My Dear Friends and Esteemed Guests,
I write this letter with great excitement, my trip to the well spring of our beloved water of life so imminent. The quick task of hanging spooky decorations, dolling out candy, and then putting away those same decorations, which has consumed my time these last few days, is now done, and I can turn my attention back to the Club. So before I run off to fair Caledonia, let’s review our October tasting.
I have to say that I rather enjoyed focusing on a single distillery; it provided the opportunity to learn more about regional and historical influence on the distillery and its product (and made my research time much less intense!). This month we focused on the Macallan. In future months it may be easier to detect the core characteristics of the distillery and to explore the development of those traits over time in the barrel, but with Macallan we were somewhat limited to only two vintages of each of the traditional sherry cask and oak varietals. Well, perhaps that was enough…
Although we could not taste it here, the Macallan’s new make, most indicative of the distillery’s “true spirit”, is said to be a clean, green fruit, malty whisky, fat / oily in the mouth, with a long finish. How did it evolve under the guidance of the Master?
Our first tasting was of the Macallan 10 year old Fine Oak. This pale colored whisky sports 43% ABV, but presented its alcohol to the nose and palate like something much stronger. The whisky was otherwise light in flavor, with crisp, green fruit and pine notes. There were hints of cereal, but the wood seems to have made these dry and ethereal. The finish lingered, with a predominant oakiness. Water helped this dram, making it more approachable all around. Our most estimable panel of judges awarded this dram a 6.6 overall score, placing it in the bottom third of “The List”.
Macallan’s 12 year old was up next. This sherried whisky is no stranger to our table, having been sampled in November ‘10 and July ‘11, and probably again in the dark years prior to our recreation of “The List”. Perhaps there was a bit of recency bias, having just stepped away from the drier, crisper 10 year old, but upon taking a peg off this dram a resounding “oh, yes!” arose from the crowd. This dram was noticeably darker, and presented to the nose with richer, deeper fruit notes. It was smooth, perhaps oily, in the mouth, with fruitcake emerging immediately; dried sweet fruits like figs or dates. Where the oak’s light nuttiness was like walnut, this was more clearly chestnut. The finish was brown sugar sweet with the consistency of molasses. We provided this a 7.9, which is a considerable step up in the rankings.
The 15 year Fine Oak came next. Although many of the same notes experienced in the 10 year old were present here as well, the extra aging went a long way to round these out. The result was a much more approachable whisky: very light ethereal notes on the nose, with orange peel and caramel emerging. Still oaky, but now the apples were cider and the pears, stewed. Caramel and malt come forward on the palate as well. The finish, while long, seemed lighter than the 10’s. The lesson learned is, if you are going to drink the Fine Oak, go for the extra aging! We scored this specimen a full point higher than its younger cousin, with a 7.6.
Our last up, and only for those willing to sport the extra few quid, was the Macallan 18, aged in traditional sherry butts. We also tried this whisky in July ‘11, and with the same result. A magnificent spirit, wrapped in warm, rich fruits, with a lingering sweet, but not overbearing, finish. The whisky had a rich oiliness in the mouth and the bouquet was complex and deep, with ripe fruits and molasses. Moist cake notes rose on the palate, with figs and raisins, and a hint of smokiness on the way down. A wonderful balance between the distillery’s fat, fruity, and oily style and the effects of the wine barrel it ages so long in. We provided an 8.9 to this dram, which leaves it squarely tied for our top spot among the whiskies we’ve tasted over the last two years.
I’m very much looking forward to bringing back stories of my trip to the Balvenie Distillery when we meet to taste their whiskies in November. Until then, my warmest regards,
I write this letter with great excitement, my trip to the well spring of our beloved water of life so imminent. The quick task of hanging spooky decorations, dolling out candy, and then putting away those same decorations, which has consumed my time these last few days, is now done, and I can turn my attention back to the Club. So before I run off to fair Caledonia, let’s review our October tasting.
I have to say that I rather enjoyed focusing on a single distillery; it provided the opportunity to learn more about regional and historical influence on the distillery and its product (and made my research time much less intense!). This month we focused on the Macallan. In future months it may be easier to detect the core characteristics of the distillery and to explore the development of those traits over time in the barrel, but with Macallan we were somewhat limited to only two vintages of each of the traditional sherry cask and oak varietals. Well, perhaps that was enough…
Although we could not taste it here, the Macallan’s new make, most indicative of the distillery’s “true spirit”, is said to be a clean, green fruit, malty whisky, fat / oily in the mouth, with a long finish. How did it evolve under the guidance of the Master?
Our first tasting was of the Macallan 10 year old Fine Oak. This pale colored whisky sports 43% ABV, but presented its alcohol to the nose and palate like something much stronger. The whisky was otherwise light in flavor, with crisp, green fruit and pine notes. There were hints of cereal, but the wood seems to have made these dry and ethereal. The finish lingered, with a predominant oakiness. Water helped this dram, making it more approachable all around. Our most estimable panel of judges awarded this dram a 6.6 overall score, placing it in the bottom third of “The List”.
Macallan’s 12 year old was up next. This sherried whisky is no stranger to our table, having been sampled in November ‘10 and July ‘11, and probably again in the dark years prior to our recreation of “The List”. Perhaps there was a bit of recency bias, having just stepped away from the drier, crisper 10 year old, but upon taking a peg off this dram a resounding “oh, yes!” arose from the crowd. This dram was noticeably darker, and presented to the nose with richer, deeper fruit notes. It was smooth, perhaps oily, in the mouth, with fruitcake emerging immediately; dried sweet fruits like figs or dates. Where the oak’s light nuttiness was like walnut, this was more clearly chestnut. The finish was brown sugar sweet with the consistency of molasses. We provided this a 7.9, which is a considerable step up in the rankings.
The 15 year Fine Oak came next. Although many of the same notes experienced in the 10 year old were present here as well, the extra aging went a long way to round these out. The result was a much more approachable whisky: very light ethereal notes on the nose, with orange peel and caramel emerging. Still oaky, but now the apples were cider and the pears, stewed. Caramel and malt come forward on the palate as well. The finish, while long, seemed lighter than the 10’s. The lesson learned is, if you are going to drink the Fine Oak, go for the extra aging! We scored this specimen a full point higher than its younger cousin, with a 7.6.
Our last up, and only for those willing to sport the extra few quid, was the Macallan 18, aged in traditional sherry butts. We also tried this whisky in July ‘11, and with the same result. A magnificent spirit, wrapped in warm, rich fruits, with a lingering sweet, but not overbearing, finish. The whisky had a rich oiliness in the mouth and the bouquet was complex and deep, with ripe fruits and molasses. Moist cake notes rose on the palate, with figs and raisins, and a hint of smokiness on the way down. A wonderful balance between the distillery’s fat, fruity, and oily style and the effects of the wine barrel it ages so long in. We provided an 8.9 to this dram, which leaves it squarely tied for our top spot among the whiskies we’ve tasted over the last two years.
I’m very much looking forward to bringing back stories of my trip to the Balvenie Distillery when we meet to taste their whiskies in November. Until then, my warmest regards,
Sláinte,
post script: you can review the list on our site by clicking the “The List” icon.
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