Macallan again


December 7, 2022

Little Duos, today Macallan again

Well, one of them will be one of those secret Speysiders that 'could' be Macallan, but a tiny bird told me that in this very case, there's very little doubt.

(Picture, Bocuse's Soupe VGE, Académie du Goût)

Macallan 2003/2022 'Speymalt' (57.3%, Gordon & MacPhail, LMDW Antipodes)

La Maison are having two different Speymalts at Cask Strength this year, a superb 2001 that we've already tried a few days ago (WF 89) and this even newer 2003. To think that any 2003s, which was just last year wasn't it, are about to become twenty years old… Colour: brown amber. Nose: I'll get killed one day but I think this is more Macallan than Macallan. I mean 'traditional' Macallan, starting with a little gunpowder and struck matches, moving towards truffle soup and dark toffee, going on towards chestnut honey and chocolate, then hectolitres of old oloroso, bags of walnuts, clove, liquorice, sludge, tar, flints, something basaltic… We're back in the years way before 2003. With water: truffle soup! There's one thing that's almost like this, it is Bocuse's 'Soupe VGE'. Some soup harbouring truffles, foie gras and Noilly, what could go wrong? Mouth (neat): pure flinty oloroso, extremely rich, thick, bordering heaviness but some lemon is saving it all. This is extremely spectacular, you do almost have the feeling that someone's added lemon juice to lift this cask to new heights. Fantastic. With water: this is a time machine. Salty toffee, more truffle, very old oloroso, and always this lemon juice that's adding just the right amount of freshness. These little notes of chervil are helping too. Finish: very long and superbly meaty. This is the kind of whisky they should have at *** restaurants, instead of the usual 'supermarket' bottles. Some saltiness in the aftertaste. Comments: I believe Silvano Samaroli as well would have selected this cask, it is very 'Silvano'. R.I.P. Silvano.
SGP:662 - 91 points.

Secret Speyside 30 yo 1992/2022 (49.2%, Fadandel.dk, 1st fill sherry quarter cask, cask #1408831, 28 bottles)

A tiny, yet very extravagant release, finished for three years in a wee PX quarter cask. They called it 'Uisge Beatha Rolls Royce', so indeed, it shouldn't be Allt-A-Bhainne, let's see… (hey, nothing against Allt-A-Bhainne, which is a very fine drop, just not a Rolls Royce of Uisge Beatha). Colour: amber. Nose: I had feared this would have been too tough after the G&M, but while indeed it is softer and rounder, these sweet notes of millionaire shortbread, pancakes with maple syrup, manuka honey, banana cake, geranium and wisteria, butterscotch and then just raisins are pretty splendid. The floral side is absolutely lovable. Mouth: the finishing was smartly done, you do not really feel it, while the little cask too behaved. In short, no lousy coconut, rather some precious jams and Christmas spices. For example, marmalade and clove, mulled white wine with star anise, some mango chutney, blackberry jelly with a little caraway, and indeed raisins, especially sultanas. Finish: long, with a little orange juice that keeps lifting it. Isn't it funny that both Macallans were pretty citrusy today? More oak spices in the aftertaste, but we do remain in safe territory. Comments: this was a death seat after the Speymalt, but it pulled through with glory and honour.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Check the index of all Macallan we've tasted so far