A Couple of Macallans (10-year & 15-year) [Whiskey Wednesday]
10-year old and 15-year old The Macallan
One of the nicer whiskies I’ve come across is The Macallan Highland single malt Scotch whisky. Recently, I tasted a couple of them; namely, the ten years old and the fifteen years old (I also had the twelve-year old version last week, separately, but I will not be discussing that one in this post). According to the bottle label (on both bottles),
This legendary malt is Triple Cask Matured in a unique, complex combination of exceptional oak casks, European oak casks seasoned with sherry, American oak casks seasoned with sherry and American oak casks seasoned with bourbon. This Triple Cask combination delivers an extraordinarily smooth, delicate yet complex Single Malt….
Yes they are both tremendously pleasant. Indeed, the casual drinker of any Macallan will immediately notice – their calmness and ease of drinking.
On the nose, the fifteen-year old is quite light, offering just the faintest whiff of wood, barley, and more; whereas the ten-year old has a less light, but no less fair Scotch aroma to it. I get more oakeyness on the nose from the ten-year old than the fifteen-year old.
15-year old The Macallan
The fifteen-year old is so smooth and has a slight spicing on the finish, but is remarkably smooth throughout, although not particularly much strength in the flavor. It is the opposite of abrasive – so smooth!
10-year old The Macallan
The ten-year old is also quite smooth and seems remarkably like the fifteen-year old, except that the ten-year old has more flavor than the fifteen-year old. I get more of the oak and a bit more of a bit of fruitiness (perhaps some fig notes?). Although I did not detect much spice until the finish with the fifteen-year old, I noticed some spice toward the end of the palate and increasing on the finish. Nevertheless, it is still a pretty mild spicing on the finish and still pleasant. And there is more of a noticeable oakey flavor on the finish, but a good one.
Overall, both the ten-year old and fifteen-year old versions of The Macallan are pleasant and low on the spicing, as well as oakiness. The ten-year old is a solid Scotch and enjoyably mild. The fifteen-year old is increasingly mild and super pleasant. The fifteen-year old version of The Macallan is a whiskey one could have several drinks of and forget how many they were having. Both of these are enjoyable Scotches.
