After having tasted about 200 whiskies in this year alone, for some reason I seriously never had a Macallan 18, sherry wood. I tasted the Fine Oak series front to back, and had some 10 year old Macallans from about all decaded since the 50’s, but not the 18. Shame on me, since I was seriously missing out on something good!

Nose:
Slightly nutty with heaps of orange and orange marmalade. Soft chocolate with a hint of wood in the background.

Taste:
Quite full flavoured with a heap of fruity sherry and some black pepper. A small hint of singed wood with some spices as well. Tea? It gets a bit sweeter after a while.

Finish:
Real sherry Macallan. Lots and lots  of flavour, with coffee, cocoa and fruit. Sweet citrus but not only that. There is also a lot of other tropical fruits to be found here.

This is one cracking dram. Unfortunately they switched to the Fine Oak range at Macallan, after decades of promoting their brand as ‘Golden Promise barley and the finest sherry casks’ they went for bourbon barrels and cheaper/higher yielding barley as well. Bummer. But I am certainly seeking out a bottle of this stuff! Well, until I found the price I was…

Macallan 18, 43%, OB, distilled in 1976 (not sure if this is right), samples available from Pats Wine & Whisky for €7,50 (1cl) and a bottle for €360

Nose: 9
Taste: 9
Finish: 9
Overal experience: 9
Price/quality: -2

Total: 34 points