Macallan 15 Year Old Double Cask
The Double Cask name is the whole story in two words: Macallan running its spirit through both American and European oak, then marrying the two. At fifteen years, that marriage has had time to settle into something polished.
Macallan sits above the River Spey at Craigellachie, a Speyside estate as famous for its obsession with sherry-seasoned oak as for the whisky itself. For this expression the casks are sherry-seasoned American and European oak, the American lending vanilla and lighter sweetness, the European bringing spice and dried fruit. The result pours a deep polished mahogany.
The nose is generous: fruit compote, vanilla bean, toffee and Asian pear, with manuka honey and milk chocolate rounding it out. The palate turns to dried fruit and ginger, orange zest and fragrant oak, then a spice surge of black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg that dries slowly across the tongue. The finish is gently oily and of moderate length. Bottled at 43%, it drinks comfortably neat; a touch of water tempers the spice if you prefer it softer.
This is a bottle for an occasion, a birthday dinner or a gift to someone who already knows their Speyside.
How to Serve
Neat in a tulip glass or Glencairn to hold the sherried fruit together, with a small splash of water to ease the pepper if you like.
Where to Drink It
The Connaught Bar, whose refinement matches the whisky. Scarfes Bar, for a leather-armchair evening with a serious Speyside. American Bar at The Savoy, if the occasion calls for a bit of grandeur.
Food Pairings
The sherried fruit finds its match in salt and age rather than sugar. A plate of walnuts and aged Manchego is my go-to, though cured meats or a little roast game work just as well.
