The Macallan Double Cask Live Tasting on Instagram

Join us today at 8PM EST on Instagram!

Cameron Millar of The Macallan and I will be doing a live tasting on Instagram! We’re going to discuss the article I wrote earlier in the week. You might know Cam from such wonderful podcast as our 2020 year in review:

We both have samples, poured blind, and we’re going to guess which is which. The samples are of The Macallan 12, 15, and 18. Here are my tasting notes and guesses. Find out which is which in 15 minutes (8pm EST) on my Instagram.

Sample No. 4

Nose: Heavy sherry influence, syrupy sweet—ripen fruits, cinnamon, nice woody note. Tangy, orange marmalade type note. Deep dusty note.

Palate: Tons of orange candied gummy tangy notes, a cinnamon (light) spice, brown sugar, and a dry zippy finish. The sweetness is familiar, not unlike sherry, but the oak spice really amps up the character toward the finish. It’s buttery. Spicy (again, super light), and has that brown sugar sweetness toward the end.

Assumptions: Sherry Oloroso, I don’t detect any perceptive amount of ex-bourbon oak. Has age to it. Good balance.

Guess: The Macallan Double Cask 18 Year Old—this is all (or mostly) ex-sherry oak influenced. There’s a complexity of pepper note of American oak, though, so unsure if it’s all European oak or a mix of European oak and American oak (both seasoned in Oloroso sherry). Either way, this is the direction I’m going down.

Answer: Correct!

Sample No. 5

Nose: Dark chocolate, caramel, vanilla, and that distinct American peppery spice. It’s a spicy complex note and the sweetness rounds out the edges well.

Palate: Forward American spice, vanilla extract (bitters and sweetness), and some cinnamon spice. It gives us a full range of experience from pepper smooth notes to solid sweet sherry notes, and a little of that ‘wine-like’ sweetness toward the end. The finish captures a lot of my attention—spice, sweetness, buttery notes. A roller coaster of flavor from sweet to spicy to buttery.

Assumption: American oak (ex-sherry) is forward but there are Europea cask notes here in near equal measure (in terms of flavour, not necessarily quantity). Good age, nice contrast, fairly peppery and a sweet to balance it all out. It has edge, but you won’t fall. The American oak is more present here compared to the previous sample.

Guess: The Macallan Double Cask 15 Year Old—This is a tough guess, though, because it’s close (but different) to sample 6. They’re both delicious, and different, . However, I can make the argument that other way.

Answer: This was Macallan Double Cask 12!

Sample No. 6

Nose: Dark chocolate, figs, more dark chocolate, minty herbs, more dar chocolate, vanilla spice plus caramel notes, dark chocolate, and ginger. Buttery. Rich. Hefty on the nose, it carries with it character (but that deep deep sort of character). After a time, one gets that American peppery spice. Definitely a Scottish butterscotch note (not to be confused with a Canadian one).

Palate: The start is almost expected, and just when you think you’ll get what you expect (sherry figgy syrupy sweet), the oak peppers really amp up on the flavors. Lots of spice, cinnamon and pepper, mixed with orange citrus and vanilla (light). Good proper hard hitting finish that stamps a flavor and reverberates on the palate. The finish is figs, orange citrus (covered in chocolate), cinnamon, and brown sugar. It has a port-like sweetness that’s delightful. Those vanilla bitters turn toward licorice over time.

Assumption: My initial assumption was this is a mix of European and American oak, but all seasoned with Oloroso sherry. I still think that’s the case, but in my mind there’s more American oak that’s used here, because I’m getting those caramel butteryscotch notes.

Guess: The Macallan Double Cask 12 Year Old—It’s a challenging guess. American oak seasoned exclusively in sherry is a rare profile (often there’s been bourbon in them previous), so my guess is based on the unique flavour profile. It’s distinct in the line-up.

Answer: This delicious pour was The Macallan Double Cask 15 Year Old!