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The Macallan
Scotland
Single Malt
Amber is part of The Macallan's new no age statement range of Speyside single malts, which concentrates on colour. The theory is that by using 100% sherry casks and natural colour, the darker the whisky, the older and more complex.
This bottle was part of a private collection - if you'd like more detailed photos just get in touch!
Soft aromatic vanilla, lemon and barley with hints of ginger. Milk chocolate buttons and hints of Sun-Maid Raisins.
Surprisingly thick and fruity compared to the nose. Golden sultanas, dates, apple peelings and a dusting of cinnamon. Cereal notes on the mid-palate, joined by mince pies with crumbly shortbread.
Fragrant oak finish, with the mince pie notes lingering.
The second level in the 1824 Series, after the more citrus-led Gold.
£19.02 - £899.00
Tastes really good. A lot of sweetness, citrus and thickness almost in a benriach sort of way. However from my point of view they did a good job to create an older taste using batches of younger whisky. Not to disturbing yet noticable. In the end the normal average price of 54 euro here in the Netherlands is a bit to much compared to the taste of Glennfiddich 12 or Creggan more 12. In the end i think it's pretty nice but i won't buy one more.
I had never tried Macallan since getting into single malts a couple of years ago and decided to try some recently. I looked for the 12 year old but found none. Instead I found the Gold and the Amber. I looked at the label and asked the clerk how old it was. He confessed he did not know but said that the Amber is supposed to be the "replacement" for the 12 year old. I felt unsure about this as the absence of a date stamp bothered me. When I got home and tried it, I found myself tolerating the taste rather than liking it. And the finish was very poor. I overpaid for this and I will not buy another Macallan product after this.
I am quite experienced scotch fan and I found the comparison with JW Black label below quite amusing. This is far better, make no mistake. It's uncomplicated, to be sure, but always enjoyable. Better than any 12 yo I've had, but (in Canada) priced like a 15 or even some 18 yo. Even so , I always have a bottle in my cabinet and go back to it once in a while.
Overpriced..... But then so is almost all of the Macallan range, right? and yet still..... When you buy a 12YO Macallan(Fine or Sherry Oak) it is very obviously double the cost of a good 12 YO single malt. In the same way that a well specced Mercedes costs twice as much as a Ford, Toyota, Vauxhall, what have you while not necessary being twice as good. But it is a significant cut above the muster, so you better cough up. Now, this Amber is more like an A class Mercedes or a Smart. It is a well established premium incumbent trying to mix it with the bargain basement competitors. I have no doubt this will sell well but in the process it dilutes the brand name very badly. I tasted this on Macallans distillery tour first. They had 12YO Sherry, 12YO Fine Oak, Amber and 18YO Fine Oak. The idea, I'm told, was to create a Single Malt that is more a drink to have while having a conversation. It has a simple(might say plain) flavour profile and a very short finish. Nothing to reflect on, nothing to discover, just a quick taste. You have to give it one thing. It does not taste fiery and peppery and harsh like a young and feisty low age single malt. I guess that is the mastery of Bob Delgarno. He's done the best he could with low rate material. On the flipside however, there is absolutely no complexity, no buildup, no lingering aromas, nothing opens up. You won't ponder trying to identify the different flavours and smells. It's like a gin tonic. Which is fine, of course, but then why pay this much? Do not be fooled by comments saying it's like a high quality blend. A simple 12 YO Black Label for half the price blows this clean out of the woods. So does a simple 12YO Aberlour or 12YO Glendronach or 'Glenmorangie La Santa or a 12YO Dalmore and all of these are cheaper. You would be hard pressed to find a single malt above 10 years that isn't demonstrably better than Amber. Age matters. It just does. It's not a guarantee for quality, it's just a prerequisite. The end. By the way, this whisky is rated lower than Macallan Gold. Do you really wonder if it is any good?
It's an "ok" Scotch. Meh. We know what you're up to guys. You're running out of the old stuff and flogging us bland, drab, three year old whisky dressed up in fancy labels. You're killing your brand. I for one won't touch another Macacllan without a clear age statement. If you're not really a whisky drinker you may love this. It has a strong flavour of malt and a good smooth mouth feel. The toffee/vanilla is overpowering though and it is completely lacking in depth. It's like listening to Mahler's Titan on an iPod. Only slightly better than Penderyn Aur Cymru and that is truly dreadful. My advice to my fellow whisky drinkers if you want a good Speysider is to drink Cragganmore 12 at about half the price.