The Macallan Edition No. 2
48.2% ABV - Speyside, Scotland
Nose: Rich! Deep! Raisins, dried fruits, citrus - marmalade, and spices. Adding water brought forward some tropical flavour. The nose has a distinct woody undertone,... almost like everything had been resting on wood - imagine that!
Taste: Dried fruits, mulled dark fruits, pepper, spices, dark chocolate dipped citrus, and a slight bittering of currant.
Finish: The flavour train continues into dried flowers, dried fruits, spices, vanilla, and tangy citrus - blood orange.
VERY flavourful. The higher %ABV is generous and works very well here. The addition of water is recommended; the subtle flavours that emerge and enhancement of others is a higher contrast than experienced with most whiskies.
I am impressed by the depth of flavours and the length of the finish. Of all the whiskies that I have written in-depth notes for, the Edition No. 2 has among the most consistent score across my rating structure of nose, taste, finish, and balance (more on that in the About section).
This bottle had already started to collect dust on my shelf. Purchased in November 2016, it was not opened until February 2019! Chalk it up to an expanding collection, and that I bought this whisky during an “exploratory phase”. Although, clearly never continued that journey… After taxes, this cost $185 CAD. And I think that puts this into a tier above “nice bottles” - certainly two tiers above “casual bottles” - and, for me, I don’t think the value is quite there. If you like the Macallan brand, you will probably really enjoy this, but despite my 92-point rating - which usually signifies I should “buy one for now, one for later” - I’ll probably empty this one satisfied but without concern it’ll be the last drops I will have.
I’m not sure what the next expression of The Macallan will be for me… For a brand that I interpret to really target “the luxury experience”, it is somewhat off putting for me. If you look at the core range and their age statements, it’s a huge difference in price compared to other brands with similar taste profile. It probably will be something labelled as “Limited Edition” (or Travel Retail!) - something that I decide to take a blind chance on. To the next “exploratory phase”,... slàinte!
Tasted 14 April 2019. (Posted 24 April 2019.)
