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The Macallan
Region: Highlands
District: Speyside
The Macallan Distillery is located about a
mile west of Craigellachie in Morayshnire just a short distance
uphill from the Spey River. Though officially licensed in
1824, illicit whisky distilling was being conducted on this
site much earlier. The high quality and resulting large demand
for this "Rolls-Royce of Single Malts," as it is sometimes
referred to, has necessitated expansion of the distillery
on several occasions. Its production capacity was doubled
in 1965, and an additional nine stills were added in 1975.
Its total of twenty-one small stills (some say smaller is
better), the insistence of maturing their whisky exclusively
in sherry casks, and an excellent management team have led
to the production of one of the finest and fastest growing
single malts in the world.
12 year old
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|
| Proof |
86 |
| Color |
Amber |
| Nose |
Flowery, sherry,
with honey. |
| Body |
Smooth, but full. |
| Palate |
Dry sherried,
with flowers, and a hint of honey. Full and well-rounded. |
| Finish |
Round and lingering.
Quite long, with lingering sherry. |
18 year old
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|
| Proof |
86 |
| Color |
Dark amber. |
| Nose |
Plenty of sherry-sweetness
with a good bouquet. A hint of wood and vanilla. |
| Body |
Full and round. |
| Palate |
Sweet and full.
Quite complex with patience yielding sherry, vanilla-sweetness
and spices. |
| Finish |
Long and lingering.
Assertive with some sherry, sweetness and wood. |
25 year old
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|
| Proof |
86 |
| Color |
Darker still
than the 12 or 18 year-olds. |
| Nose |
Full. Some peat
comes through and some oak, along with the sherry. |
| Body |
Full and round. |
| Palate |
The smokiness
reveals itself, even through the obvious oakiness. It
can be very complex, revealing a different character at
ano |
| Finish |
Long, and drier
than the 18-year-old. Some very interesting comparisons
have been made between the 18 and 25 year-old Macallans. |
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