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    • the macallan cask strength

    The Macallan Cask Strength 82
    Distillery
    The Macallan
    Style
    Single Malt
    Release
    US
    Age
    Unspecified
    Alcohol
    58.5% abv.
    Region
    Scotland, Speyside
    Bottled For
    Distillery

    Exclusively matured in selected sherry oak casks from Jerez, Spain & bottled at original cask strength.

    review by insinuendo

    91
    Color
    A beautiful sherry amber to this Scotch.
    Nose
    Aromatically complete! A complexe nose of the most mouth watering. Dates and dried fruit and notes of fruitcake are the main traits found here. There are obvious butterscotch, cream, vanilla, toffee notes mixed in with allspice, cardamom and cloves. There is a rather subtle smokiness. Also a slight fishy, seaness to it which is not unpleasant.
    Body
    A heavyweight in body.
    Palate
    The attack is sweet. The syrupy texture rapidly coats the tongue and the spice kicks in rapidly. The backend is hot with notes of black pepper and a slightly resinous bitterness, sappy.
    Finish
    The flavors linger well beyond 30 seconds.

    Cask Strength is the way to go with The Macallan.

    review by wtl.base

    76
    Color
    Red amber, caramel.
    Nose
    Sherry, faint fruit, a hint of smoke. Needs water and time.
    Body
    Medium, dry.
    Palate
    Sweet, peppery, spicy. Sherry, dried fruit, walnut.
    Finish
    Medium long, dry, tangy. Quite enjoyable.

    Colourful and assertive, but... not my thing. I find the palate rather shallow. The sherry sweetness and other notes seem somewhat combative, not perfectly married.

    review by coloradodram

    78
    Color
    Dark amber, burnt copper.
    Nose
    Sherry galore, lamp oil, bites back! so don't nose too deep in your Glencairn.
    Body
    Full bodied, very oily mouthfeel.
    Palate
    Bitter wood, sherry, currants.
    Finish
    Hotter than hot (even reduced a plenty), medium-short length - indicating youthful age.

    This is my least favorite of the three cask strength Speyside sherry monsters. A good dessert dram for sure, but a bit linear and simple compared to the Glenfarclas 105 and Aberlour A'bunadh.

    review by mishima

    84
    Color
    a ruddy chestnut
    Nose
    At first shy, only a touch of sherry and a whiff of oak. Then fruits bloom, dark and unnamed, perhaps plums, then obvious oranges married with a lush chocholate. The wood develops, polished oak, a mahogony library reminiscient of old bourbon, and just a whisper of smoke. Ends up where it began, with sherry coming once again to the fore. Water brings out more sherry and some walnuts.
    Body
    Medium bodied. Wants to be thicker but all the alcohol keeps it afloat.
    Palate
    There is a good complexity here, even if it does come off bitter. Black tea overbrewed and left to grow cold. The bitter half of oak. Burnt sugar. Still a little sweet. The most pleasant part is the flavour of apples underneath all this. But soon enough the alcohol deadens the tongue. With water it tastes like a more assertive highland park 12.
    Finish
    The instant you begin to swallow that chocolate odour fills your mouth with its flavour, of rich dark chocholate melded with yes of course wood and sherry. Somehwere a crooner under a street lamp lights a cigarette, and so a touch of smoke accompanies the dessert, along with tabacco, but not the thin cheap kind, but the thick pungent roll your own a Raymond Chandler character might smoke. Oh and the high clean burn of almost 60% abv, but that really goes without saying.

    The cask strength is much superior, in limited experience, to the standard 12. The nose is more flamboyant, the finish livelier, and the whole the thing comes off feeling over the top. Unfortunately the palate suffers, remaining bitter even with the addition of water. Still, it does a nice job of simulating the wood panelled library and leather armchair I'm sure I'll never be able to afford.

    review by anonymous

    79
    Color
    Dark red amber
    Nose
    Sweet cherries, hints of pear.
    Body
    Thin and fiery.
    Palate
    Strong oak sherry, alcohol, hints of rubber.
    Finish
    Longish oak laden finish, very hot.

    Red label version. A very fiesty and strong whisky with an excellent nose and thoroughly enjoyable finish but a lackluster palate.

    review by bongo

    91
    Color
    golden amber (watered)
    Nose
    rubbing alcohol but warmer, hint of peat
    Body
    silky, very smooth and thick, full bodied
    Palate
    peat hinting at oak
    Finish
    warming and aromatic, mellowing into a sweet lingering presence, subtle and not overbearing

    This was a real treat and unlike any other whiskey I have tried. It delivers itself in a warm and smooth silky texture, almost like a liqueur in body. The flavours are strong but not overpowering, and it is a perfect accompaniment for a good book or other relaxing contemplative experience. I would recommend this to anyone as a good choice to keep around the house.

    review by sfaulk

    80
    Color
    Cider
    Nose
    Strong wooden and smoke smell
    Body
    Full bodied, rich, very thick
    Palate
    Smoke and wood, fruit-like aftertaste
    Finish
    Great long aftertaste, fruity aftertaste

    This'll put hair on your chest, sailor! A great winter drink for cold nights, this will warm your innards and put a smile on your face.

    review by saul

    85
    Color
    Dark Copper Red.
    Nose
    Sweet Mustard, Orange Peel, Sherry.
    Body
    Heavy, Full Bodied, Viscous.
    Palate
    Cherry Chocolates, Sherry.
    Finish
    Long and satisfying, finishing at the tip of the tongue.

    This whisky commands your attention. This is not a whisky you could drink all night. It's a cask strength that certainly shows it. Drank neat too quickly, the burn overpowers the flavors.

    review by rj

    81
    Color
    Maple Syrup.
    Nose
    Plenty of nose. Fruity.
    Body
    Full bodied. Strong. Sweet.
    Palate
    Tastes in the front of the mouth. Very sweet. More chocolate than berries.
    Finish
    Long on the finish. Very warm.

    This is beautiful stuff. I've never experienced so much alcohol.

    review by fyoder

    79
    Color
    Orangey brown
    Nose
    Perfumey, Fiery, Sweet
    Body
    Medium body, Dry
    Palate
    Fruity, Bittersweet, Nutty
    Finish
    It burns! A bell shaped burn. It intensifies and then declines. Long.

    For those who like a scotch that fights back.

    review by oliver

    79
    Color
    Strong english tea.
    Nose
    Concentrated sherry; oak polish; leather; the smell upon entering an oak panelled library; alcohol; more polish and less wood as it progresses.
    Body
    A light-heavyweight. Not as viscous as the European market cask strength Macallan.
    Palate
    Rich at first, with sherry, red fruits and notes hint of marmalade and christmas pudding, then thinning.
    Finish
    the fruits fade quickly and give way to a rawboned hits of alcohol. Harsh; astringent.

    A good cask strength malt, but a step down from the european market version aged (at least) 10 years. Seems like the vatting included some very young whiskyes as well as some perhaps past their prime. (This is the "red lable" version, being phased out in the U.S. for the "prefume bottle" expressions in white.

    review by gargamel

    78
    Color
    Deep red-amber.
    Nose
    Dried fruit, Dark chocolate, Cherry cola.
    Body
    Fullbodied, Sweet and wet.
    Palate
    Orange peels, Black cherries, Dark chocolate.
    Finish
    Simple, but mature with distinct features. Longer than you at first think. Warm and easy.

    This whisky is a cherry delight. Full of flavour, it would be too much to drink often. To be savored for desert.