the glencairn.

Nose: oranges, spices, light oakiness, some other fruits
Palate: cooked oranges, burnt sugars, oakey with light spices and maybe strawberries
Finish: not very long, finishing with a little bit of woodiness and light spices

It's an alright beverages. Much better than the later offerings through Trader Joe's.

[Ganga]

Glenmo glass.

Nose: little astringent, spices
Palate: woody but not oakey, cinnamon and ginger, lightly cooked oranges
Finish: longer, oranges and cinnamon

I like it better in this glass.

[Ganga]

Into the brandy glass you go.

Nose: wood with astringent/antiseptic, overripe oranges
Palate: oakey,spices featuring cinnamon, apples and oranges-cooked
Finish: long and tingly, spicey

Not as interesting or pleasing in this glass.

[Ganga]

Moving along to the Costco Macallan 18 yo, sherry finish, Alexander Murray, 40%. First glass is the glencairn.

Nose: citrus-tangerines, lightly spiced, maybe hints of a caramel
Palate: strong wood and spices, fresh oranges/tangerines-mixed, vanilla notes, little bit of caramel, strawberries
Finish: long, nice mix of spices and oranges

Much improved over the TJ 10.

[Ganga]

And now in the Glenmo glass.

Nose: lemons and oranges, spices/ginger, vanilla
Palate: little oakiness, lemons and oranges, spicey, vanilla custard
Finish: short and spicey

Different experience but I like it.

[Ganga]

The brandy glass.

Nose: oakey, lemony, oranges, vanilla
Palate: woody, lemons, very light spices
Finish: moderate and very smooth, fruits and vanilla

Much different than the other two. Still a pleasant dram.

[Ganga]

Last whisky, Macallan 18, 1989, 43%
glencairn glass

Nose: rich caramel, oranges, a nutiness-almond shavings?, cinnamon and a blend of other spices
Palate: more caramel, orange marmalade, nuts, spices
Finish: long, caramel and spices