I must admit I always thought the Fine Oak range of The Macallan was entirely bourbon matured. I was wrong: it is usually a marriage of bourbon and sherry oak, but in a lighter style so vastly less sherry influence than you’ll find in the original Sherry Oak range.
The Macallan Fine Oak 21 Years is triple cask matured: a combination of European oak casks seasoned with sherry, American oak casks seasoned with sherry and American oak casks seasoned with bourbon.
The Macallan 21 yo ‘Fine Oak’ (43%, OB +/- 2015)
The Macallan 21 yo ‘Fine Oak’ (43%, OB +/- 2015)Nose: quite rich in a classic Speyside style. Stewed fruits (peaches, oranges) with honey and vanilla. Some oak polish and spices (candied ginger) and hay. The brightness is quite appealing.
Mouth: again rather mature and rather oily, showing fruits (mostly oranges and peaches) and marmalade, toffee and cake, underlined by a good dose of sweet oak. Cinnamon and vanilla. Neutral but not bland. Maybe even a hint of passion fruits.
Finish: long, malty and spicy. Very well-mannered.
You can sense that a couple of really good casks were used to create this Macallan 21, although the end result is aimed to please a lot of people but nobody in particular. And it’s too expensive for what it really is. Around € 400 or more depending where you look.
Score: 87/100