Macallan Double Cask 15 Year

The finish is this whisky’s drawback. Two or three more points in the ABV scale would have worked wonders to remedy such a weak finish. It’s worth mentioning that The Macallan 18 year old Double Cask is noticeably better, even at an anemic 43% ABV. Can the difference be chalked up to three more years in wood, or is there something else, as well? Hard to say. On the other hand, The Macallan 15 Years Old Double Cask is better than its Triple Cask sibling, even from years gone by. Bravo. Aside from a weak finish in the more recent 15-year-old Double Cask release, there is that hint of gun powder on the nose to consider. Sulfur is a tricky thing, which, unfortunately, can come with the territory if sherry wood is involved in the aging process. In this case, the note is far from overpowering. But even the (metaphorical) hint of a smoking gun has been known to cause some hands to cover their glasses politely, should a second round be offered. By way of a disclaimer, it should be mentioned that aversion to light sulfur in a whisky’s scent is a matter of opinion. This view is by no means universal, or even definitive.

On the nose, it has a less acetone feel than the 12 double cask-surely the extra 3 years made it more mellow. Sweet, with hints of toffee, butterscotch, a hint of dried fruit, milk chocolate and vanilla. On the palate is sweet as well, way more than the 12 yr. Little spicy, with cinnamon, white pepper, caramel, clove, raisin, toffee again. Not long legged on the finish side, but not too short either. I bought this bottle overseas, where the dollar to Colombian peso conversion brings it down to $120 with taxes, so I pulled the trigger. It’s a 700ml bottle however, but I don’t feel dissatisfied nor disappointed. I think I will rather save money and drink this one over the 12 yr Double Cask, but that is because I have family in Colombia that can bring me a bottle every 3 months or so.

Feliz Navidad my scotch loving family. I’ve been absent far too long. While I’ve enjoyed many a pour since my last tasting note, I have failed in sharing with you. This Speyside has legs that Hugh Hefner would die for, except he’s already dead. Typical bold fruity notes lead this beautiful pour. On sip #4 (not 3, not 5), hints of licorice come alive. If you have the cash, don’t hesitate to pick this one up on your way out of the spirit market - it’s worth it. If you’re strapped for cash, however, it’s ok to wait for that next paycheck - a standard Macallan 12 will do you just fine.

Of course, starts with strong sherry. Opens a bit and some airplane glue. Dried fig and coconut as it opens. Smell does begin to improve as the airplane glue dissolves. Let it open further, and more dried fruit, after about 40 minutes. Oh yea, the caramel is now there with light chocolate! On palette, surprising spice appears with baking spice and even some pepper. Vanilla in back. Liking it now more than I was expecting! Also raisin. A nice toasty fruit cake. Yea, kind of didn’t want to like this one so much as I am annoyed with Macallan, but it is a mighty fine drink.

Nose : Malty, dried fruity, slight hints of baking spice, very basic. Palate : Basically same as the nose, very red fruity but not distinctly sherry. Super smooth, not complex, kinda thin. Thoughts : For the cost of this bottle you would expect better. Almost every scotch I own (except for Aberlour 16) beats the Macallan 15 in value, flavor, nose, and mouthfeel. I Would never purchase a bottle of this for myself unless I owned a yacht and didn’t enjoy better whiskies. On a positive this is the only one of the whiskies ive given my wife that the she actually liked.

Nose. Very muted nose. Most dominant note is a distinct maltiness, faint red fruit sherry notes and even fainter vanilla. Palate. Mouthfeel is thin. Flavor notes are very much like the nose. Good maltiness, red fruit, a little vanilla. Everything is very muted and the finish is quite short. Nothing objectionable here, just everything is very muted, thin and unimpressive. You could spend less money on something better.