Some Macallan for International Whisky Day


March 27, 2025

Happy International Whisk(e)y Day!

Today is International Whisky Day, the original international day of whisky that started right here on Whiskyfun in 2008, following the suggestion of the famous Dutch whisky writer Hans Offringa, who was the first to come up with the idea. Each year, International Whisky Day pays tribute, on his birthday, to the great whisky writer Michael Jackson, who sadly passed away in 2007.

Michael Jackson was a staunch supporter of Macallan, among other distilleries. It's true that the pinnacle of his extraordinary career coincided with the availability on the market of some sublime Macallan expressions, from the 18-year-olds (up to the 1980 vintage) or the 30-year-olds, not to mention the older 15-year vintage editions, which could still be found relatively easily at the time of his earlier Malt Whisky Companion guidebooks.
So, we’ll finish today’s tasting with one of those legendary Macallans, a 1957 imported to Italy by Rinaldi which, alas, we don’t have formally tasted yet, just imagine the scandal.

Some Macallan for Michael Jackson

We're also going to take this opportunity to bring out a few other old Macallans that we've never formally tasted, including some bottles from which we decanted parts into smaller bottles quite a few years ago. Here's hoping they've held up…(please note that this session will have two parts.)

Macallan ‘Terra’ (43.8%, OB, Quest Collection, travel retail, 1st fill American and European oak sherry casks, +/-2024)

An expression that’s been around for quite some time, sadly far too pricey for a mere NAS (250€) Colour: deep gold. Nose: roasted peanuts and a slight metallic and leathery touch, then a few raisins, some sherry, followed by a rather charming smoky, waxy and ashy combo. A hint of burnt wood in the background. Mouth: dry and rather oaky, fairly herbal, with some pepper and more and more sherry influence, but also this unmistakable ‘finishing’ feel, not entirely well-integrated, even if it remains fairly pleasant. Roasted nuts, toffee, oak, ginger. A touch of tension. Finish: rather short, more burnt and caramelised, with a bitter and sour edge. Oak coming through in the aftertaste. Comments: for me the oak and its spices are a little too forward, along with that slightly jarring ‘finishing’ character. I’ve not had much luck with the ‘Quest’ range.
SGP:361 - 81 points.

Macallan 'A Night on Earth in Jerez de la Frontera' (43%, OB, 2024)

Another simple NAS, though half the price, drawn from the usual ‘sherry seasoned’ casks. This one celebrated New Year’s Eve and paid tribute to Jerez – one might say, about time too (just joking). That said, we had rather enjoyed the 'A Night on Earth in Scotland' from 2022 (WF 85) Colour: gold. Nose: a nose I find more appealing than that of the Terra, with more fruitiness, dry fruit jams, and altogether a more classical Macallan profile. The whole feels more coherent and better married, if you like. Raisins, figs, marzipan… Nothing earth-shattering, but quite pleasant. Mouth: less convincing on the palate, with jellybeans and slightly sugary fruit preserves which, truth be told, don’t exactly scream ‘Jerez’. Fruit pastes from the supermarket, with a few supermarket sultanas thrown in. Finish: medium in length, still a little syrupy. Comments: the nose was somewhat misleading, as I find the palate rather a little flabby and not terribly engaging.
SGP:541 - 79 points.

Speyside (M) 13 yo 2011/2024 ‘Edition #29’ (57.1, Signatory Vintage, 100 Proof, 1st fill oloroso butt)

Truly a lovely move with this series priced at €70. What, have we said that already? Colour: amber. Nose: back in the day, as the saying goes. Very charming combination, slightly floral at first (dandelions), then moving to accords of jams (mirabelle, quince, apricot) with roasted hazelnuts and almonds, all followed by a coffee and chocolate duet. With water: very lightly smoky, slightly burnt cake, toffee, and a few touches of fern. Mouth (neat): prune and Armagnac to start, then back to the same jams and dried fruits, laced with some lovely pepper. The whole leans slightly sweet, as if there were a touch of moscatel – though there isn’t. With water: not much change, save for some orange marmalade joining in. Finish: long, with clove and cinnamon making an appearance. Comments: impeccable. Deranged minds might consider keeping, once empty, any pricey official crystal decanter just to refill it with this kind of very lovely juice. Philistines! Pithecanthropuses! Squawking popinjays! Vegetarians! (all copyright captain Haddock).
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Here's an important question: are the different batches really that different? The answer, coming up…

Speyside (M) 13 yo 2011/2024 ‘Edition #25’ (57.1, Signatory Vintage, 100 Proof, 1st fill and refill oloroso butt)

Colour: amber. Nose: ah yes, this one’s different, a little less rounded, slightly earthier, with a touch of gunpowder this time, notes of cured ham, and a faint metallic edge… But the trouble is, I rather like both. Mouth: they’re closer on the palate, though this one leans more towards candied oranges and, once again, a whiff of smoked ham. Excellent in either case. Finish: a bit more coffee and black pepper. Comments: best to stop here, because with this sort of side-by-side exercise, one can easily end up knocking back 25cl of each just to chase down the nuances, only to finish utterly lost. Speaking from experience, of course.
SGP:651 – 87 points.

But do these batches evoke the ‘Old Macallan’ style? Only one way to find out: look for an older expression, one that could be close, and for which we haven’t yet written an official tasting note. Sound like a plan?

Macallan 10 yo ‘Cask Strength’ (58.8%, OB, +/-1999)

Not to be confused with the official 10 yo ‘100 Proof’ at 57%. Colour: amber with copper tones. Nose: no, this is quite different, far more on roasted nuts and fruitcake, mocha, roasted sesame oil, even beeswax and dried beef. Then it shifts gradually towards furniture polish. Overall, it’s distinctly drier. With water: this official version gains a slight edge, thanks to a little more beeswax and some soft oils (sunflower). Mouth (neat): the gap narrows on the palate, with the differences becoming more subtle. We’re on spicy dried fruits and Armagnac-soaked prunes once more. One is reminded of Austrian ‘Rumba Pfaumle’, which, long story short, translates, for the record, as ‘chocolate-dipped dried plums with domestic rum’. And in Austria, domestic rum is quite something, but I digress… With water: this time we’re nearly identical, this one just being a tad more polished, more harmonious. Dates and figs, with a signature note of copper coin. Finish: lovely length, loads of dried fruits, and a burst of honey arriving late. Comments: a touch of positive OBE here. That said, I see these bottles now sell for over €2,000. Ahem…
SGP:651 - 89 points.

Macallan 24 yo 1998/2023 ‘Speymalt’ (54.1%, Gordon & MacPhail, for LMDW Singapore 18th Anniversary, 1st fill sherry, cask #21603904, 326 bottles)

There had already been at least one Speymalt 1998, but that one had felt a bit underwhelming to our taste (WF 79). To be fair, it had been bottled at 43% back in 2007, so at a rather young age. Colour: gold. Nose: well then, ripe bananas, rum and honey – we’re in. And then comes eucalyptus and lemon verbena, laid over some sumptuous roasted figs, grand-restaurant style. The G&M style, always somewhat distinct from the OBs and often a little more complex and less overtly oaky, is clearly in play here. With water: waxes and hand creams, moisturiser, pollen, ripe apples… We’re loving all of this. Mouth (neat): thank you for proving me wrong, this is now woodier than the OBs, though more in the direction of infusions and herbal teas, all steeped in honey. Plenty of very ripe fruits rather than dried or as jams, particularly apricots. With water: stop right there, it’s perfect – no need for more. The medicinal side is absolutely lovely, especially the camphor and mint notes. Finish: not overly long but balanced and elegant, with beeswax captaining the ship. Comments: truth be told, we were expecting this. Bottles like this should not be placed next to current official NAS releases – that would be tactless.
SGP:551 - 90 points.

Right then, I suggest we finish with the 1957 for Michael Jackson, as we’d promised. Then tomorrow, we’ll have some other fun Macallans.

Macallan 1957 (80°proof, OB, Campbell, Hope & King, Rinaldi Italy, sherry wood, +/-1972)

A Macallan of course under the name of Roderick Kemp. The 15 years of age are noted on the cardboard box. These vintages are considered among the most legendary, with Campbell, Hope & King of Elgin – CH&K – having handled the bottling, alongside G&M, of the 'official' Macallans, as the distillery did not bottle its own pure malts at the time. The reputation of these releases is rather colossal, while among the vintages we’ve formally tasted, most have come from the years 1940 to 1962, with a justified skip between 1940 and 1946. Yet this 1957 had never ‘officially’ crossed our path… Colour: amber. Nose: what can I tell you? Perhaps that even a complete dictionary of whisky aromas wouldn’t quite suffice. Up front, everything that comes from a beehive – honey, wax, pollen, propolis, fir wood… Then heaps of dried yellow fruits – apples, raisins, figs, pears, bananas… Then forgotten varnishes, leathers, waxes and embrocations, aromas you’d find in the dusty stacks of an 18th-century library. And to top it all off, those familiar notes of ‘vintage car’ from similar eras. Let’s say an old Jag from the 50s or 60s – how does that sound? And what brilliance to bottle this at 80°proof, roughly 46% vol. Okay, 45.85. Mouth: immense, one of the GOATs of malt whisky, now melted into a kind of coffee and liquorice cake, yet with many distinct components still shimmering through – the honeys, the figs, a whisper of tar, the malt of course, sultanas, walnuts and pecans, and of course the queens of old-school sherry: the figs. Not forgetting the cognac and the mosto/paxarette, whose roles have always been debated quietly when no one else was listening. Ssh… Let’s not overlook the pipe tobacco and bouillons either, two pillars of this now sadly fading style. Have you rung the Anti-Maltoporn Brigade yet? Finish: sublime. Nothing more to say. Comments: shh… Let’s just say it settles just below the 1954 CH&K, my personal benchmark.
SGP:652 - 95 points.

Bear in mind, these old bottles have each evolved in their own way—unless they’ve been kept sealed, together in their original case. So they’ve all become slightly different over time, which is absolutely delightful, naturally.

In any case, tomorrow we’ll have some crazy indie Macallans, released under the distillery’s proper name, along with an old official series for which, sadly, we’ve never written proper tasting notes on this modest little website. So, have a great day or evening, and see you tomorrow for more Macallan adventures…

(Thank you Thierry and Salvatore)

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