Macallan Edition No. 3

The Macallan Edition series: Highly sought after, ridiculously-inflated on the second-hand market, and widely polarizing in terms of quality and value. These are the first things that come to mind. This No. 3 is my first experience with one of these, though I plan to go for 2 and 4 at some point. Let's what all the noise is about. Nose: Quite pungent. After reading the blurb about the involvement of a master perfumer in the creation of this whisky, I had some steep expectations for the nose in particular. The notes I get are more akin to what I'd expect of the Fine Oak series as opposed to the more traditional line. It's sweet and fruity. Heavy orange, honey, green apple, vanilla, and toffee. Some date, plum, fig, grape, and date behind that first layer. Apricot and honeydew tucked in behind that. New couch leather. There's a trace of caramel, likely a result of the heavy use of bourbon barrels in this blend. Much less than I would've expected given the high proportion of ex-bourbon aged malt. Heavy, heavy oak. A little bit of nail polish, which I could do without. But other than that it's solid. Palate: Darker than the nose. The background sherry notes from the nose of poundcake, plum, fig, date, grape, and leather are now at the forefront. Still getting the apple, apricot, and toffee. Fruity tartness and some white chocolate and vanilla ice cream. And once again, it's quite oaky. Black pepper spice as well. While that may sound great, I really have to dig for those notes. Solid palate, though it can’t hold up to the stellar nose. Finish: Oak bomb. It's surprisingly bitter. Some plum and raisin hit heavy. Milk chocolate and orange zest. Beyond that, it's really just cinnamon spice, likely a result of the 48.3 ABV. Medium-long finish. So where does this leave us? I am quite impressed with the nose. Other than the artificial aroma of nail polish, it pretty much hit the mark in every way. From there, however, I was underwhelmed. I wouldn't say it was bad, just that the palate and finish were subpar compared to the nose. I'm here to drink, not to sniff. Ultimately, that's going to hurt the score for this one. This one seems like it was a nose-driven operation from the start. The master perfumer, Roja Dove, certainly held up on his end of the bargain. But this simply was not a $100 whisky. If you want to spend $100 on Macallan, stick with the 15 year. This is really only worth purchasing if you're a die-hard collector like myself. With that being said, I've got to say I respect Macallan's effort here. They are go to great lengths to provide the consumer with insight into the aging process. Painstaking transparency. If you want the box score, check their website, because I'm not about to transcribe paragraphs of info. The point is, a lot of distilleries frivolously pump out sub-par, overpriced, NAS annual-release crap with no conscience. But with this one, I can tell that there was a genuine and concerted effort to produce a top-notch blend. It just didn't pan out. The result is a great nose, and an otherwise middling malt. Yet, I can sense the effort, and thus would not be prejudiced toward the other Mac. Edition releases in the future. Edit: Same night as this above tasting. Been working on it a bit more. Given considerable time in the glass, the palate becomes much more respectable. The notes are the same but become far more pronounced as it sits in the glass. Bumped from 3.25 to 3.75, where it'll stay.

#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

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 2017 batch: Edition No. 3. This batch was influenced by a perfumer named Roja Dove. The big players here are different styles of oak cask. It’s copper gold in color and forms large, watery droplets and fat legs when you spin the Glencairn. The nose starts with lots of chocolate covered candies and vanilla caramel cremes. Intensely sugary before transitioning to different barrel characteristics: fresh cut oak, sun-bleached driftwood and damp, ex-sherry casks. Some florals creep in as it breathes. The palate is surprisingly harsh and spicy. There’s a strange heat present even though it has a malty and thick mouthcoat. There’s some bitter chocolate and Christmas cake notes, too. The spice and coarse notes overpower any lasting impression. The finish is still spicy, but the heat doesn’t linger here. It’s medium in length while remaining oily and quite heavy. Macallan sherry notes finally make their entrance here, but it’s too late to save this dram for me. This is not the Macallan that I know and love. Overall, the nose is the star player here- if you want to give any credence to this dram. The palate and finish are too harsh and hot to tame. This one only gets 2.75-3 stars from me. I’m hoping the Edition 2 bottle redeems this series for me. Cheers.

Next in line for the Macallan Edition series is Edition No. 3. Sample from Mr. @LeeEvolved. I’ll skip all of the marketing nonsense and get right down to brass tacks. Bottled at 48.3% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of amber honey. Very respectable on paper so far. The nose is very oaky and nutty up front like roasted walnuts. A lot of nutmeg and allspice. Savory notes of brown sugar, toffee, and caramel come in. A very muted sherry, more of just a raisin or date note than your typical Macallan sherry. Rich vanilla and chocolate. Slightly fruity like baked pears, a little pineapple and underripe banana. Green oak but very light, red apple skins and slightly waxy. A bit more sherry now and some pancake syrup. Grapes and light leather. Overall sweet and savory, but not intense in either respect. The palate has a solid, yet not overpowering oaky presence. Plenty of vanilla, a bit musty and some semisweet chocolate. Very easy on the palate given the higher ABV. Bananas, spice cake, honey and toffee. Grapes and a hint of maraschino cherries. A bit leathery and the sherry that was almost nonexistent on the nose shows up, but is fairly restrained and has a hint of ginger. Light to medium bodied mouthfeel that is creamy and mouthwatering. The finish is medium long to long with honey, weak black tea, light sherry, light oak and blackberry jam. While this is not your typical Macallan profile, it’s still really well put together. I’m still surprised how little sherry there was, but it’s quite complex regardless. Really light for the ABV too. Not quite as good as Edition No. 2, but still a worthy Macallan. A solid 4. Cheers

48.3% NAS Chill filtered Color added Nose: Bright and fruit-forward. Red apple; pear; a dark berry note I can’t quite but my finger on; hint of vanilla and nutmeg. Palate: Full mouthfeel, creamy and sweet. A classic sherried and bourbon cask Macallan sweetness of dark cherry and plum; vanilla again developing into mild oak with a hint of clove and ginger. Touch of smoky sulfur and alcohol in the background. Medium viscosity. Finish: Medium length; citrus note of orange and a touch of lemon. Slightly floral as well; light oak and apples carries through. Value: limited release and becoming harder to find by the day. At $110-130 USD, a bit pricy given other options at that price point. Final thoughts: A solid addition to the Macallan “Edition” range, but not a world beater at the price and offering fewer surprises and complexities than the Edition 4. A dram for those who just straight up love their sherried Macallans without too many extras. 3.5/5 Recommend trying or buying a bottle at a good price

Macallan Ed No 3 This one is a journey and requires serious time and devotion. Not a background whisky by any means. It demands your attention like the sheer dressed starlet on the red carpet. And it will not be denied. At the heart is classic Macallan but it has spent a day at the spa being pampered and bathed in various oak spice and perfume. Nose: richly perfumed. Maybe the busiest and most complex nose on a whiskey I’ve experienced. Floral, heather, malt; like a flowering rock garden. Lemon juice and sweet tea ala Arnold Palmer, tupelo honey, cardamom, butter and brown sugar. At the base of it is classic Macallan orange marmalade and tangerines. Palate: sweet and oak, almost instantly drying, big burst of heat after the swallow. Black tea and honey, cinnamon, clove, oak vanilla, a slight tinge of savoriness like soy sauce, serious barrel spice and pepperiness. Sherry dark fruit (plums and figs) and nuttiness. Vanilla almonds. Finish: quick, drying, pepper, leather, a habano wrapped cigar.