One of the recent expressions from The Macallan is this Macallan Estate, a whisky made from a proportion of the barley grown on the banks of the river Spey at Easter Elchies estate, which is distilled just once a year over the course of a single week. It has been matured in sherry seasoned butts and hogsheads.
It comes in a nice black box which includes hand-cut slate panels.
Macallan Estate (43%, OB 2019)
Nose: quite rich, this shows clear sherry spice (plenty of cinnamon and soft nutmeg) as well as some candied ginger and a good dose of malty notes. Underneath there are hints of honey and caramel, as well as orange peel.
Mouth: caramelized nuts and brown sugar to the fore, butter toffee with milk chocolate and some leather. Cooked fruits and raisins. A bit too soft perhaps, but the profile itself is nicer than what I’ve come to expect from The Macallan. Quite some roasted coffee beans and European oak spice towards the end.
Finish: quite long, on dark chocolate, mellow spice and orange peel.
Hey, quite nice. Very drinkable, with a nice sherry influence and some delicious coffee and malty notes on the palate. Nonetheless a little soft and a little expensive. The distillery organized an online ballot to fairly distribute the highly demanded bottles. More than one year later it’s still readily available from The Whisky Exchange or Master of Malt.