Macallan 12 Year Old Triple Cask Matured Fine Oak

When Macallan introduced the Fine Oak – more than a decade ago now – this caused something of an earthquake. Until then Macallan’s claim to fame was the fact that they matured exclusively on sherry oak, but with the Fine Oak series the use of bourbon casks was introduced. No, some ten years later, a new Fine Oak series was launched, albeit Triple Cask Matured. And as the name suggests the whisky is matured on three types of oak: bourbon casks and both American and European sherry seasoned casks.

The nose is very soft and accessible on sweet malt, honey and oats with just a hint of orange marmalade and raisins. Some almond paste and cinnamon.

The body is just fine and the malt is mildly spicy on cinnamon, cloves and some aniseed. But the fruit now evolves towards the candied variety. The raisins shine above all else.

The finish is just a bit longer than short, but offers nothing new.

Good entry level malt of this famous house at a fair price. Every man’s friend, but that’s okay. The only downside: this one is bottled at 40% (while the 15 and 18 years old expressions enjoy 43%). Why? Thanks for the generous sample, Timon.

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