Age of Macallan Cask Strength

[DaveM]

Locally available is the Macallan CS (57% I believe) without an age statement. Does anyone know the age (from rumour or otherwise). It's a very nice pour (personally I prefer it over the 12). Thanks!

[MGillespie]

I don't think there's any specific guideline, Dave...since it's likely combined from a couple of different ages to get the profile they want for the cask strength version. Those ages may vary from time to time, depending on the profiles of each individual cask.

Of course, I could be wrong...

Mark

[DaveM]

I should have been more specific... what's the youngest in there, etc. As an aside, I've had some younger whiskies lately that have impressed me and I'm wondering if my preferences are changing.

[MGillespie]

Not sure...I suspect it's one of those "trade secret" things...they could tell us, but then they'd have to kill us.

Mark

[Deactivated Member]

There ain't many that knows, and them that does ain't talkin'. Presumably it is less than 10, since there is a 10yo cask strength version also available, mainly at duty-frees, which everyone says is a lot better. Look for it on your next trip out of Canada into the States; I know they have it in Ontario df's, but don't know about BC. Of course, I could not encourage you to smuggle it back into Canada without declaring it. That would be illegal!

Note: Murray scores the NAS CS 78, the 10 CS 87.

[Lawrence]

If I was going by rumour I'd say between 8 and 10 years with a heavy leaning towards the 8.

[Admiral]

It's a 10 year old.

The Cask Strength 10yo was first released for the US market a few years ago. There were two sets of packaging - one was bound for the US, and other - strangely - ended up in parts of Asia, including Australia. If I recall correctly, the US-packaged version had a gold strip across the box, AND the 10yo age statement. Here in Oz, our packaging did not state the age, but it WAS the same whisky.

Based on its success, it was approved to be launched in numerous other markets, although the decision was made to take the age statement off universally, since there was already a 10yo "normal" bottling.

Cheers,
Admiral

[Froagi]

I'm holding the box from US Cask Strength and it has a gold top and bottom with a narrow red strip in the gold top and a wide red stripe in the bottom gold band. about the middle it has only across the front a red stripe with "CASK STRENGTH" printed. no age statements on bottle or box but it's one fine Scotch. I like it much better than the 12YO.

Cheers

[Lawrence]

Yes, mine also, it has the US importers name, Remy Amerique, INC New York NY (that's a nice blend of English and French) with the US Govt health warning, no age statement and bottled in 2002.

In my copy of Michael Jackson's 5th Edition he says it was made primarily for the US market and is between 10 and 12 years old.

I stand corrected, (happily) and I'm guessing since its introduction that they have added an age statement for some markets. I wonder if the make up is different for the NAS and the age statement versions? That would be an interesting HTH.

[Froagi]

this was my first CS and I had no idea when purchasing what exactly that meant. after tasting it I knew a lot more than the label tells ya. I didn't know what chill filtration was either nor had I tasted but only a few Scotches so Jerez Sherry Oak Casks didn't register either. this whiskey ought to have blazooned on the box "New Scotch Drinkers Special. Buy this Bottle and Know True Happiness" I know now I'd buy any scotch with that on the label today. this is good Whisky. all that other info on the bottle/box means a lot more now too.

Cheers

[Admiral]

Yes, it is a good whisky, but I'm still not sure whether I prefer it to the regular 12yo. But I certainly believe the 18 year old is the superior of the three.

(We're talking real sherry Macallans here, BTW, none of this Fine Oak nonsense! )

Cheers,
Admiral

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

I just learned that the Macallan cs 10 years is around in three different strengths. One is 58.8, one it 57.2 and still another is 57.5 % abv. They are all 10 years old and the 1 litre duty free packages carry the age statement.

Greetings
kallaskander

[Admiral]

The reason for the different ABV strengths is presumably due to batch releases.

Obviously, every cask has a different strength when it is time to be bottled.

If the casks are genuinely bottled at "cask strength", then each time Macallan does a new bottling run, it follows that the strength will most likely be a little different from the previous run.

Cheers,
Admiral

[MGillespie]

Makes good sense...

Mark

[Nock]

I bought my first bottle of this maybe back in January of 2004. At the time I was living in Nashville, Tennessee. The bottle label was white and it said it was 10 years old, non chill-filtered, and cask strength.

I recently bought another bottle of the stuff at my local liquor store here in Seattle. The box looked almost the exact, if memory serves, but the bottle label is now red with no age statement.

Nock

[Admiral]

Yes. The red label bottling is unique to the US market, and comes as 750ml accordingly.

(The rest of us get 700ml bottles).

I picked up a bottle of this from a specialist importer here in Sydney, and he confided that he had to get them from the USA. (Sherried Macallans are no longer exported to Australia).

Cheers,
Admiral

[Deactivated Member]

I have the red label NAS, 57.4%. As well, I have a white label 10yo, 58.7%, purchased at an Ontario duty-free (in a one-litre bottle, new style, with red triangle and wide shoulders). Neither open, although I've had the NAS before.

Admiral, do you suppose that Murray gives an extra nine points just for having a number on the label? These are plainly different bottlings, but whether they are different in intent or are simply diferent batches, like a'bunadh, I could not say.

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

it seems Macallan is using the wide shoulder bottles in which the Fine Oaks came first for all their new bottlings now. A friend told me he saw the 1986 18 years old in such a bottle.

Greetings
kallaskander

[Deactivated Member]

As have I. Actually, have seen the '86 both ways. But that appears to be the standard Mac bottle now.