A bouquet of Macallan for this Christmas Eve


December 24, 2025

A bouquet of Macallan for this Christmas Eve

Macallan for the festive season, could there be anything more traditional, perhaps even conservative? But at WF, Macallan remains one of the blue chips, despite a rather unrestrained marketing approach that doesn’t quite match up, in our humble opinion, with its absolutely massive production capacity: thirty-six stills giving fifteen million litres of pure alcohol per annum. You might say that reconciling the apparent contradiction between such large-scale production and a hyper-premium brand positioning has already been achieved by other names – Dom Pérignon, Rolex, and perhaps even Porsche come to mind.
And for us, after all, what really matters is what’s in the glass, so here’s to Macallan! In any case, we’ll be tasting both new expressions and older ones too, for a bit of perspective, wouldn’t you say…

(Macallan/The Ned)

Macallan 'A Night on Earth the First Light’ (43%, OB, 2025)

‘Scotland’ had been really very good (WF 85) but ‘Jerez’ rather underwhelmed to our taste (WF 79). That said, it’s still quite the high-wire act to offer a NAS bottling at €120, isn’t it. Colour: pale gold. Nose: very close to barley, beeswax, fresh wood, biscuits and Earl Grey tea, with a faintly camphory edge that’s most charming. Mouth: this is good, fairly spicy, rather fresh, with apples and lemons, green tea, lemongrass and a fair bit of resinous wood. Finish: rather long, on clove-studded orange marmalade and a few drops of retsina (that’s Greek white wine with pine resin, in case you’re wondering). Comments: I like it a great deal, quite a resinous and spicy little Macallan all things considered, Tarantino would probably call it ‘Chartreuse Macallan’.
SGP:461 - 86 points.

Speyside 15 (M) 2009/2025 ‘Small Batch Edition #18’ (48.2%, Signatory Vintage, 1st fill and refill oloroso sherry butts)

Colour: gold. Nose: more forthright and direct, slightly varnishy, burnt walnut cake, toast, roasted peanuts, candy sugar and pipe tobacco. On the nose, it’s as good as proper bread. Mouth: textbook stuff, classic to a fault, with a dry sherry profile full of walnut and tobacco, heaps of toffee and spiced marmalade, some Basler Läckerli, aniseed bredala from the Middle Alsace, and a touch of slightly acidic coffee... Finish: long and still excellent, now showing more pepper, clove, and old-style Dutch genever... Comments: this is rather amusing, the IB plays it classic, while the OB went off to explore other frontiers. In the end, both are very good to our taste.
SGP:561 - 86 points.

Macallan 20 yo 2004/2025 ‘Speymalt’ (58.9%, Gordon & MacPhail for La Maison du Whisky, 1st fill sherry hogshead, cask #22606607, 330 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: halt, oranges crossing the road! This is magnificent, just a touch powerful without water, but it’s almost all things orange (liqueurs, cakes, jams and the like). You’ll say we’re fond of oranges and you’d be right. With water: orange-flavoured bredala, absolutely splendid. Perhaps not terribly Scottish, I grant you, but splendid, nonetheless. Mouth (neat): utterly gorgeous, and yes, those oranges again, including green ones, along with spiced combinations that transport you far and wide, India, North Africa, Indonesia… Nasi goreng, anyone? With water: a return to a more classical Macallan (figs, tobacco) though the spices keep a firm hand on the tiller, thankfully, as they’re glorious spices. Finish: long, with a slightly spiced espresso character. Comments: a splendid bottling, brimming with action and insane elegance.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Macallan 23 yo 2001/2025 ‘Speymalt’ (58.3%, Gordon & MacPhail for La Maison du Whisky, 1st fill sherry hogshead, cask #23602102, 340 bottles)

Macallan 23 yo 2001/2025 ‘Speymalt’ (58.3%, Gordon & MacPhail for La Maison du Whisky, 1st fill sherry hogshead, cask #23602102, 340 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: this is more opulent than the 2004, broader even, with baked apples and pears, yellow flowers, honey biscuits, milk chocolate with orange zest, and all sorts of things that could make you gain weight merely by mentioning them. In short, it’s opulent. With water: not much change, except those providential oranges are now even more prominent. Mouth (neat): explosive, danger ahead! A proper orange-and-pepper bomb, and in my humble opinion, it’s wise to add water subito presto. With water: careful now, the water brings out green pepper, ginger and curry, so we’re into quasi-Cornelian dilemma territory. I believe I prefer it neat, though best to contact your insurer in advance, as though you were setting off for Everest. Or nearly. Finish: long, powerful, still somewhat ginger-led. Comments: it’s settled then, this is magnificent, but I prefer the 2004.
SGP:561 - 88 points.

The Dark Side of the ‘M’ 20 yo 2005/2025 (61.1%, La Maison du Whisky, The Dark Side of the Moon, Artist #15, 1st fill sherry butt, cask #44H, 331 bottles)

Ah, here it is, ‘M’, that’s Nick Mason! You’re with me, aren’t you? Colour: amber. Nose: we’re back to those slightly varnishy notes at first, followed by lightly burnt biscuits, kougelhopf and walnut cake. But at this strength, we’ll refrain from nosing too long, despite glorious whiffs of ancient Malmsey Madeira wafting through... With water: earthy walnut cake, old cigars, toffee and simply caramel. Mouth (neat): very good, yet far too strong for me. Frankly, it’ll strip your palate clean if you’re not careful, which makes it all the more treacherous since the overall profile is otherwise rather approachable. A proper trap! With water: there we are, we’ve got it, rum and raisins, orange liqueur, lemongrass... Gradually it tightens up and retreats into lemon. And we do adore lemon. Finish: long, livelier, almost challenging. Comments: if you think drinking a whisky means opening a bottle, pouring a few centilitres and knocking them back without further ceremony, move along. This one takes work, you’ll need a good glass, good water, a good pipette... In short, it’s almost a malt in kit form.
SGP:561 - 89 points.

Right, let’s move on to the older ones, starting with a legendary – though controversial – edition…

Macallan ‘Private Eye’ (40%, OB, 5,000 bottles, 1996)

Bottled for the 35th anniversary of the satirical magazine Private Eye. If you go online, you’ll be drowned in misinformation, with claims it’s from 1961 (it’s not, there’s only one cask from 1961 in the vatting, the rest is NAS) or that it’s 35 years old (it’s not, it’s NAS). The fact they bottled it at 40% vol. is rather alarming too, and the notion it’s one of the most collectible Macallans ever is… well, classic late-1990s early-2000s stuff. Still, it might be excellent, so let’s see… Colour: full gold. Nose: it is rather lovely, soft, honeyed, with those tobacco-and-honey notes typical of Macallan in those days, a whiff of old Yquem (yes!), and a charming mix of nuts—walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, macadamias—all lightly toasted. Hints of earth, mushrooms and more tobacco, so yes, definitely Macallan, though at 40% vol. the weaknesses will show on the palate. Mouth: well, even at 40% vol., it’s a very good Macallan and remains a very good whisky. There’s that honeyed tobacco again, biscuits, dried fruits, even Christmas cake and candied orange. It just tends to frustrate the palate slightly in mid-mouth, likely due to the low wattage. It’s a bit like acoustic Led Zeppelin, if you will. Finish: a little short, but clean, rather floral and slightly earthy. Lacks a bit of punch though. Surprising notes of white chocolate in the aftertaste. Comments: excellent of course, but whoever decided to bottle this lovely blend at 40% vol.—if they’re still with us—should be taken out at dawn and shot with marshmallows...
SGP:641 - 89 points.

Macallan 1961 (80° UK proof, Campbell Hope & King, Rinaldi Italy, sherry wood, 75 cl, +/-1976)

Haha, I think we’ve tasted every vintage from the 1950s and every vintage from the 1960s. Except 1961—such is life! Surely we must be approaching peak Macallanitude here… Colour: amber. Nose: incredible, immeasurable and mind-blowing. Jamon iberico, old pipe tobacco, currants, nectar of the gods (ambrosia), and a simple, rustic, modest caramel, prepared with exquisite care. I’ll spare you the whole retinue of dried fruits, figs and all the rest. Mouth: these fifteen-year-olds are among the world’s greatest whiskies, and it’s expressions like this that built the house of Macallan. You get the full explanatory suite here: honeys, dried fruits, tobaccos and waxes, all in a thrilling interplay. Not forgetting the proverbial rancio. Finish: fairly long, drier, more on tobacco and old amontillado. Slightly smoky (wood) in the aftertaste. Comments: the rumour—likely complete nonsense—is that CH&K used to top these up with brandy. But you know how rumours go...
SGP:652 - 94 points.

How about we taste a really old one? Is this Whiskyfun or is it not Whiskyfun? (sorry if we sound as if we’re playing at being a bargain-bin YouTuber now ;-))

Macallan 34 yo 1967/2002 (41.8%, Hart Brothers, Finest Collection)

Sweet, dear Hart Bros.! What a pleasure it is to revisit one of their prestige bottlings. Worth noting, the low ABV here still corresponds to cask strength, so we’re not in tisane territory just yet... Colour: white wine. Let’s call it Meursault premier cru. Nose: those impressions often found in the old Abe Rosenberg/Duncan Taylor casks—milk chocolate, flower nectar, beeswax, multifloral pollen, and very ripe (or bruised) apples… It’s magnificent on the nose, though you do wonder whether it’ll hold up on the palate... Mouth: well… yes! It wavers a little at first but, as so often, the heroic citrus molecules arrive to lift and tighten everything, giving just the right bite to those honey-coated dried fruits. The raisins too are playing their part marvellously, even if the whole remains ever so slightly fragile. Finish: milk chocolate turning into white chocolate, all in softness. Then a burst of citrus comes charging in the aftertaste, offering a welcome little kick. The finish has the final word (pure genius, that, S.!) Comments: touch and go at times, but like a talented tightrope walker, this old baby from Craigellachie always pulled through.
SGP:531 - 89 points.

Go on then, one last dram for the road…

Aberlogie (Macallan) 20 yo 1973 (59.3%, Arthur J A Bell, The Whisky Connoisseur, sherry, cask #8138, +/-1993)

I’ve never quite understood why this venerable house, which gave us so many delights, used to invent names instead of simply using the distillery’s own, they either thought it was charming affectation or were required to do so, though at the time, I rather doubt it. Anyway, let’s try this very rare baby… Colour: gold. Nose: even after all these years, it still packs a punch, due to the very high strength. Let’s say a mix of triple sec and uncut pot still rum. The tinier molecules seem to be queuing at the gate, but Cerberus won’t let them in. Water will sort that. With water: probably not a dramatic unfolding, but it stays waxy, with stewed apple, custard, scones, and notes of old, outdated books... (like The Art of the Deal, paperback) ... Mouth (neat): reminds me of those Macallan ‘As We Get It’ bottlings, ring a bell? It’s brutal, rustic and stripping. For now... With water: ah, now this is lovely, on peach purée with a drizzle of honey. It’s turned gentle as a lamb. Finish: not very long once reduced, but now closer to barley, stewed apple and honey. Comments: I checked, ‘Aberlogie’ means nothing at all. Not a valley, not a loch, not some spring, nor even some vanished hamlet. But the whisky was very good, and funnily enough, it shares certain flavours already found in ‘The First Light’.
SGP:541 - 87 points.

Nine Macallans, that’s perfect, we’ll have plenty more next year…

(Many thanks once more, KC, and Merry Christmas)

Check the index of all Macallan we've tasted