As you may know, The Macallan has a recurring series to celebrate Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve or Nochevieja as they’d say in Jerez). Every year they release a fancy box with a special design. The latest in this series refers to the sherry region where the distillery gets its casks from, in this case a combination of European oak and American oak sherry seasoned casks.
The name is Macallan A Night on Earth in Jerez. We already had A Night on Earth in Scotland back in 2022.
Macallan ‘A Night on Earth in Jerez’ (43%, OB 2024)
Nose: youngish sherry with a candied sweetness. Berry gums, plums and raisins. Some caramel and milk chocolate. Then a slightly sharper hint of (candied) ginger, anise and sweet cedar oak, with some floral overtones. Also plenty of orange peels and a hint of vanilla in the background.
Mouth: now the oak comes forward, bringing black pepper, ginger and allspice. A lot of baking spice, slightly rough with a texture that is thinner than expected. Then more oranges, raw nuts and a hint of cake soaked in brandy but not the rich sweetness that we were hoping for. It even becomes a little resinous towards the end.
Finish: rather short, with more baking spice, charred oak, raisins and clove.
A decent nose really, but rather rough and flimsy on the palate, where it leaves room for woody notes that aren’t matched to a sherry fruitiness. Better than the Scotland version, but still not where it should be. Available from The Whisky Exchange or Royal Mile Whiskies among others.