Macallan 15yo Fine Oak
The Macallan 15yo Fine Oak is carefully matured in a unique combination of bourbon and sherry oak casks. It says so on the label! I hate it when people us the word unique without really thinking about what it means, which is ‘being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else’. Meaning its pretty rare or, if something is truly unique that would make it extremely rare. Can’t get any more rare actually.
I doubt the combination of casks used for the Macallan 15yo Fine Oak is truly unique. But hey, it does sound nice, right?
Macallan 15yo Fine Oak (43%, OB)
Nose: Fresh with lots of orchard fruits. Nectarines, pears and honey glazed apples as well as red apple peel. Also butterscotch, saw dust and dried grass. Has a dusty quality too.
Taste: Vibrant oak, giving it a slight bitterness, with plenty of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg). A bit sweeter now with vanilla and a hint of fudge. The oily mouthfeel is pleasant, but it’s too bad there’s not much of the fruitiness left that I found in the nose.
Finish: Sweet, drying and short to medium in length.
Rating: 82
I enjoyed nosing this Macallan 15yo Fine Oak, but the oak dominates the palate a bit and the finish leaves something to be desired. All in all a decent whisky though.
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.
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