My take on Macallan 12 yo (Sherry Oak)

As I wrote in my last post, the model I use to organize the single malt landscape for myself during these first steps of my whisky journey, is based on two main characteristics. There is the peat smoke element, and the sherry element. The first malt I encountered on my journey, the Glenfiddich 12 yo, features neither of these, while the second one, the Highland Park 12 yo, has a good deal of both. In order to find one's bearings at the start of the journey, though, I think it is a good idea to sample extreme examples, that exhibit only one of the two mentioned elements.

As representative of an extreme sherry influenced whisky, I chose the Macallan 12 yo (Sherry Oak). Macallan is a well established and famous distillery, and the 12 year old Sherry Oak seems to enjoy a rather good reputation among whisky fans around the world. Now, apparently Macallan has decided to discontinue this bottling (at least in certain markets), and replace it with a series of NAS (non-age-statement) whiskies that receive rather negative critiques from the community. Therefore, the prices for the last availlable bottles of the 12 yo in Germany (and other countries) have risen beyond any reason, but in Japan - where I happen to live - it is still readily availlable and on the same price level as other entry malts. Lucky me - I decided to try this while I still have the chance!

Macallan is incidentally one of the larger Scottish distilleries, and as mentioned, well known even among people who otherwise don't know the first thing about whisky. I guess, this success comes only with very aggressive marketing that appeals to the subconsciousness of potential customers, and that also shows on the box the bottle comes in:

[...] The Macallan remains the Single Malt against which all others must be judged. [...] Exceptional oak casks [...] Peerless spirit [...] The world's most precious whisky.

To be honest, this kind of bragging about your own product I find rather arrogant and off-putting. However, I don't want to judge the packaging, but the content. So here it goes:

Nose: Sherry! More sherry! Very sweet aroma, smells a bit like ripe, or even overripe fruit. After a while, I think I start to smell some fresh hay.

Taste: Very soft and tender arrival. Definite taste of sherry, very sweet, with some vanilla and honey. After a while some bitterness from the oak wood joins the party, but everything works quite well together. On some days, I actually taste some delicious marzipan.

Finish: Not very long, the sherry lingers some time, but that's about it. A bit disappointing.

Bottom line: This is an extreme sherry whisky, which means that there is not much room for a lot of complexity besides the sherry. It is a delicious sweet dessert from time to time, but for my taste the sherry is too overpowering. For the price I paid here in Japan, it is OK. When I see, however, what I would have to pay nowadays for this in Germany, I'm tinking: 'Thanks, but no thanks!'.
 + Very sweet dessert-like sherry bomb, if you like that kind  of thing.
 - Too much sherry to allow for much complexity. The short finish. Currently overpriced in Europe.

I think, it is a good idea to have such a sherry bomb in your whisky closet as a beginner, even if your taste - like mine - does not favor this sherry blast too much. For people living in a country affected by the discontinuation of this malt, I would recommend to look out for other sherry monsters, though.

Slàinte mhath!