Review by: Whiskery Turnip
Distillery: Macallan.
Bottler: SMWS.
Region: Scotland/Speyside Single Malt.
ABV: 62.9%. Cask Strength.
Age: 13 Years. Distilled on 13 Oct. 2008.
Cask type: Oloroso Sherry Butt (10Y), First Fill Spanish Oak Oloroso Hogshead.
Nose: Dried fruit, caramel, vanilla, dark chocolate, orange zest, unlit charcoal, nutmeg, and cinnamon, watch oil and machine grease, butterscotch, and rubber.
Palate: Full-bodied, thick, caramelizing sugars, citrus, marshmallow, watch oil, baking spices, gingerbread, hints of citrus and molasses, leather with a touch of rubber and metal at the end.
Finish: Long and drying with molasses, gingerbread, and burning marshmallow.
Mental Image: T-1000 in Gingerbread.
Conclusion: Imagine a rendition of Terminator set in a gingerbread world. Dried fruits and candies adorn ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, chicory, and clove-spiced buildings. Accents of dark chocolate and vanilla cream provide shading among hints of unlit hardwood charcoal, watch oil, and machine grease. A hint of rubber and butterscotch are the only warning of the approaching cybernetic gingerbread assassin. Thick and unctuous, the palate was a touch more industrial but still firmly set on carnage in a gingerbread world. The flavor profile popped with watch oil and grease among flaming citrus candies, melting marshmallows, and puddles of milk chocolate. Ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon-spiced up the gingerbread construction with hints of orange zest and molasses. A gingerbread cyborg in a leather jacket approached as a drying quality and metallic rubber tinge lingered at the end. The finish was long and drying with molasses, gingerbread, and burning marshmallows.
Honestly, I was surprised to go back and see the SMWS name on this whisky as it somewhat matched my basic description and imagery— though the notes SMWS provided highlighted more herbal and woody character. They also call out “hessian,” which is one of those notes I sometimes see but have no frame of reference to understand. The fun thing about whisky notes, at least for me, is sorting through the familiar and strange to try to imagine a whisky— or evaluate whether it might suit my taste if I am considering a purchase or pour.
I initially nabbed this bottle to split with friends. While 200 USD is steep for a thirteen-year-old single malt, that is not horrible for a cask-strength sherried Macallan. This style of whisky is not my favorite; I rarely reach for sherry bombs, so I would not have purchased it if I had not planned to share most of it. In retrospect, I should keep a bottle like this at hand or save more of it for myself, as sometimes even I am in the mood for something funky, thick, and sherry.
Final Score: 84.
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.
Malt Runners 