When I first started in retail there were two core Macallan single malts: the 12 year and the 18 year.
The 12 year came in a red box; the 18 in a purple one. We sold tons of both.
Every now and again we would bring in the Fine Oak Series: a 15 year old and a 17 year old edition that came in pastel colored boxes. We sold fewer of those.
It was a simple time. Everything had an age statement.
People used the number to designate their desire. “Mac 12, please,” they would say. I would grab the bottle. They would pay. There wasn’t much else to discuss.
In 2020, however; much has changed. Macallan has become a luxury juggernaut. It has supplanted Glenlivet and Glenfiddich as the most recognized single malt Scotch in the world, and rare editions can sell at auction for seven figures per bottle.
As a result, the brand has exploded into a multitude of new editions, expanding the reach and the profile of the whisky has a result.
There are three different Macallan 12 year olds labels now, in addition to three different 18 year old expressions. There’s also a number of NAS (no age statement) editions with names like: Gold, Estate, and Rare Cask.
Seeing that it’s been a few years since I’ve tasted the core portfolio, let alone all the new offerings, I thought I’d break down the bulk of Macallan’s 2020 selections and re-familiarize myself with the market’s most coveted brand, while creating a guide for Mission shoppers in the process.
It’s very easy to be overwhelmed simply by the sheer number of Macallan labels on the shelf at Mission, let alone the thousands of other whiskies. Let’s take a look at the core expressions:
THE 12 YEAR OLDS
Macallan 12 Year Old Sherry Oak
The Macallan 12 Year Old Sherry Oak is what we used to know simply as Macallan 12, albeit it now comes in a black box rather than a red one.
Where as other Sherry-matured whiskies like Balvenie 12 and Aberlour 12 are generally finished for a couple years in Sherry barrels, the Macallan 12 Sherry Oak spends the entire 12 years in Sherry, giving it a denser, more supple texture.
David’s Notes: This whisky starts out mildly sulfurous before moving into fudge and cocoa and finishing with coffee bean notes. I always remembered this being quite sweet, but this new Sherry Oak is more like dark chocolate than bittersweet. It’s surprisingly savory at times, and also quite thick.
Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask
With the Double Cask series, Macallan has pivoted over to the Balvenie/Aberlour model I mentioned above: the whiskies are aged in American oak ex-Bourbon barrels before being finished in Sherry.
Rather than pick up those heavier, more brooding dark chocolate notes, the Sherry finish is more like sweet frosting on an American oak vanilla cake.
David’s Notes: I like this whisky much more than the 12 year Sherry Oak. You still get the richness, but it’s far more balanced from front to back and the sweetness flows seamlessly across the palate from the beginning to the end. To me, this should be the new standard Mac 12. There are no rough edges, lots of Sherry and fudge notes, and it tastes expensive, which all luxury whiskies should.
Macallan 12 Year Old Triple Cask
This is Macallan’s newest core label that adds a third type of cask to the maturation process: Sherry seasoned American oak, or basically ex-Bourbon barrels that are filled with Sherry, left to sit, then dumped and used for maturation.
Both color-wise and flavor-wise, it’s lighter and maltier than the Sherry Oak and Double Cask editions. If you like Sherry, but you don’t want it to dominate the flavor profile, this is the Macallan expression for you.
David’s Notes: Lighter and airier, more spice and malt flavors at play, nice creaminess in the middle, ginger and orange peel finish. Yum, I could drink this all day.
THE 18 YEAR OLDS
Macallan 18 Year Old Sherry Oak
Now in a black box, rather than a purple one (like the Sherry Oak 12), this what used to be the only Macallan 18 on the market; full-term Sherry maturation.
For many single malt drinkers, this is the standard for luxury single malt. It’s the Rolex Submariner of whiskies.
David’s Notes: It’s everything you need it to be, but the competition for 18 year old single malts has become fierce and there are a number of options well under $300 that I think rival the Mac 18 for the money. That being said, I would never, ever turn down a glass.
Just like the 12 year Double Cask, the 18 year old sees time in both ex-Bourbon and Sherry oak.
For my money, this is the new 18 year standard. I enjoyed this much more than the 18 year Sherry Oak. Expensive whisky should have layers. It should expand on your palate and you should uncover new flavors as it rolls over your tongue. The Double Oak 18 has those layers. That’s what you’re paying for.
David’s Notes: Stewed fruits and raisins on the entry, thick and chewy on the way in, it mellows out into cocoa and dark chocolate on the finish. Very elegant. In my mind, this is what luxury should taste like.
Macallan 18 Year Old Triple Cask
Just like with the 12 year, the 18 year old Triple cask spends time in ex-Bourbon, Sherry, and then American Oak barrels that have been seasoned with sherry.
Whereas I very much enjoyed the 12 year old version of this, the Triple Cask is my third favorite of the three 18 year old expressions. It’s delicious, but if I’m choosing how to dedicate my $300 then I’m going with the Double Oak.
David’s Notes: Lighter in color, more malty on the initial entry with hints of caramel and cakebread from the sherry. Fine and smooth on the finish, lots of ginger spices and vanilla, malty notes.
I’m going to leave out the 15 year olds right now as they’ve now been streamlined into the the same three labels and they’re pretty much what you expect: 3 years richer than the 12s, and 3 years less rich than the 18s. I will say that the 15 year old Triple Cask is divine. It’s absolutely gorgeous on the nose, with lots of vanilla and almond notes from the malt with sweet biscuits and oak spices on the finish. I loved it.
The NAS Editions
More expensive than the Double Cask 12 year despite the lack of an age statement, the Gold focuses more on the ex-Bourbon matured whiskies with its leaner and fruitier profile.
While the whisky does carry some Sherry maturation, this is pretty much what un-sherried Macallan tastes like. Lots of stone fruit, toasted oak, and vanilla flavors.
David’s Notes: If you’ve ever wanted to taste the actual Macallan whisky itself, rather than the Sherry residue it’s aged in, this is a great expression that showcases how beautiful the malt itself is. It’s very un-Macallan in terms of how it fits into the rest of the book, and that makes it a fun diversion.
While not entirely distilled from Macallan’s own estate grown barley, the whisky does indeed have some grain-to-glass Macallan liquid in the marriage.
Matured entirely in Sherry butts and seasoned Sherry hogsheads, this is the best new Macallan I’ve tasted in years. There’s no information about the ages used in the marriage, but it doesn’t matter when the whisky tastes this good.
David’s Notes: Absolutely charming, impeccably balanced between sweet and spicy, decadent and fluid—this whisky has it all from front to back. It has loads of richness, but it never overpowers the malt and the inherent graininess of the barley. It’s fantastic.
I remember when this whisky first came out and I had to explain to customers why it didn’t have an age statement on it. The Rare Cask is basically Macallan’s version of Booker’s: a small batch marriage of hand-selected “cherry” barrels (cherry Sherry!) that represent the top casks in the warehouse.
While you may think that extra Sherry means extra sweet, there’s a lot of savory and somewhat funky flavors that can appear as well. You can sense those elements in the Rare Cask. There’s a rancio note right at the front that isn’t in any of the Double or Triple Cask offerings.
David’s Notes: Super dense Sherry, you can almost chew it. Little notes of sulfur and fudge, sweet cake bread in the middle, dark fudge on the finish. Opulent as all hell.
The Macallan website will attempt to explain their numbered editions as tributes to the natural color of Macallan, but really they’re just nuanced blends of different barrel types, broken down on the front of the box by type. You’ve got seasoned American oak, various types of butts, etc.
Again, there’s no age statement on the whisky or attached to the various barrels used, but like the Estate they’re making up for the lack of details with all the flavor. I LOVED this whisky.
David’s Notes: Uber fruity on the entry, absolutely dripping with stone fruit and syrup. This is exquisite. It’s thick and textural all the way through, with waves of sweet Sherry on the finish. Absolutely mouth-pleasing in all the best ways possible.
Now we’re all caught up for the holiday shopping season! Thanks to Edrington for getting me back up to speed.
-David Driscoll