Review #781 - SMWS 24.162 'Dystopian Deviant' - Macallan 13 Year
A number of different independent bottlers have gotten their hands on Macallan spirit, and they often bottle it in single cask form - here's one example from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. It's a 13 year old cask which was bottled at a punchy 62.9% ABV.
This whisky was fully matured in Oloroso sherry casks. First, an initial maturation of about 10 years took place in an Oloroso butt, and then the whisky was transferred to a smaller hogshead cask, specifically a first fill, Spanish oak Oloroso cask. Sherry influence should be in no short supply, then, evidenced by the very dark color of the liquid.
SMWS 24.162 'Dystopian Deviant' - Macallan 13 Year
Scotland/Speyside - Single Malt
Price: USD 180 (2022)
Age Statement: 13 Years
Strength: 62.9% ABV
Cask Makeup: Oloroso sherry butts, finished in a first fill Spanish oak Oloroso sherry hogshead
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled October 13, 2008; 336 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times (once blind) over 14 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Earthy, lots of tobacco, then sweeter wine and dark fruit influence: prune, fig, dates, cranberry sauce. There's a bit of barrel char and some soft spirity notes, and we get more sweetness from brown sugar and orange. Leather shows that oak influence, and in the end, we get strong scents of molasses, ginger cookies, and wildflower honey. Good complexity, very rich.
Palate: Rich and juicy, a little bit tannic - tons of oak flavor. Tobacco smoke, wood smoke, flat cola, but then we get loads of fruit like raisin, pomegranate, cherry soda, blackcurrant, and dates. Autumn leaves combine with some wood spice, and it's quite warm overall; the mouthfeel is thick.
Finish: Dry cinnamon, spicy leathery oak, tart cherry, dried figs - a bit more dry and spicy in the finish. Black cherry and cola, subtle savory flavors, and syrupy raisin are accents, and it's very cask dominated. It's dense, quite a long finish, with good intensity.
Final Note: This is a beast of a Macallan from the SMWS. Very punchy and rich, decadent, full of so much oak and fruit flavor. The casks are quite dominant, and in addition to a lot of sweetness from the sherry, there is a very strong spicy or tobacco-like element from the actual oak itself. It tastes quite mature for just 13 years in a cask, and there's very good complexity here if you give it time to open up. Excellent whisky, one we would go back and buy a bottle of if we still had the chance.
Value here is decent, a little above average, which is great for a SMWS bottle. This single cask is sold out, but because of it, we'll be on the lookout for future sherry-matured Macallans from the Society.
Our Rating: 8.8 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.20
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Macallan reviews:
Review #780 - SMWS 24.167 'Glory Days' - Macallan 13 Year
Review #640 - Signatory Vintage Speyside (M) [Macallan] 13 Year - US 100 Proof Edition #1
Review #203 - Macallan 12 Year Triple Cask
Review #192 - Macallan 12 Year Double Cask
