Macallan 10 Year Old Highland Single Malt Best Price
When I broke the seal and lifted the cork out of the bottle I expected a bit different fragrance that 10 years should bring to an aging whisky, but instead I got a very mild wiff of something very "safe". This is a pretty subtle whisky in my book, a tad spicy but really smooth as silk. I drink my scotch neat, but I also took a dram with one cube of (filtered) ice so I could see what the difference in taste is. With a cube, this scotch is so smooth you hardly know you are drinking alcohol- a bit smooth for me since I like a good punch. So neat it is.
My second taste of the Macallan "neat" was much more pleasurable I must say, and I began an affection for it at that point. I sit here taking sips as I write this. The buzz comes over very mellow and somewhat focused, unlike a good Springbank buzz which is very intensely focused. Springbank to date is my favorite scotch whisky and remains so even after trying a dram or ten of the Macallen. Don't get me wrong, this whisky is excellent and likely if I'm having a steak next time I'm ordering it vs. the Springbank for dinner, however, nothing beats Springbank when you just want to sit and enjoy whisky only.
Overall I'm mightily impressed with The Macallan, but I'd like to see what Neil thinks of Springbank 18, or even the 10 Campbeltown- either of which is hand crafted from beginning to end at the same location. Springbank is the only Scotch maker that still does this to this day, and there's something about the raw hand crafted flavor of Springbank that really calls me.
That said, the Macallan plays second fiddle to my favorite and I'd happily buy it again without hesitation (and as soon as I'm done with this bottle I'm likely to go right out and do just that), and is an excellent addition to my growing "collection" of scotch whisky. So for those of you who mix in good spirits with photography, I highly recommend The Macallan if you have the itch for some good scotch.
Cheers!
-Carl Garrard
Macallan 10 Year Old Highland Single Malt Best Price
P.S. Photos made with the Sony A57 and 18-135mm, and Minolta 50mm f/1.7
Scotch whisky doesn't have an "e" in it ...
ReplyDeleteif you like The MacAllan try Glenmorangie
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right, no e. Bad bad typo there on several occasions.
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Thanks for the tip, its on my list to try :)
ReplyDeleteA photographer acquaintance who knows his whiskies tells me you should have a 10 yr old bottle of sherry cask Macallan in this article, and not the inferior 'fine oak' version.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I like the tipples from the islands west of the Highlands, away from the River Spey, traditionally made, and with a smoky flavour from the peat, such as the deliciously subtle Laphroaig. Then, Talisker and Bowmore for a regional comparison, and Lagavulin if you want to double the smoke again.
Aberlour is going down a treat these days too, and then there's Highland Park... both very different from Islay Malts, and both benefitting from sherry cask maturation.
Look out for Glenfarklas, (Isle of) Jura, and Highland Park in pubs. This list could easily climb over 50. But that's a good start. Uisge beatha, 'water of life' in Scottish Gaelic.
Ok thank you for the tips! Today I just picked up a nice entry to Lagavulin, the 16. I'm a big fan of Springbank- it's got a lot of meat, lots of character, smoke and spice... how I like whiskey to taste. Glenfiddich is nice, but not my preference. Looking forward to the Lagavulin very soon :).
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Let me add that I'm learning alot right now, there's a whole new world in every new "hobby" and Scotch Whisky is no different. Love learning about it all!
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Whilst you're fond of Scottish whiskies, even though you lapse into using the Irish spelling of whiskey, don't overlook some excellent Irish ones.
ReplyDeleteFor smoothness, there's nothing that'll beat Red Breast, and for varying degrees of peatiness, you'll be hard pressed to better Connemara.