Speyside

The Macallan Fine Oak Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 15 Years Old
43% ABV
$90-$100
Website

What the Distillery Says:
Distilled at The Macallan distillery, in Speyside, Scotland, this legendary single malt is triple cask matured in a unique, complex combination of exceptional oak casks; European oak casks seasoned with sherry, American oak casks seasoned with sherry, and American oak casks seasoned with bourbon. This triple cask combination delivers an extraordinarily smooth, delicate yet complex single malt, matured at The Macallan distillery for a minimum of fifteen years.

Nose: Sublime and full with a hint of rose and cinnamon
Palate: Intense rich chocolate with a hint of orange and raisin
Finish: Lingering with a hint of chocolate, orange and dried fruits

What Richard Says:
Nose: A much lighter expression of middle aged Macallan for sure. There noticeable sherry there but it’s more a supporting player. It’s more floral that traditional Macallan with notes of orange zest and cantaloupe.
Palate: Sweet citrus richness again playing with a sherry supporter and a dose of nutty toffee.
Finish: Dry and mellow with a lingering bit of high (75%+) cacao chocolate.
Comments: When the Fine Oak range launched it was panned by a lot of Macallan purists. Being the kind of whiskey drinker that will try anything once I hit a tasting right after the launch that went through the whole range. The 15 year old was the standout. Years later my opinions still hold. I find the Fine Oaks different but not really better in any noticeable way compared to their sherried brethren. The 10, 12, 18, 25, and 30 are all better in their sherry forms. However, the 15 year old expression to me is where the Fine Oak really shines. It’s been a favorite and frequent gifting bottle for years.
Rating: Must Try

The Glenlivet XXV Single Malt Scotch Whisky
46% ABV
$300 to $400
Website

What the Distillery Says:
Character: The intense and opulent one
Colour: Rich amber with ripe gold hues
Nose: Dark chocolate with scents of dried sultanas
Palate: Silky, sweet and caressing with cinnamon notes
Finish: Incredibly long, rich and balanced

Craft facts
The XXV is a batch-produced whisky finished in individually selected ex-sherry butts.

The Oloroso-soaked oak imparts a nutty spiciness and enriches the flavour of the expression.

Each cask is individually monitored in the finishing process to ensure only the subtlest sherry tones are added to this intense, silky and elegant whisky.

What Matt Says:
Nose: Burnt sugar, candied orange zest, and an antiseptic note reminding me of an enclosed public pool.
Palate: Very smooth and elegant. Aged like a refined elder statesman. Vanilla, mint around the edges, and sherry stand out but the oak jumps forward first. A very strong woody flavor (very different from an aged bourbon) that is evident of the time spent in the barrel. The viscosity is very nice and in that “just right” zone that isn’t too viscous or too dry.
Finish: The finish is nice. This is where the sherry really asserts itself. The front half of my tongue is all sherry and the back half is all vanilla.
Comments: When you talk about a whisky being too easy to drink this is definitely what you’re talking about. You could easily go through this bottle and not notice.
Rating: Must Try

What Richard Says:
Nose: Nice sherry plays into caramel, vanilla, toffee crisps, a bit of licorice on the back end, and that luscious combination of aged tobacco and old leather you get from nowhere but old scotch.
Palate: Orange marmalade, more old leather, fine pipe tobacco, with a nice oily texture. It’s better mouth feel than I would expect from chill filtered scotch.
Finish: Dry and clean with a mild tannic and white pepper bite playing with the wood.
Comments: Regular readers will know the history of my bottle. Going through the notes again I can of course see how this disappeared off my shelf. This is a delicious dram and anyone fortunate to have the opportunity to try it most definitely should.
Rating: Must Try

Overall Rating: Must Try

For those keeping count this is our 300th review! We’re so happy to still be commenting on whiskey and having all of you take interest in our thoughts. We even managed to bring Matt out of semi-retirement to chime in on this one. Maybe it was offering up 25 year old Glenlivet that did the trick! 😉