Macallan Edition No. 2

On the heels of underwhelming performances by the Macallan Editions 3 and 4, I turn to Edition 2 to save the show. Not that the former two were bad whiskies; it's just that they were not worth the hype or the $100 price of entry, let alone the absurd secondary market prices. Let's see if No. 2 can redeem the limited edition line. Nose: Orange, vanilla, milk chocolate, apple, apricot, toffee, and malt. White/green grape. Sherry notes of plum, poundcake, raisin, date, fig. Very little spice; maybe just a hint of baking spice. Nowhere near what I'd expect at 48.2%. Huge oak note. It's very clean and elegant, maybe just a bit restrained. A quality Macallan nose. Palate: Orange peel, apricot, and apple come through in a big way. More dry red fruits: raisin, date, fig. I get the milk chocolate and vanilla ice cream cake note I find in quality Macallan bottlings. Some cinnamon, black pepper, and ginger provide spice. There's also honey and toffee, some walnut and almond, and loads of oak. It's the standard Macallan profile done just right. Finish: Orange peel zest and ginger spice. Some more of milk chocolate/vanilla ice cream cake. A bit of coffee to wash it down now. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg provide a little kick to conclude what makes for a medium length finish. This is the clear winner of Editions 2,3, and 4. I'm giving it a 4.25, which, if I remember correctly, puts it a full star ahead of the other two in my book. Seems like this one was a tough act to follow. I put it up there with the 15 year Fine Oak as the best Mac releases at this price point. There are a lot of similarities between the two. Both relatively light, but very refined and elegant. Is it worth $100? Yes. Will you find it at that price? At this point, probably not. Collectors have scavenged these bottles; you can still find 3 and 4 pretty easily, and based on the results of my tastings, I don't think it's a coincidence. I lucked out and found this a few months back at retail price. They've since been cleaned out, as has every location I've checked out since. With that in mind, just buy the Mac 18. It's probably the same price as this one when you consider what the latter goes for on the secondary-market. Regardless, this is a great effort by Macallan. They pulled out all the stops here. So after a couple of highly critical reviews, I think I owe Macallan a retroactive "job well done" for this fine product.

It’s time to chronicle my experiences with some of these new Macallan NAS series: Editions. They have released a bottle of this every year since 2015. They are all experimental batches trying different blenders, wood types, etc. Prices have remained consistent on the retail market- about $90-100 for each batch. The secondary market has gone absolutely bonkers over Edition No. 1, though- with prices approaching $1000 for a bottle now. The clear answer to that is “No”. Let’s focus on the 2016 batch: Edition No. 2. This batch was influenced by a restaurantuer family that lay claim to being named the World’s Best Restaurant on two separate occasions. Damn. The Roca family. See the Edition No. 2 packaging for more info if that’s your thing. This whisky is a deep, sunset copper and bronze in the Glencairn. It’s oily and makes some thin, quickly running legs. It’s bottled at 48.2%. I paid $99 for this bottle a year or so ago. The nose is a rich, sherry bomb with a damp, funky and earthy wood note rounding things out. Those carry the nose for as long as you’d care to just sit and sniff it. There’s dried berries, orange wedges and zesty citrus if you really get down in there. It’s a wonderful combo. The palate grabs your attention quickly by blasting your tongue with some spicy ginger and black pepper. The sherry steps in on cue to cut the burn and remind you this is still Macallan through and through. It fades towards oranges and pears by mid sip before letting the back end grab your tastebuds again with strong oak and some vigorous abrasion. This is a first for probably any Mac I’ve tried to this point and I gotta say it was unexpected and quite incredible. The finish is long with typical sherry sweetness lingering while a very warm oak and chocolate note coat every corner and leaving the finale oily to the very end. Well, I gotta say, this was truly an amazing, experimental dram that takes Macallan out of their sherried, comfort zone- even if only briefly. I could get behind this type of release on a regular basis if the price point and consistency was there. 4.25-4.5 stars. I can still taste the ginger. Cheers my friends.

I fully admit that I’m late to the game with regards to the Macallan Edition series, but better late than never, right? I’m sure everyone knows by now that the Edition series is an annual, experimental line from Macallan that was meant to push their own boundaries of cask blending, sometimes in collaboration with outside sources. Edition No. 2 was bottled at 48.2% ABV and is natural color of a dark amber/copper and from what I can gather is non chill filtered. This sample brought to you by the letter L, for @LeeEvolved Dark, thick and rich sherry on the nose. Sweet and savory. Caramel and toffee, chocolate and vanilla. Orange oil, chocolate oranges and sherried oak. Raisins, craisins, raspberries, prunes, plums, fruitcake. Apricots and figs, a bit of nutmeg and a hint of clove. Quite nutty, pecans mostly with some walnuts and a little almond. A touch of black cherries, more citrus/zest, caramel apples and light pears after some time in the glass. Slightly floral with honeysuckle and honey. Strange as it may sound I got some grape flavored hard candy and grape bubblegum as well. The palate is heavy with orange peel and oak up front with apricots and figs following quickly after. Tobacco, molasses, dark sherry and brown sugar. Some spice to it, but more of a wood spice than a pepper spice, though there is a bit of a pepper kick to it. Ginger, nutmeg, fruitcake or spice cake. Chocolate, vanilla, creamy, dark caramel. That weird grape candy taste showed up on the palate as well, but more of a Concord grape than candy. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is tongue coating and dry. The finish is medium long with orange peel, chocolate, wood spice, overripe pears, a bit tannic and very dry. Not the best Macallan I’ve ever had, but not the worst either. Honestly as far as Macallan goes, the retail price is not that bad for what you get at $90-100. Still more than it’s really worth in my opinion though. It’s a classic Macallan sherry profile with a couple curveballs thrown in there. I enjoyed it, but the overly dry mouthfeel and finish would keep me from coming back to this one. 4.25 Cheers

The quest to diversify my growing collection of whisky has continued as I finally broke down and bought my first bottle of Macallan. After hearing so many people complain they are not worth the money and not wanting to pay for their aggressive marketing campaign I stayed away as long as I could. I was a convert to scotch early this summer after drinking exclusively bourbon and beer for the past five years. My introduction to scotch was Lagavulin 16 so peaty whisky is what I consider my “home” and first love. Sweetness was something I associated with the corn from bourbon and was not something I had been looking for in this new found hobby of buying and tasting scotch. Holy hell have I been missing out. The nose may have brought me to my knees had I smelled this for the first time while standing. Chocolate, vanilla, wood, berries, and honey. The shock came from just how sharp and in your face the scent hit me. It is the exact opposite of a Laphroaig/Ardbeg in regards to flavor/scent profile but I’ll be damned if the volume of this isn’t turned up to eleven as well. I think I smelled this for ten minutes before taking my first sip. The wood and vanilla really come across on the palate well. The sweetness is not as strong as the palate suggests but I did get pear and cinnamon on the finish. I would have guessed this was a 40-43 ABV but I appreciate the Macallan clocking in just over 48 ABV. I don’t know if I just got lucky with this bottle or if I am really loving strong sherry finished whiskys now (my only previous experience is the Glenfarclas 12 and 25). The store had nine more of this edition and I may pick up another bottle as reserve. Any recommendations for sweeter drams are very welcome as I prepare for another trek to the store to see what else I may be missing out on. 4.75/5

#WhiksyBattle #1: #MaCallan Edition #2 vs. #3. Both are non-chill filtered, contain natural coloring, and contain high ABV (48.2% and 48.3% respectively). Date of review: 6/12/2018 ....…......….…........................................................................... 1) Nose: 90/100 to #2 and 91/100 to #3 Edition 2 has abundant dark fruit, chocolate, and ginger notes. Edition 3 has a completely different nose — more vanilla, sweet cream, and oak...and gentler fruit aroma. ....…......….…........................................................................... 2) Palate: 90 to #2 and 91 to #3 Edition 2 is a sherry bomb with ginger and spices...very rich and flavorful. Edition 3 has a more creamy texture and taste...less sherry and more creme brûlée...and a very light and gentle smoke in the back. ....…......….…........................................................................... 3) Finish: 90 to #2 and 89 to #3 Edition 2 lingers in your mouth longer with a spicy and sweet finish. Edition 3 has a slightly shorter finish, but has a pleasant and smooth ending. ....…......….…........................................................................... 4) Overall Experience: Edition 3 gets a slight edge (91) over Edition 2 (90). Most people prefer Edition 2, but I guess that makes the world go around. ....…......….…........................................................................... 5) VFM: Both editions are expensive for non-age statement expressions ($100 USD each), but they are delicious, full of flavor, contain high ABV, and produced in limited quantities that make them worthwhile purchases. ....…......….…........................................................................... @the_macallan #macallancreates #themacallan #scotch #whiskyreview

33 open bottles in my collection ranked through multiple blind tastings. Counting them down! #13: Macallan Edition No. 2. Single Malt Scotch. 48.2% ABV. NAS. Paid $110 I am replacing this bottle. Sometimes you just have to accept that Macallan costs extra. A really good limited edition Macallan for ~$100 is special. The whole Macallan Editions have the slogan “Macallan creates,” and it is really more about engineering a good whisky for connoisseurs. By using something like 7 casks, this whisky abandons all notions of traditional maturation. Can it still present as a refined spirit? Yes. This is much better than the 12 year old sherry oak Macallan, and even better than the 12 year old Glendronach. It’s still exclusively sherry, and it is sharp in all the right places. A solid toffee, sultana, European oak (dry) base supports raspberries, vanilla, and sweeter American oak notes that jump out of the glass. The finish is surprisingly spicy, but I wish it lasted longer. I had thought this Edition No. 2 was the best of the three editions so far, but I recently opened a new bottle of Edition No. 1, and it was clearly better in a blind tasting. The Edition No. 1 has not gone through enough testing to be on the countdown, however. No. 2 is still a worthy whisky to be the first 90 rating on the countdown. MARK: 90/100 PREVIOUSLY, ON BATMAN: #14: Clynelish. $70. 46%. 14 years. 89/100. #15: Four Roses Single Barrel. $52. 50%. NAS. 88/100. #16: Woodford Reserve Cherry Wood Smoked Barley. $104. 45.2%. NAS. 88/100 #17: Highland Park. $90. 43%. 15 years. 88/100 #18: Glendronach. $59 (1L). 43%. 12 years. 87/100