I marketed this brand in New Zealand in the mid 1980's through to the early 90's. Whilst never being a big seller (in New Zealand) it certainly was head and shoulders above most of its competitors in majesty. This is definitely the king of Malts. It has power and consistency but the richness of the whisky is perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the sherry oak casks. I have always had at least one bottle of The Macallan in my collection at any one time and sometimes a couple of different styles. The 12 y.o. though is definitely a perennial. When sorting out my whiskies recently I 'rediscovered' the The Macallan 'Twenties'.
This is a recreation of the style of The Macallan in the 1920's. Macallan's Master Distiller sampled bottles of The Macallan from that decade and matched their aroma and flavour with more recent distillations taken from the casks maturing in the warehouses. There definitely is an evolving style with whiskies and over the years public tastes vary and blenders put their personal stamps on production. The twenties style of bottled whisky was drier as after most of the production was sold to whisky blenders as a 'top dressing' single malt for their blended whiskies, the few remaining casks continued to mature their contents for longer, resulting in a whisky that was slightly drier than modern day Macallan. On sampling it again today I have really enjoyed its richness of flavour with a lovely peachy and citrus nose. There definitely is a pronounced sherry character (used sherry casks are used to age some good Malts in). The finish is spicy and gingery leaving you wanting more (dangerous!).
I was lucky enough to visit The Macallan distillery in 1989. I remember after having a great tour of the facilities having a comparative tasting in Easter Elchies House the beautiful old residence that defines the brand.
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| Easter Elchies House |
6 comments:
I do enjoy your posts about whiskies, but it also makes me very envious.
I do enjoy Macallan, but personally, I think it over-rated, but I don't have a great fondness for Speyside malts.
I remember in the late 70s, coming back on a flight and buying a bottle of Glenfiddich at the Duty Free. It had been marketed very strongly(and still is) so I tried it. I found it unbearably harsh on the back of the throat, and I don't think I ever finished the bottle, but I gave it to my Dad.
However, a friend offered me a glass last year, and as it was the only whisky he had i tried it. How different it tasted compared to my memory of it's style. It was smooth, warming, even a hint of honey in the background.
I wonder if the actual whisky has changed, or is it my more "sophisticated" mouth?
Or am I "just an old fart who knows nothing" (Quote from my son when I told him that the IRD would tax his earnings from his newly-started design business. How I laughed when the final demand arrived)
Boring.
Easter Elchies House. Seems appropriate but the Scots get pissed at other times of the year as well.
If I ever wanted to drop into a deep sleep, I'd read this blog.
Time to update, methinks.
"If I ever wanted to drop into a deep sleep, I'd read this blog."
Read and sleep. In your dreams I may direct you.
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