Macallan 10 Year Fine Oak

Review by: TOModera

I have now (almost) caught up on my world whisky samples. And I’ve been having quite a few rare, expensive whiskies versus some of the staples. So it’s time to drop back down to the Advanced/Beginner Scotch list, at least for one or two drams.

I’m bad at reading maps. I’ll just say that right now. So when my wife asked for a restaurant, I brought up my handy map of Toronto Scotch bars, and showed her the wrong place. Thus instead of ending up with an Irish brunch and finishing up some of the Forty Creeks I’ve been looking into, we ended up with a Canadian/French brunch at a Scottish beer/scotch bar.

Allen’s is an interesting place to go. Great burgers, good pancakes/French toast, great bacon, and amazing Scotch list. Downside? Servers aren’t as attentive as I’d like (however still very nice), and the Whisky prices are a little high compared to other places, and can be a little all over the place.

As I’m cheap, I went for one of the ones on my Beginner list: The Macallan Fine Oak 10 year. I’ve never been a big Macallan fan. I usually find them to be on the low end of Speysides, kinda boring. Conversely Macallan Cask Strength is one of my favourite Scotches ever, so perhaps I’ve just never given it enough of a chance.

Let’s see if this one lives up to my scrutiny.

Distillery: Macallan Distillery.

Bottler: Distillery Bottling.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 40%.

Age: 10 years.

Cask type: Bourbon and Sherry Casks

Price: $65.00 (CAD)

Color: Gold

Nose: Sour watermelon, oak, apple, pear, lemon, pepper, cinnamon

Better than I remember the last time I had this. Nothing too out there, though it does what I expect from a Speyside (fruit, oak, lemon).

Taste: Lemon, wattery, pepper, vanilla, cream, potato, caramel

This tastes really watered down. It went nice with my pancakes, matched up with the mango in them. It’s nice to sip on a warm day, and has a refreshing quality, which I hope doesn’t go away in the finish. As I said before, this one is phoning it in a little bit.

Finish: Apples, oak, honey, vanilla, mushroom, celery root

The refreshing aspects turn to a medium, earthy finish, which actually nearly impresses me. It’s not bad, it’s just not great. That being said, it was really nice to have on a summer day. It’s refreshing and not too sweet or too earthy.

Conclusion:

This is a refreshing dram that’s nice when it’s hot out. I want to call it boring in that aspect. I’d probably have some on hand if it didn’t cost so much here. There’s nothing I can say badly about this one. It does what it needs to do, no more and no less. Given I can buy two bottles of Alberta Premium Dark Horse or quite a few drams of nice Bourbons for less, I just don’t see a place for this one in my drinking repertoire.

Good beginner dram, just have it at a bar.

Final Score: 75.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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