Macallan 10yo Fine Oak
Nowadays Macallan mostly does NAS (in Europe that is), but the 10yo Fine Oak stems from a time when they were still doing many age statement whiskies. It has matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
You could say that the decline of Macallan started with the introduction of the Fine Oak-range back in 2004. I actually did. They stepped away from their signature sherried style, a style that made them successful in earlier decades. In that respect the Fine Oak-expressions are a big part of whisky history. Some might even say a black page in that history. Ugh, I’m making myself depressed. Let’s get on with the tasting notes.
Macallan 10yo Fine Oak (40%, OB)
Nose: A touch of fruit (peaches) but mostly floral. Also some grassy notes like straw. Hints of malted barley and cane sugar.
Taste: Caramel and toffee, followed by a pinch of black pepper, oak shavings and some red apples. Pleasant, but one-dimensional.
Finish: More toffee, but it ends on an oak-y note. Medium in length.
Rating: 82
A more than decent whisky. Approachable and accessible, although it has easily doubled in price since it was discontinued, which is a shame.
Thijs is a spirits writer and accredited liquorist from The Netherlands. He runs the blog Words of Whisky and contributes to a number of Dutch and international publications.
That’s a surprisingly high score. I guess Macallan can score pretty decently if you’re not too jaded about the decline in quality.
However, I remember not really enjoying this one in Oliver Kermit’s blind tasting NAS vs AS thingy
Out of the five pairs I tasted in Oliver’s NAS-test, I enjoyed the Macallan-pair the most. By far. The only two I rated above 80.