The Macallan 18 Year Old Sherry Oak was once the Rolls Royce bottling when it comes to sherry maturation. At least it was when I started my whisky adventures at the start of this century. The fame of recent bottlings seems to have faded a little, with the rest of the Macallan’s sherry range.
Mind that since the 1980’s releases the label says ‘distilled in 1997 and earlier years’ so it’s not technically a vintage whisky.
The Macallan 18 yo 1997
(43%, OB 2015)
Nose: still a rather juicy kind of sherry. Plenty of oranges (fresh juice, marmalade, candied peels), honey and dried apricots. Berries. Soft pepper, candied ginger and a hint of vanilla. Fairly light. There’s a subtle hint of dried porcini but it misses most of the old-style weight.
Mouth: starts on oranges and honey again, raisins, light toffee and then some spices like ginger and clove. Herbal touches too (eucalyptus, anise). Again quite light, with bright, citric top notes and some bitterness underneath but little sweetness or richness.
Finish: medium long, on Seville oranges, herbal notes and subtle dark chocolate.
The Macallan 18 is still a good sherried dram, but its profile has become thinner and more “modern”. In terms of value for money there are better / younger whiskies that offer a similar profile. Around € 215.
Score: 87/100