Macallan 12 Year Old Sherry Oak

I had a 750ml bottle of Mac 12yr Sherry Oak last year, where I sampled it many times, never really "taking" to it. I ended up sharing it around quite a bit, giving away probably 2/3rds of the bottle. I never wrote a review on it, and frankly, I couldn't remember what it tasted like, or why I didn't really care for it. So, a year (and many malts) later, I picked up a 50ml miniature to re-taste it. Here are my notes:

The Macallan 12yr Sherry Oak is a whisky that has been exclusively matured in sherry oak casks from Jerez, Spain for 12 years. It is bottled at 43%.

Nose: After pouring the dram, and before sitting down to write, I caught wafts of the nice sherry sweetness one would expect from a whisky matured 100% in sherry casks. Oh yeah... Sherry, honey, vanilla, hint of oak, and some hints of cinnamon.

Body: Pretty decent mouth feel. Medium.

Palate: Lightly sweet on the tongue. Brown sugar. Caramel. This is pretty good. Some spice coming out.

Finish: Long finish. Sherry comes back, but not intensely. Some spicy, peppery notes.

I am quite enjoying this dram. I am seriously considering buying a 750ml of this. It is good. I'm going to have to compare it more closely with my favorite sherried whiskies: Aberlour 12yr & 16yr. This bottle goes for around $45 in these parts, right in between the Aberlour 12yr and 16yr. This profile is one of my favorites: sweet & spicy.

It appears I am eating a bit of crow. The 12yr and 18yr were too subtle for me last year, but I am really enjoying this now.

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