Well, let’s really sit down for this Macallan 1974 from Cadenhead. I never had the change to go into the old Macallans. I know the stories but being able to try these kind of bottlings is a rare treat for me. I tried a handfull older macallans but quite the standard range. It’s a name in the industry and it’s time to explore if this specific dram can live up to the name Macallan has….
This Macallan is 21 years old and is bottled at 53,6% ABV.
Macallan 1974 tasting notes:
Nose: Wow…. old library, dried fruits (dades, raisins) and dark fruits. Dustiness, it’s not giving all it’s secrets. It’s interesting, it smells great but I am missing a lot of the potential. Even with a lot of time it’s still well integrated. The sherry speaks…
With water: Now this is way better for me, it releases more of the fruitiness but still covered in saw dust. Sweet fruits dripped in honey and vanilla. But all very well balanced, nothing stands out it al works well together. Almonds.
Taste: Very juicy fruit, but so integrated. It’s all there, nice sweet fruits, brown sugar, nuttiness.. flower honey not the very sweet and sugary one but the “organic” 😉 honey. Slightly salty and musty, still some dustiness.
With water: Again that very nice honey and nuttiness flavour, fruit juice but mostly on very sweet pears. Overripe pears.
Finish: Long, nuttiness, burned butter, oranges, honey and a bitternes that I link with some burnt nuts / roasted chestnuts. Some dried raisins on the background.
It’s excellent and it’s totally different then something else I have tasted in the past years. It’s amazing how the flavour profile changes with water. The fruit is released and the overly active sherry profile disappears. But that’s where Macallan is famous for, the sherry influence. I get fruity flavours and I like it, it’s not just the sherry that is outstanding. What a great whisky.
Have a sample of this one waiting in the cupboard. Forgot who I got it from, but I suspect from the same person as you 🙂
I think it´s definitely from the same person. 😉