The Macallan Archival Series Folio #6

Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Macallan

Region: Speyside

Age: NAS

ABV: 43.00%

Color: 1.4, Tawny.

Nose: It’s quite musty, though that lightens up with time. It’s sweet and fruity. Green grapes dominate along with notes of zesty lemon and lemon grass. A bit of fresh hay wraps things up.

Palate: There’s very, very little going on here. It tastes muted and overly diluted from the start. There’s a little bit of citrus in the form of a citrus cleaner but really that is all. With a drop of water, the more astringent nature of the citrus cleaner goes away but really all that leaves behind is a mildly (and I use that term loosely) flavored drink..

Finish: Far longer than it needs to be. It’s astringent with more of that citrus cleaner lingering.

Conclusion: I’m not sure why I pounced for a sample of this special release by Macallan. Perhaps I was hoping for an actual whisky, which I know they can produce if they wanted. Perhaps I was just stricken by the fear of missing out. In the end, curiosity killed the cat in this occasion. There is virtually nothing about this that is recognizable as a whisky beyond the nose. It starts off quite promising, with some lovely notes of fresh fruits and herbs. To call the rest of it underwhelming would be perhaps the understatement of the millennia. It’s bland and flavorless. Honestly, if I had taken a swig of this blind, I might have guessed it was a bad soda water that had gone flat. The finish is astringent and really unpleasant. With a drop of water, things get even more bland somehow. I was a little worried about the state of my sense of taste after having this so tested it with another whisky in my collection, turns out the sense of taste is fine. Would I buy a bottle? Not to drink, which really just sums up the current state of Macallan.

Final Score: 60.

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.

Published by zSolaris

Unknown's avatar

Home is where the corn is! Or at least that's what I told the wife before moving her from sunny Southern California to the Midwest anyway. She doesn't share my love of scotch, the drink, but has been incredibly supportive of my little wander down the rabbit hole. We do both share a love of Scotch, our dog, though (she named him, I swear!). He's the cutie in the profile pic.

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