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Macallan Cask Strength

Cask Strength Wine Scotch

1 990

@VictorReview by @Victor

28th Nov 2011

0

Macallan Cask Strength
  • Nose
    24
  • Taste
    22
  • Finish
    23
  • Balance
    21
  • Overall
    90

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

Macallan Cask Strength is undiluted malt aged in used sherry casks. There is no age statement on the bottle. The reviewed bottle has been open for 3 months.

Colour: quite dark, from the Sherry cask aging.

Nose: a delicious nose of intense grapes, black cherries, and plums, sweet and strong with substantial alcohol, which I like. There is a hint of peat.

Taste: crisp, sweet and tart ripe fruits, including grapes, black cherries, and plums. The fruit flavours are sharp and aggressive. There is malt flavour underlying, and a little peat, but you don't notice either of them much. There are also some wood flavours present, but they also are muffled under all of the sherried fruit. There is not much complexity here, but the fruit theme is quite tasty.

Finish: long, strong, fruity, and sweet. Delicious.

Balance: This is a great choice if you are looking for an aggressive high-test fruity malt. There isn't much wood flavour noticeable, or much grain flavour, and the peating is minimal, but the nose, delivery, and finish of the sherried fruits is quite bright and lovely.

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9 comments

@Pudge72
Pudge72 commented

This bottle seems to be put into direct comparison with Aberlour Abunadh on a semi-regular basis. As I am lacking in originality tonight, how does the MCS compare/contrast with the Abunadh? I'm particularly interested as they are very similar in price in Ontario (and the MCS, based on the consistently good reviews, seems to be Macallan's 'best value' bottling...albeit in a relative sense).

13 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

The comparison is easy, Pudge, Aberlour A'bunadh is complex. Macallan Cask Strength is not. Macallan Cask Strength has beautiful bright flavours, but it is rather unidimensional. I like the Macallan Cask Strength a lot, and gave it a very high grade, but I would buy or drink the Aberlour A'bunadh in preference on 90% of occasions.

13 years ago 0

@jwise
jwise commented

Put the cask strength on ice and watch the caramel come out in spades! Depending on the bottling, A'Bunadh can be quite a bit more spicy.

13 years ago 0

@Fons
Fons commented

@jwise: do you mean caramel as in E 150 colouring? Because on the packaging the Macallan boasts about 'natural colour'. Or am I missing the point here?

13 years ago 0

@jwise
jwise commented

Oh no. I mean the sweet, enveloping taste of caramel in your mouth! A cube of ice completely changes this whisky in my opinion. I usually drink my whiskies neat, but this one comes alive with a single cube.

13 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

@jwise, I see what you mean about the caramel flavour of Macallan Cask Strength over ice. It is a nice effect, and very different from drinking it neat.

13 years ago 0

F
Fergie71 commented

seems I need to reach for the MCS --- so I do this test... brb with results

13 years ago 0

@Fons
Fons commented

@jwise right, thanks for the clarification.

13 years ago 0

T
Taco commented

I put some ice in it to cool it down and wait for the ice to melt. I agree that the taste is different ( and better) this way. It needs to be cut quite a bit with water, both due to the alcohol level and to let the different flavors to come out. I didn't like it at all neat or with minimal water, but as summer heated up I tried it with ice and found it very flavorful and pleasant. Before, all I got was heat and cherry cough medicine. Not as complex as A'bunadh, but a better summer dram.

12 years ago 0