Macallan Sienna

Review by: TOModera

So I’m at a high price bar. It’s after an exam, I’m somewhat tipsy, dressed well enough to go to work, and we’re listening to a bard butcher some Beatles tunes..

I know what you’re saying: Yeah, I’d order Collingwood Canadian rye as well, as the prices at the Royal York fancy hotel are probably a little high.

And let me tell you, they’re… somewhat high. Not insane high, but it’s downtown Toronto, and it’s the Queen’s official Toronto Hotel, so… not as high as you’d think.

Guess Philip must have said the wrong thing too many times.

So I order the rye, and they’re out of it. And I’m rushing, because I’m thinking… what do I order? I planned to have some cheaper drams here, I’m screwed.

So in a state of panic, remembering the 229 different Scotches I’ve reviewed, I blurt out Macallan Sienna.

And I’m an idiot. An idiot who’s not going to be eating out much this week.

Don’t worry, I have chili for lunch.

Getting back to the dram, Macallan Sienna is part of the 1824 series, not to be mixed up with the 1824 collection…. seriously Macallan, what the shit?

The 1824 series is a set of whiskies that follow rules laid out by Macallan. First up, they all have their Natural Colour. The Character is then informed by the Colour. Second, they all have been matured completely in Sherry Oak. And finally they are all 100% Macallan, thus no blends.

Getting my Bias out of the way: I wasn’t the biggest fan of a whisky being named after its colour, without an age statement. I also was quite turned off by the Cask Strength being discontinued.

And yet, I still ordered this. Well, let’s see if it was worth $20 for a dram…

Distillery: Macallan Distillery.

Bottler: Distillery Bottling.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 43%.

Age: Unknown.

Cask type: Sherry Oak Casks from Jerez.

Price: $174.95 (CAD) at the LCBO.

Color: It was kinda dark, so I’m going to guess Periwinkle..

Nose: Raspberry, lemon rind, strawberry jam, mango, current, brown sugar, almond

Big red fruit flavours on the nose. Mostly red fruits on the nose at first, however eventually there’s some brown sugar, a tidbit of mango, some nice acidity, and even some almond notes.

It’s no sherry bomb, however the sherry notes are quite evident.

Taste: Strawberry jam, cinnamon, ash, cranberry/wood, grape

More than just red fruits on the taste, there’s a bit of the ash/sulphur from the barrel, some grape and cranberry notes, and a big smack of cinnamon. Not bad taste, I could see myself sitting back with this and enjoying it in front of a fire.

Finish: Cherry, wood, currant, plum, some sulphur, grape, nutmeg

Cherry, some current, a little plum that I usually like from Macallan sherry influence drams. Nice amount of spice as well.

Conclusion: It’s not that bad of a dram. Is it half as good as the 18? Yes. And that’s the sad part about it.

It’s smooth, it has a balanced sherry influence (save for the nose, which is unbalanced), and it has a nice mouth feel. Would I buy it? No! Aberlour 12 NCF is much better and less than half the price. Heck, most sherry influence drams have more to them, more complexity, more Abv, more flavour.

This tastes like sherry, and that’s not a bad thing. This does everything a smooth whisky should do. But it’s just okay, and for the price, getting a just okay review shouldn’t be happening. I should be falling to my knees to thank everyone who worked on this dram, apologizing to Macallan for all my years of derision.

Not just going “Well, that was okay“.

Final Score: 79.

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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