Background:
The Macallan… Unarguably, one of the most distinguished brands in all of whiskey.
…a brand associated with wealth, luxury, billionaires, politicians, lobbyists, private yachts…
you get the picture…
But why?
Well for starters, this is not a comprehensive Macallan Distillery review.
That review will come in our Distillery Deep-Dive Series in summer ’25.
This is just a few words about a brand that for me, comes as close to a “love-hate” relationship as you can possibly have with any brand.
Hopefully, I’m able to effectively explain why.
The Macallan was introduced to me far too early in my scotch whiskey journey. In fact, one of the very first single malts that I ever tasted was a Macallan 21.
So, it’s easy to see how I developed such an expensive taste…
But, it is my honest opinion that anyone who generally asserts that “The Macallan is great!” should be cross-examined just as much as anyone who says, “The Macallan is terrible!”
We have to qualify what we mean when we say, “great” or “terrible”.
If by “great” one means to say that The Macallan generally produces “great whiskey”, then that statement is objectively true.
Full stop.
….and if by “terrible” one means the opposite of that, then that statement is objectively false.
The Macallan makes great whisky. Let’s establish that point up front.
Is everything that they produce a “10 of 10” kind of great?
No, of course not… No distillery can do that consistently…. but The Macallan has produced some of the best tasting scotch whiskey to have ever been produced.
That is not the problem for the legendary distillery in Moray, Scotland.
The problem for The Macallan is that the question that we ask ourselves as whiskey ambassadors is not always simply:
“How good is the whiskey in my glass?”
…but it is sometimes also:
“What is the value proposition for the whiskey in my glass?”
After all, we consult consumers; people who read/watch our content and allow it to influence their opinion about a whiskey as a whole.
If we go around touting the annual release of The Macallan 25 as the best main-line whiskey in our reviews (as I’ve seen some reviewers do), we are committing two evils:
- Hyperbolizing the greatness of a great whisky.
- Minimizing the greatness of other whiskies that are both better and cheaper than many releases of The Macallan 25.
If we answer only the first question on our minds, but not the second… then some layperson will look at those reviews and think, “Man, I really wanted to buy my dad the best whiskey for his birthday, but I can’t afford to spend $3,000 on a bottle.”
You might think, “well… that person can find other good things at a more affordable price”
and you are correct, they can…
but there are actually often BETTER things that are more affordably priced.
Sometimes even from The Macallan itself!
Take The Macallan’s “Classic Cut” series for example…
In 2019 and 2020, I was purchasing that bottle for $88.
The 2019 release is better than any Macallan 18 that I’ve had. It was also 4 times cheaper (pre-covid).
We can and should also bring attention to expressions that are actually obtainable by the general public.
What I am not saying:
The value of a whiskey should affect the rating of the whiskey. Wrong. It should not.
What I am saying:
Price to performance ratio matters!
(my friends and I affectionately call this “smiles per gallon” or “SPG”)
So starting with this very review (it’s quite fitting that I chose to review a Macallan expression today)..
Truth & Flavor will be including a SPG grade in all future reviews.
Again, I am NOT saying that people shouldn’t review The Macallan (obviously I am doing that here) and I am NOT saying that The Macallan brand is somehow bad for the whiskey community or anything ridiculous like that.
In terms of pure ratings, some expression from The Macallan falls in my top ten just about every year and they have taken number one numerous times.
To folks at The Macallan, I love you. Keep making great whisky.
The Review:
Age: NAS
ABV: 43%
Appearance: Mahogany, but with a ruby glow… It’s a beautiful looking dram. No caramel coloring added either, this is natural color and with red tint from those renowned sherry seasoned oak casks. Full bodied swirl, good legs.
Nose: Tobacco, Licorice, Sultanas all throughout. Quintessential Macallan. Exquisite!
Palate: intense cherry up front, begins to soften to vanilla and then to marshmallow. Soft mouthfeel, doesn’t quite hug the gums, but it satisfies.
Finish: medium-short finish, sugary notes mellow out to kiwi and other less distinct citruses.
Comments: I appreciate when The Macallan refrains from the e150a caramel coloring. This whisky is absolutely stunning both in the bottle and the glass. Phenomenal presentation as always from The Macallan with a trifold box and a descriptions on each flap. The bottle sits in a diamond crest cutout for the ultimate flex.
I think that the nose is fitting of a nearly $400 bottle, but it is quite thin on the palate… undoubtedly caused in some part to the dilution down to 43%. I dissent with the tasters who say that the finish is long… I think that the finish is medium length at best and overall it is a whisky that I could have told you was 86 proof from the moment that I sipped it.
Like most, I would love to see a Rare Cask at cask strength that is at least approachably priced. This is still phenomenal though. Well done.
Cigar Pairing: Davidoff Millenium
Rating: 8/10
Retail Price: $400 SPG: 5/10
