The Macallan Fine Oak 12 year old


Kev’s take:

Pale Straw…This is how Macallan describes the colour of this very fine whisky and, in all honesty, it does not sound very appealing at all. I am happy to say that the connotations do not match the reality and this is actually one great looking bottle. The blue, gold and white labelling really does match the whisky and it is a very pretty package overall.

Macallan also describes the nose as complex with a hint of fruit and heather honey. (If you know what heather honey is, then good job! I definitely did not have to google it. No sirree, no googling happened here. This was a google free zone.) What they omitted from this description is that it also smells like awesomeness. Very few whisky have such a “drink-me-right-now” nose but this is definitely one of them. 

It tastes smooth and sweet and to quote myself as I drank it neat, “I am loving this.” The addition of water reduces the smoothness which is not always the case and it become spicier so I would recommend that one drink the dram neat. Unless, of course, one likes spicy whisky.

All in all, this gets very decent 4 out of 5! 

Luke’s take:

Honestly, whenever I hear that something is seasoned/filtered/distilled/etc. multiple times, I think that the ad guy is sleeping on the job. It always sounds great, but never lives up to expectations. Things are apparently different when it comes to using sherry casks, and the more casks the merrier I say!

There is a massive hit of sweetness on the nose, followed by honeysuckle, soft leather, and subtle spices on the palate. It’s a very well rounded whisky.

I prefer it neat, and maybe with a giant block of ice. That being said, the South African version is 43% alcohol, compared to 40%, so it’s possible that diluting it slightly would give a better representation of the whisky. If that’s the case, then I’m very proud to be South African.

It does make me wonder what the older expressions of this taste like, as well as what it would have tasted like without contact with sherry casks? For the latter, I will probably have to visit the distillery. Great, now I have a reason to go. Now to book tickets.

I give this 4/5.

 

{Note: We received a bottle to review, but all thoughts and media are our own. }