The Macallan Cask Strength Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
120.2 Proof
Price Point: $50 – $60 for 750 ML
Distiller: The Macallan Distillers Ltd.
Background
If you’ve been keeping score on my reviews, you know that I really like cask strength whiskeys. Glenlivet Nàdurra, Abraham Bowman, George T. Stagg all share that quality and all rate among the top. Now let’s look at a heavily sherried Scotch, and see how it stacks up against the others super-potent whiskies.
Review
No surprise here – a deeply sherried nose with a rich, red wine aroma. There’s also a yeast (bread-like) smell similar to Bruichladdich Rocks and Sheep Dip. This nose is big and robust, very nice!
The taste of Macallan Cask Strength is a big step up from the 12 Year Old. This stuff tastes younger but still better – it’s a sherried whisky on steroids! This particular expression is slightly malty with hints of dark chocolate and a very small suggestion of smoke.
Of course there’s a real big finish on this one from the 60.1% ABV. This will certainly leave your tongue tingling for a while.
Rating & Recommendations
I can’t say too many bad things about Macallan Cask Strength, which is precisely why it earns a rating of 89 out of 100.
This is easily my favorite heavily-sherried Scotch to date. I would recommend this to a good friend, for sure.
-Ryan