Hi all! Here's another Scotch I got to try a short while ago, and it's another Macallan!
Post got a bit messed up in my previous attempt to post this so I'm posting it again.
This might be one of the more expensive liquids I've tried, and I got to try it without paying (well not in money at least lmao)! A bit of how that happened (feel free to tl:dr)
On one of the weekends a while ago, a VIP (who had previously purchased a Macallan 52 yr there) and his friends came to the whisky store & bar I frequent for a leisurely afternoon drink, and I happened to be at the bar to kill some time.
Since some of these folks were a bit interested in Japanese whiskies, we struck up a conversation where I gave an impromptu mini seminar & tasting on Yamazaki 12s from different eras with some of my own samples and bottles (amongst other more unique Yamazakis). The guys were quite fascinated by my little talk, and promised that he'll return the favor and pour me a drink some time as well.
It just so happened that the store had prepared a special gift for that VIP- a roughly 1 ounce pour of a newly opened Macallan Distil Your World Paris Edition, to which the guy invited me to join him and his friends in sharing that pour. Each of us ended up with just a small share but hey, I got to try it for (mostly) free lmao.
Macallan Distil Your World Paris Edition (47.2% abv)
a special edition Macallan which used Sherry, Bourbon and Cognac casks in its blend. Here are my impressions:
Nose: Mellow maltose (quite typical of Macallans); polished oak (more furniture-like); a rather complex, caramelized dried fruity profile (both red and white grape raisins); light hint of vanilla; light hint of baking spices (nutmeg)
Palate: Notably of ripe white grapes & white grape raisins (with a profile reminiscent of XO Cognac); sweet azuki bean paste; polished oak (furniture-like, slightly bitter); mellow maltose; hint of baking spices; a bit more notable sour aftertaste. Pretty much no alcohol sting or astringency
Finish: A bit too little tried to be certain, but I remember it being kind of similar to cognacs- caramelized fruits, fruity sourness, a hint of oak, with a hint of baking spices from the palate.
*Conclusion*
The most characteristic part of its tasting experience was how the white grape and white grape raisin fruity characters were interwoven into the typical Macallan maltose and sherry cask characters.
That said, aside from that point, everything else about this Macallan seemed quite... regular. All in all, this one tasted quite like a very finely tuned modern Macallan, with a few gimmicks. In all honesty, I can't really say this one is amongst the top three Macallan whiskies I've tried. But hey, I got to try it and probably made a new drinking buddy! Maybe one day he'll open that Macallan 52 and I'd get to have a sip lmao
Thanks for reading, Cheers!