Review: Macallan 12 Year

I’ve mentioned before that I’m just not a scotch drinker, but thankfully for me, I have several friends who really enjoy their scotch, and my dear friend Dave, in Nashville, is a huge fan. When I received the bottle of Macallan 12 Year old Scotch, I happened to be in Nashville, and offered it to Dave to try.

Dave and I had a good chat about the Scotch, and I remembered that Dave used to live in Ireland and Scotland. “Scotch is magical for me. It was only after living in Ireland and Scotland that I gained a true appreciation for the spirit though.

“Macallan 12 is beautiful – with an extended, soft aftertaste which is really smooth.” said Dave.

The hint of peat in the Macallan, which I normally don’t like personally, completely reminded Dave of living in Galway, Ireland in the winter.  “The city stinks of peat, which every pub burns during the cold months, both in rural Ireland and Scotland. That’s why I have a special place in my heart for scotch – it’s the next best thing to being there!”

Dave did notice some notes of spice in the Macallan 12 year old, which comes from Vanilla, ginger and dried fruits. There’s some sweetness that comes from the sherry sweetness from the Spanish sherry casks it’s aged in as well as some toffee notes.

If you’re a scotch drinker, you will definitely want to try this one. Macallan offers a “spider diagram” of flavours to visually describe the tasting notes of the Macallan 12.  It is constructed around 10 flavours and a scale of intensity.

Scale of intensity
0 = absence of flavour
1 = trace of flavour
2 = some flavour
3 = medium flavour
4 = strong flavour
5 = dominant flavour
Flavours
Apple – cider, apple pie, Calvados, fruity
Citrus – lemons, limes, oranges, zesty
Floral – perfumed, flowery, scented
Dried fruits – raisins, apricots, dates, figs, prunes
Oily – linseed oil, oily texture, oily nose, sticky feel
Malty – malt, cereal, biscuity, mealy
Vanilla – fudge, toffee, treacle, sweet
Woody – fresh pine, rich oak, sawdust, polished wood
Spicy – ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander seed
Peaty – smoky, Iodine, phenolic, antiseptic
(images courtesy of Macallan)