Supposedly selected from Macallan's rarest sherry casks, this release comes with a hefty price tag and an even larger box, sitting in Macallan's premium NAS line of Scotch whiskeys.
The Macallan Rare Cask is disappointing. There’s a strange oily character that runs through the whole whisky and I don’t mean that in the good kind of oily you get with a cask strength Non-Chill Filtered whisky. It’s more like a cooking oil made from dark fruit kind of a thing.
Overall, this is a status bottling with a little ledge to stand on. Macallan is operating at peak Macallan here - low proof, heavy sherry, a fancy name. At 50% this could be a monster, but as it sits now, it's pleasant but handicapped.
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House Review
Nose:
Pungent sherry, blackberry, toffee, tobacco and pepper on the nose. A rich rollercoaster with tons going on.
Taste:
Thin to medium on the palate - an interesting about face from the complexity and power of the nose, but there's a good deal of great flavor happening. Tootsie roll candies, plum, fig, cherry and pepper. This could certainly shine with a bump in proof - especially given the grandeur places on the bottling by the brand - but this could make a great introduction to Macallan, assuming money is no object.
Finish:
Medium finish, a good deal of oak, tobacco, chocolate and stewed fruits. Not wildly complex, but entirely pleasant.
Overall:
Overall, this is a status bottling with a little ledge to stand on. Macallan is operating at peak Macallan here - low proof, heavy sherry, a fancy name. At 50% this could be a monster, but as it sits now, it's pleasant but handicapped.
Score:
80
By T8ke
Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources
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