Macallan Cask Strength

(59% ABV) Nose - (w/o water) Dark chocolate fountain, dark dried pit fruits, ripe strawberries, cherry brandy, hint of wet tobacco and freshly oiled leather. (w/ water) Softens up the dark dried fruit sweetness a bit, strawberry is more pronounced, adds a component like that of a barrel aged apple cider. Taste - (w/o water) Intense syrupy sweet dried cherries, plums, and raisins. Strawberry jam, hint of sweet wet tobacco, light bitter oaky spice on the tongue, faint butterscotch like sweetness. (w/ water) Tones down the syrupy sweetness a bit, less tart, adds a milk and dark chocolate component, ups the sweet tobacco notes a bit, lightly drying but less bitter oak spice feeling on the tongue. Finish - (w/o water) Lingering dark dried pitted fruit sweetness, hints of freshly oiled leather on the back palate, warm and lightly drying throughout the mouth. (w/ water) Tones down the dark fruit sweetness a bit and makes it more like a dark cherry and strawberry gummy sweet, very pleasant lightly drying and oaky bitterness like a dried cherry dark chocolate. Score - 95/100 Final Thoughts - So even though there is no official age statement on this bottle, this is one amazing Scotch. The sherry influence is very prominent but very well balanced. It might be a bit sweet to some, but adding a few drops of water really opens this up and tones down the sweetness a bit by opening up what I find to be more chocolate notes. I hate to add to the hype train, but I will be savoring this bottle since it is a discontinued offering.

I wandered into my semi-local whisky bar yesterday after riding around Richmond (VA) looking for the last few bottles of Classic Cut that are sitting on shelves around town. I mentioned that to the bar owner and he convinced me to buy a pour of Classic Cut with a side car of the original Cask Strength- to compare the two. For $22, I couldn’t refuse. I love the new Classic Cut, but this bottle of Cask Strength (from 2013, at 59% ABV) is on an entirely different plane. The depth in color transfer over to the palate- you can tell this bottle has some serious age to it, despite being NAS. The raisin, prunes and plums add serious sweetness to keep that higher alcohol in check- even better than Classic Cut does. It’s incredibly complex, too. It’s like taking the Rare Cask and upping it to 60%. There’s a restrained burn on the finish but the crazy flavors return once the heat subsided and hang around until you chase them away. I quickly did a rare bottle search and found a few bottles of this online, but the retailers were asking over $500 for it. That’s crazy high, especially for a NAS, but damn this is a crazy good bottle. If you can find a friendly bartender- grab a pour and if you have the means- buy a bottle and find out for yourself. This one is Macallan at its finest. 4.5 stars.

60.1% Nose- Rich dark fruits (think plums and dates); hint of grapefruits; cinnamon; espresso beans; dark chocolate covered raisins; musty oak; vanilla custard Palate- Initial wave of dark fruits soaked in sugary syrup; sweet honey; milk chocolate; dusty oak; juicy peaches; rich vanilla; Finish- Long, rich and thick finish; ginger spice; honey sweetness; grapefruit sourness; musty oak Rich, thick, delicate, and balanced all at the same time. There’s some hype to this bottle, and it lives right up to it. From nose to finish this is thick and rich. The levels of dark, thick and syrupy fruits is unlike anything i’ve had (next to Bunna px). There’s a dusty/musty oak note on the nose and finish as well, which I love. No need for even a drop of water in this, no need to water down the goodness. This is getting harder and more expensive to find, so if you can grab a bottle, do it.

60.1 abv. One rich and deep sherry bomb. Nose: Raisins, Plums, Figs, Sultanas, Gingerbread, Milk Chocolate, Toffee, Cinnamon, Stewed Red Apples, Blackberries, Pineapples, Lavender Palate: Figs, Prunes, Toffee, Butterscotch, Chili Peppers, Marzipan, Nutella, Salted Caramel, Dates, Violets, Dark Chocolate, Blood Oranges, Raspberries, Blackberries Finish: Raisins, Gingerbread, Blood Oranges, Toffee, Walnuts, Nutmeg, Licorice, Cloves, Cinnamon, Sultanas, Peaches, Apricots, Hazlenuts

BIG! Rich, creamy and mouth-coating, with a mild burn on the tongue and gums. Unfortunately, it doesn't hold up through the middle where you get a bit of plums, but then a novocain-numbness precedes the finish which is short, hot and gritty. Worth trying if you like hot sherried whisky, but for the money there are much better choices.

Last of the great line. A sad reminder of what a once great distiller could do. Toothsome and still smooth. A Masterclass in cask marrying. Macallan need to refocus their attention on malts like this, rather than their asinine attempt to sate new markets with a NAS line based on colour. A picture of what was once great.