Another bottle from the procession of 10 year old Macallan’s that were vatted together then re-racked into a selection of different casks for some additional maturation. This month’s listed as a 1st ex-oloroso hogshead and regardless is guaranteed to sell out on impact no matter the profile or quality.
Nose: First off – Bombay Mix – unexpected. Then more anticipated aromas – dark cherry cordial, high % cocoa chocolate and Soreen malt loaf. Percolated coffee and roasted walnuts join a selection of fruit-infused petit fours whilst polished parquet flooring provides an early hit of oak. Reduction adds orange liqueurs and nut bread alongside almond paste.
Taste: More than a few struck matches. Balsamic cherries and plump raisins sit with chocolate-covered gingernut biscuits, whilst rolled, but not yet ignited cigars are joined by dark sugars, Viennese swirl biscuits, dusty cinnamon spicing and palpable, sticky tannins. Dilution reveals syrupy cherries and berries – lovely. But it also amps up the sense of volcanic-ness that is pervading this dram – less lovely.
Finish: Medium with bitter chocolate and still prominent oak tannins.
Depending on your predictions for sulfur dioxide and tannin stickiness you may want to add a handful of points to my score. I’m far from swayed by the distillery behind this bottling as an allure onto itself – and so for me, these traits are both minor detractions. Nice enough, but if you ignore the number/name, there's really no need to be clambering over each other to acquire this <spoken into the cold hard vacuum of brand obsessed, asinine insta-purchasing>