Macallan 18

If you all didn’t know, fall is my absolute favorite time of the year.  Not only do I love the nice chill in the air, Halloween and all things pumpkin, but I love the color changing in the leaves. It makes it for a beautiful time of the year here in New England. With that said, I find the word “change” the perfect transition into this week’s post, as I am once again writing about Macallan. This time around its Macallan 18.

For all those who continue to follow my posts, if you recall, I wrote about Macallan 12 on my August 8, 2013 post and my comments weren’t so favorable towards that tasting.

Here is the link: http://whiskeywench.blogspot.com/2013/08/macallan-12.html

No, my opinion on the 12 has not changed, but my opinion on the 18 year old is slightly different. The 18 year old like the 12 is also matured in Sherry Oak casks. The color goes into a nice mahogany color which does remind me of fall, actually.

For my non whisky drinkers, what you need to keep in mind is, if the 12 was affordable then the 18 isn’t as affordable. At an average cost of $170 to $200+ it’s a hefty price, specially comparing it to the average cost of the 12 which was $40-$60. No need for me to tell you that this is a pretty significant price difference.

My experience:

Smell: Fruity
Taste: Very light. It was smooth, fruity with just the right amount of spice.
Finish: Wood smoke

I did very much enjoy this whisky. I was actually very surprised at the smoothness of it. I found it to be extremely different than the 12 that at times, I kept forgetting I was drinking Macallan. The take away here for those just starting their whisky experiences is that if you don’t like one age of a particular brand don’t completely rule that brand out as you might like a different age on their whisky range.

Although I did enjoy the 18 year old, I’ll be honest and say that would not buy the bottle. It is an expensive bottle. I fortunately got the opportunity to try this single malt during an Alumni gathering up in Vermont at the start of the month. Our college friend Kevin (I believe it is one of his favorites) was kind enough to bring this bottle as well as a few great others to share with the group. Thank you Kevin!

So finally, if you've tried the 12 and not the 18 then I recommend you try the 18 because you will be able to note all the differences between the two.

Cheers!

PS – In another way change pertains to this blog; I am considering changing blog platforms so look for that to come in the future.

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!