Macallan: '85 Or '86?

by **Deactivated Member** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 3:58 am

My local packy (that's Massachusetts-speak for liquor store) has Macallan 18, vintages [sic] 1985 and 1986. I am going to buy one tomorrow. Which should I pick? The price is the same.

(Oliver, just answer the question! :wink:

)

by **bamber** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 11:01 am

Someone somewhere said that the 1985 is a return to the Macallan of yesteryear and that the 1986 is much inferior.

I've had both quite recently and preferred the 1986, though both were really good. With the introduction of the Fine Oak range, it would seem to me that the newer 'traditional' Macallans are likely to be better.

by **Admiral** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 9:26 pm

Mr T....search through the archives and you will find a post from a member with the username "Shane".

Shane is a colleague of mine who probably has the biggest collection of Macallans in the southern hemisphere. He's an avid Macallan fan and knows their bottlings backwards and inside out. (Just a figure of speech, Mr Picky!)

Anyway, he made a post here (I'm guessing about 7 to 12 months ago?) stating quite unashamedly that he thought the 1985 was the best 18yo Mac that had been brought out since the great bottlings of the 1970's. When I caught up with him a few months ago, I asked him what his opinion of the 1986 was. It was less than flattering!

(I've referred to Shane's posts previously, and I think it could be my repeats that Bamber is referring to above).

Anyway, based on this, I'd go the 1985 anyday.

Cheers,
Admiral

by **Deactivated Member** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 10:05 pm

Thanks, guys. I thought I'd seen reference on the site to the '85 being better, but I couldn't find it. I'll check Shane's postings before I go out the door (which will be momentarily). The '85 it is, unless they're out. But Bamber, your post makes me less apprehensive about settling for the '86 in that circumstance. (But then, I haven't read Shane's comment yet.)

I think this will be my last purchase for a while--I've gone a bit mad lately, egged on by all of you folks, of course. If I don't slow it down, I won't make it to Scotland in the fall!