The third Macallan colour is ‘Sienna’, or ‘sienna land’; we certainly don’t have access to the same ‘rumors’ that reached Serge’s ears, but we too – in fact – had a whiff of the deliciousness of this expression… Will it be true? As usual, let’s check together: will the color, copper (oops no, it’s ‘sienna’), reveal something about the maturation? Who knows…
N: good personality, the sherry is certainly more present. Beautifully fruity: red apples, peaches in syrup, a mix of dehydrated fruits… Here you can easily smell red fruit. It is very creamy and ‘dessert oriented’ (toffee, our beloved banoffie pie, but also tarte tatin…); the dried fruit is present with fair intensity, too (hazelnut). A pinch of pipe tobacco. Notes of orange marmalade and apricot jam. Spices, a little vague (cinnamon?). The nose is the most complex of the three so far, the profile is more clearly sherried and it embellishes the robust Macallan maltiness. Perhaps there is also a light smoke, towards the finish.
P: lots of caramel (burnt sugar), but also a pit of vanilla. Jam cooking in the pot! Anyway, sweet but not sweetish; intense, with lashes of wood and red fruit, which brings it a bit closer to certain notes we found in the Cask Strength. Bitter chocolate, brioche, then a lot of malt. Slightly peppery, especially towards the finish. Less complex compared to the nose, but still pleasant.
F: creamy and important. Red fruit and more chocolate; quite long. Dried fruit, especially walnut and hazelnut. Good.
Definitely the best of the three tasted so far. Certainly, the contribution of sherry is more evident, but the share of American oak probably involved remains quite evident, harmonizing everything and rounding the whisky off. Delicious, let’s say: it really tastes like ‘a good whisky’, round and elegant. 88/100 is the verdict.
Recommended soundtrack: Siena for Siena, Fabrizio de André – S’i fosse foco.
