Macallan A Night on Earth The Journey
Review by zSolaris
Distillery: Macallan.
Region: Speyside.
Age: NAS.
ABV: 43%.
Cask Type: Vatting of First-fill American ex-bourbon barrels with European and American sherry-seasoned oak casks.
Price: Special thanks to my brother for this “new dad” gift.
Color: 1.1, Burnished. Natural Color.
Nose: Floral and fruity. It’s a bit zesty and citrus-y with a mix of blood oranges for some deeper notes, dekopon (or as I know them hallabong/한라봉) with sweeter ones, and kumquats with some zest. Vanilla bean and cherry blossom also come through.
Palate: A bit warm, surprising for 43%. This is like drinking spiced dried orange. It is gingery with a bit of cinnamon.
Finish: Medium in length. Golden raisins with the same spices from the palate.
Conclusion: I’ve had mixed experiences with Macallan’s NAS bottlings outside of the Edition series so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this. This ended up being decent with some fun citrus-y notes throughout but pretty far from being something particularly exciting. It is a bit warm, though easy to drink, which suggests that this is probably fairly young whisky being sold at a premium. As thankful as I am for this gift, ultimately if you strip away the fancy packaging, it really falls short of where it should be for the price. Classic Macallan.
Rating: 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.
Malt Runners 
