The Macallan Select Oak from the 1824 Collection

[Quaich1]

The first time I had this dram/expression, I was at a friend's home for supper and it was served during the meal. Clearly, the food masked much of the profile of this whisky previously as I found out during the tasting today without my palate being affected by food.

Today's tasting is the first time I am doing a detailed tasting of The Macallan Select Oak neat and with no food in sight. and a newly opened bottle.

Nose: Initial whiff of mince pie, citrus-caramel, concentrated blueberry, waves of spice; citronella, lemon peel and lemon drops; furniture polish and late lovely caramel fudge. There is also something here that speaks to the exotic, a kind of Island citrus melange.

Taste:Spice, warming, hit of sweet Demerara sugar, background oakiness and a hint of dark chocolate.

Finish: Long, drying, the slightest mint, oakiness, sugary sweet burst of milk chocolate followed by unravelling peppery lemon-peel and then a return of Swiss milk chocolate. An interesting bundle of flavors.

Comments:The finish here is quite delightful and somehow even outweighs the taste in terms of dishing-out some interesting complexity.

Rating: 86

***As it turns out, I'm glad my bottle is 1 litre.
_________________
"Always carry a large flagon of whisky in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake."
W.C. Fields (1880-1946)

[Alexppp]

Great notes as always Murray. I've had this whisky a couple of times and quite like it, it's not classic Macallan but I prefer it to Gold in any case.

[James T]

I have gotten through a bottle of this, your notes sum it up pretty well Murray. I couldnt fault it, i did enjoy it but i want more sherry character with my Macallans.