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MacAllan - Is it just me?

Unread postPosted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 6:28 pm
by HowiPepper
After all of my friends raved over how wonderful MacAllan was, I finally caved in and purchased a bottle of their 12 year old single malt. To be honest, I was underwhelmed. Is it just me?

Don't get me wrong, it isn't bad, I just don't think it lives up to the hype I've heard. Heck, I'm a The Glenlivet drinker, and proud of that. I don't find the taste and nose of the MacAllan 12 year old to be worth the price I paid for it ($54 for a 750 ml bottle).

Re: MacAllan - Is it just me?

Unread postPosted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 9:44 pm
by ebo
Hmmm... I guess it comes down to personal taste. I don't bother with Glenlivet, as I find it to be too perfumey and light (for lack of a better way to describe it). I feel the same way about Glenfiddich. I much prefer The Macallan to either of these Scotches. Glenlivet is the best selling single malt in the USA... probably because they were the first to market single malt scotch in this country... at least in any volume.

Macallan 12 is my regular, every day Scotch. It stands up well against many higher priced Scotches., IMO.

What are you looking for in a Scotch? Peat, smoke., sweetness, salt? Glenlivit is more sweet than anything, at least to my taste. Macallan is way more complex... sweet, (due to the sherry casks)
toffee, butterery, with a touch of peat. If you like Glenlivit, thats great... keep drinking it, but, there are much better Scotches out there.

I'm assuming that you are talking about the mass marketed Glenlivit that is on every shelf in the USA, and not the refined expressions such as: 12 year American oak matured... 12 year French oak finish...17 year cask collection... 15, 17, and 18 years old... etc...

Re: MacAllan - Is it just me?

Unread postPosted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 10:15 pm
by jaygats
It all depends on personal taste I think. But if you get the chance poor a dram of Mac 18... The beauties of Scotch unveiled... IMHO one of the very best out there

Re: MacAllan - Is it just me?

Unread postPosted: Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:43 am
by ama
Macallan isn't really a very complex malt in general. The Cask Strength is their best reasonably priced offering in my opinion, but for the $ one can do better. For an excellent all around "starter scotch" I recommend Springbank 10. Its a sweet, peaty, briny and much more full bodied than Macallan or any of the Glens that people tend to start with.

Re: MacAllan - Is it just me?

Unread postPosted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 8:18 pm
by ebo
ama wrote:Macallan isn't really a very complex malt in general. The Cask Strength is their best reasonably priced offering in my opinion, but for the $ one can do better. For an excellent all around "starter scotch" I recommend Springbank 10. Its a sweet, peaty, briny and much more full bodied than Macallan or any of the Glens that people tend to start with.


I agree with you on the Springbank. I can't get it locally, or would drink it quite a bit.

Re: MacAllan - Is it just me?

Unread postPosted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 3:43 pm
by John Wesley
Macallan quality has been slipping for quite awhile now. Aberlour 16 is about the same price as Macallan 12 and for a sherry casked whisky is much better. Thats what popularity generally brings alas in the whisky world, either lessening quality, higher prices, or both.

JW

PS, if you like sherried cask Scotch and want one to blow your mind, buy Aberlour Abundh, at 70 ish a bottle and 60% APV it is amazing.