Thursday, August 8, 2013

Macallan 12


One of joys of whisky is that you can share a dram with a person and chances are that person will get a different whisky tasting experience than you will. Everyone has a different pallet so when it comes to deciphering the tastes in a brand of whisky not everyone will taste the same notes.

I have experienced in more than one occasion instances where I’ve shared a dram with someone else and the notes I tasted were not the same notes they described. The reason I feel I have to explain that is because any whisky drinker out there will tell you that they have heard of Macallan, know that it has a huge following and is a trusted brand.  To start my Macallan experience I went for the Macllan 12. Many rave about this being their favorite 12 year old, but in all honesty, I don’t completely agree.

With its huge popularity and following as you can image I was surprised to not love this whisky.

My issue with it: 
  • For a 12 year-old, this Speyside Scotch whisky wasn’t bad, but I’ve had better. Since it is matured in Sherry Oak casks there seems to be a significant sherry taste present.
The Experience:

Color
  • Amber with hints of gold
Smell
  • Sherry
  • Woodsy
Taste (Neat)
  • I first tasted the sherry, which was followed by spice and wood. I found it a bit harsh tasting.
Taste (Splash of water)
  • The splash of water actually made this a bit smoother and the notes comes together, but the sherry was still prominent in the taste. Overall I did prefer and appreciate the smoothness of a splash of water.
For non-whisky drinkers this is actually not a bad whisky to get started with. It is affordable, but also a brand known and recognized by all. It has an ABV of 40% and the cost range, depending on where you buy, is $40-$60.

Aside from my initial issue with this whisky, I think I went into this tasting thinking that it would be amazing and completely worth the hype. I was unfortunately slightly letdown. With the huge following it has, I am sure the older ranges will make up for this 12 year-old. I am actually looking forward to tasting and sharing my experience with those older ranges.

Cheers!


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