Amsterdam. A bar. Not a bad selection given so many places these days have a poor selection of whiskey (and seem to have a an enormous selection of that dratted gin which I can't stand). Of course you can't go wrong with Lavagulin but I hanker for something else and spot the Ruby, a very unusual choice for a bar in Amsterdam, so I thank the bartender for his selection and he says its always a struggle to persuade management to stock the better whiskeys and if he had his way the Ruby would be the start of his range. Here, here! Lets get this out of the way, I think the Rare Cask beats this hands down and its also significantly cheaper, what with the Ruby retailing here for Euro330-350. Julien's review is spot on. The NOSE is just great, figs and vanilla. The PALATE is exactly what you expect and want on a summer night in Amsterdam, more figs, more vanilla, it is spicy, very little or no smoke which for this is what it should be, and the FINISH is long, fruity, jam, dark bitter chocolate. I can't award the top grade because the Rare Cask is just superb and sets the benchmark for Macallan for me, with the 18 Yer Sherry Cask my favourite. So, if the Ruby were 100Euro cheaper it would be just right for a purchase, but i can hear the management at Macallan's chortling and saying "C'mon Hud, work a bit smarter and earn some more money because then you could by a whole hogshead and store it in your barn, so stop complaining" hahaha. Anyway nice dram, but get this, next to me two yanks are ordering a Drambui and Baileys, I mean what is up with the world?! I'm all for breaking gender stereotypes and diversity but with Lavagulin, Highland Park and the Ruby on offer a male gender homo sapiens should NOT be ordering effin drambui and baileys! AM I right or what?!!! Calm down and finish the dram buddy says a corporate woman to my left who is looking at my screen, its a matter of taste not gender. Thanks mom. No, I didn't mean that, sorry. Oh god, stop writing. What is up with the world?!! Cheers! :-)
About this bottle
Not afraid of the shortage that concerns many Scottish distilleries, Macallan has invested in new facilities and, more importantly for us tasting now, created a new range in 2012: The 1824 Series. At its core, we have four colors equating to four ways to play with the wood. The Ruby edition is a 100% 1st fill sherry cask expression, and the oak is exclusively European. A pure, classic Speyside style, Macallan has been kind enough to cut it at 43% and not 40% as they do for the three other styles of The 1824 Series.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 23 parsed reviews.
2oz pour. I had this at the 2 Michelin-starred Ramon Freixa in Madrid, Spain. They literally brought the bottle out on a silver platter. This did not outshine the food that night, which I highly recommend. I actually recommend this whisky too. Just a pour. I don’t know if you can find bottles anymore, or if these have appreciated significantly after being discontinued. Fancy restaurants in Europe would be your best bet. Ruby is a well-balanced complex rich sherry experience. Figs, plums, tobacco, chocolate. You cannot find this in the US. We got a supposed upgrade called the Rare Cask, which is fluffed up rubbish. There’s an entire essay on why it is awesome in the box. They could’ve just jizzed in the box. It makes no sense. This Macallan Ruby is more honest. It is just first fill Jerez sherry casks. Big straight statement that rare cask cannot make. You can fluff it up all you want after that. Yes, this Is watered down and probably is some blend of 10-20 year olds, but those traditional Jerez casks that have never seen whisky before are Macallan’s diamonds in the rough. And to release a whisky composed only of those first fills in 2012 is special. We may never again have a mass produced Macallan that uses only those casks. Unlike the rest of the 1824 range, this was an impressive dram. 92/100
It's good...just not great. The color is obvious from the first fill sherry. But, for NAS, it's quite expensive. I'm just not convinced, at least in my personal tastes, if this particular NAS commands this price. I'd instead buy a Yamazaki 18 for $100 less, or a Balvenie 21 yr Portwood for $100 less as well. From the taste of it...I'm sure the Balvenie 21 and Yamazaki 18 are both older than this one. (I took an educated guess that this might be a 16 yr old)
Very nice with notes of dark dried fruits, berries, and honey. Nose: Raisins, Raspberries, Honey, Figs, Apricots, Prunes, Ginger, Christmas Cakes, Sultanas, Pineapples, Dates, Nutmeg Palate: Morello Cherries, Honey, Toffee, Raisins, Dates, Cinnamon, Almonds, Milk Chocolate, Lavender, Violets, Raspberries, Leather, Tobacco Finish: Raisins, Nutella, Luxardo Cherries, Plums, Butterscotch, Vanilla, Figs, Blackberries, Treacle
A great whisky matured in first fill sherry cask. Shot of sherry influences, sweetness, dried red fruits, a little oaky and honey on the nose. After few minutes the aromas are more open. The palate is rich with dried fruits (raisins mostly), dark chocolate and oak. Oily and sweet but at the very end becomes a little dried. Finish is long with the oak, chocolate and spices.
This was insanely good in my opinion. A single flare of multiple flavours with that undergroung woody taste that i love so much in Macallan products. First tasted this by a friend's and everytime i got back there i ended choosing a drop of this even if could ask for a drop of rare cask...
17 more reviews were collected for this bottle. The longest ones are shown first.
Tastes like this
Closest flavor profiles across the whole catalog.
