Macallan Fine Oak 18 Year

Next stop in my Christmas gift tasting list is this beauty. Here's the story. I'm out to a nice dinner with my wife, who's been lukewarm at best about my whisky hobby, and I ask the bartender how much for a pour of each of the following: Laphroaig Lore, Yamazaki 18, and Macallan 18. The price isn't important, only you should know this place WAS charging more for Mac 18 than it was for Yamazaki 18, but I digress. I had already imbibed a few cocktails, and the price they wanted for each of those pours seemed too steep given how much I'd already consumed. Fast forward to Christmas morning, and I unwrap a bottle of Wild Turkey Rare Breed my wife had bought me (score!), and she's very adamant about how she's not buying me any more whisky. Fair. I bought a lot last year. After presents, I make breakfast, and we go about our Christmas day, when she pulls out another present for me, and inside is this bottle. My jaw about dropped to the floor. Normally I wouldn't indulge Macallan's overpricing (my opinion), but my lovely wife outdid herself this year. High marks just for that. It certainly looks stately on my shelf, but how's it taste? The nose is like the few other Macallans I've tried: crisp, clean, balanced, evident of good cask management/quality. It took some time for the nose to open up. About 20-30 minutes in the glass before a nosing. This "fine oak" version has both bourbon and sherry matured malt in it, and the balance is on display. Good blending. No one note is overpowering the others. Clearly a sum of its parts. On the taste is where the age and the oak come in to play. Rich, coating, slightly tannic, slightly fruity, lingers on the mid-palate, and then drying on the finish. I'd like a bit of a longer, stronger finish, but that's what you get for 43% with chill filtering. I suppose the casks do a number after 18+ years. I confess, I haven't tried many Macallans. Their price point seems like an overall poor VFM to me, and I can get better sherry matured malts (and have) for a fraction of the price. A lot of Youtube videos do this one (and the sherry cask one) head to head with the Glendronach 18 (I know, I talk about Glendronach a lot, but hey, they're that good to me), and the GD comes out on top every time. The reviews for this particular bottle I've read aren't exactly encouraging, but here are my final thoughts: This is a subtle malt. Nose, palate, taste, finish, everything has been put in its place for a specific experience. No sherry punch, no overly oaky notes, no peat. Just a clean, curated experience. It reminds me of an elegant, multi-course French meal, where everything is in its place and the subtly of flavor is celebrated. This bottle also now has sentimental value to me as it was gifted by my wife, who went through the trouble of tracking this down with next to no knowledge of whisky. Final score is a 92 for me, and should other Macallans find their way into my collection, then I look forward to those experiences as well. Cheers!

This pour was part of a free store tasting by Petite Cellars. Over 100 bottles of whisky were on offer for free. No brand representatives. Nobody trying to sell you anything. Just let the liquid speak for itself - awesome. With my wife, we ended up trying: This bottle Glenrothes 18 year OB Ardbeg 13 year Chieftains cask strength Bunnahabhain 29 year John Milroy cask strength Kilchoman OB private single bourbon cask Compass Box The Spaniard Glen Scotia 15 year OB On the nose, I can tell it’s trying to be inoffensive. It is very light, and I can’t really pick out any notes. I bury my nose into the glass until my wife tells me that my nose is not supposed to be all into the glass. I take a deep sniff. And I smell the fried corn from the Tostitos being served behind me. So, very clearly, whisky is diverging. There is whisky that is bottled to be enjoyed, and we must protect this branch. And then there is whisky for Instagram, where the liquid does not matter. This branch serves a purpose, and I can’t be mad at Macallan anymore. It is very clearly sacrificing itself to absorb the attention of people who like exclusivity more than they like whisky. Macallan is not for drinking, at any level in their core range. It is made for taking pictures and marketing. They made a 12 year double cask that was clearly worse than their 12 year sherry oak. Then, they made a new 12 year sherry oak that is worse than the double oak. They made this 18 year old “fine oak” that smells less mature than their previous 15 year old. I never had their 17 year old fine oak, but I loved a 2011 bottling of their 21 year old, and loved older Macallans from Douglas Laing that are exclusively bourbon matured. So, I am not only looking for a Macallan sherry bomb; I am looking for something that is more assertive than Tostitos. Ignoring price, and ignoring brand recognition, my impression of Macallan’s new core range is that it is obviously bottom shelf. Macallan is not drinkable because it is 1) bad, and 2) worth so much. So, I didn’t drink this. Even though it was for free, I did not want to use any of my alcohol tolerance to accommodate fake luxury. My wife had the entire sample, and her comments were, “This isn’t even Macallan. I don’t taste sherry. I don’t taste anything.” She was the biggest Macallan fan, and if these new bottles disappoint her, that says it all for me. Rating: 0 / 5 (price factored)

This Fine Oak offering was far more impressionable than the Macallan Rare Cask, which I found to be too heavy on the sherry influence. Here the introduction of ex-bourbon cask aged whisky into the mix makes a big difference. They vat it along with whisky aged in sherry seasoned American and European oak. The American oak to be sherry seasoned is cut and dried in Kentucky then shipped to Jerez, Spain for 18 months of saturation prior to being sent back to Scotland for filling and aging. This Fine Oak series is now discontinued and replaced with their new Triple Matured release that uses the same 3 barrel types; however, the 21, 25, and 30 year olds are no longer available. If you can find this bottle for around $220, I would buy two and stuff one away somewhere. Owning bonds paying a 5% dividend will double your money in 14 years, whereas a Macallan 18yo purchased 14 years ago has appreciated 1,000 percent! This is a great whisky! A sherry and bourbon laced ethanol makes for an elegant nose. A tad of bourbon spiciness on the palate keeps the sherry restrained and allows hints of dried fruits, hazelnuts, citrus, and sweet vanilla to all come through in perfect harmony. A long, smooth finish is filled with lemon and orange citrus, and just enough sweetness to take the curse off a touch of the expensive oak that Macallan sources. The quality is very evident. A solid 4 stars.

Macallan and Jim Murray...ok I won't rant. The latter likes the former, and rates this edition highly.... . I really gave this one a chance. I cleansed my palate with an average whiskey, waited a minute for each year of its age. Would this be the one? Ok the good. Nice viscosity, honey, golden syrup, toffee bit of orange. Unfortunately its a bit bitter and astringent which lingers in the aftertaste. It's meant to be sherry finished but I'm getting none of that. All in all not to bad maybe up to a 3.5 at a push but it's around $250 USD and so like most Macallans heavily over priced. I'd say a 1/3rd of the price would be reasonable. 3 it is once VFM comes into the equation. I have not had a good run with Macallan but I hear Rare, Rare black and Edition 2 are Macallan at its finest so one day I might find out what the hype is about. As an aside I cracked open a sample of 1991, 24 year 49.2% Glendronach straight after...no waiting for 24 mins or anything and bam cheaper price, much, much better outcome.

Nose - Rich warm cooked apples, golden raisins, dried apricots, toasted candied ginger Taste - Golden raisins, baked ripe apples, wine poached pears, gentle candied ginger spice/heat/warmth, gentle apple skin bitter Finish - Lingering gentle warmth, balanced caramel with cooked apples Score - 86/100 Final Thoughts - This is a very well balanced dram. Nothing off putting, great nose for such a low proof. It's a very tasty dram, not heavily sherried like their sherry cask 12. Nice balance of light fleshed stone fruits & gentle oak. Tasty, but not amazing. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe? Would I buy a bottle? - No, not at the prices they charge

This product matches my tastes for whisky perfectly. I would say i'm in love with this. When i think about having a nice drink this is what i have in my mind. Very expensive unfortunately but so good. My next savings will go into the 21 years for sure.