Smoky Macallan?! Yes indeed friends, such a thing exists! Macallan Rare Cask Black was made from a marriage of less than 100 casks, resulting in an expression that shows off a fascinating combination of rich peat smoke and Macallan's characteristic Sherried power. Peaty whisky is very much a rarity from Macallan, so this is very much an exciting bottling!
This bottle was part of a private collection - if you'd like more detailed photos just get in touch!
Tobacco-rich smokiness, with spicy hints of old oak and pepparkakor. Heavily Sherried notes of fig jam and buttery sultana scones give away the whisky's Speyside roots.
Damson, dates and Demerara sugar. The earthy and herbaceous peaty elements take their time to reveal themselves.
A mixture of dark chocolate, fresh ginger and a whiff of bonfire smoke.
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This will be one for the collectors.
Disappointing. Don't get me wrong, this is a very good scotch, but this is not Macallan's best effort. I own a bottle of the estate reserve and a bottle of the rare cask, both of which are more than half the price of rare cask black. So I purchased a dram of the rare cask black to help me decide whether or not to buy a bottle, and unfortunately, I do not think it is worth the money. The nose is a little nutty but nothing extraordinary. I enjoyed the palate as it revealed a pretty unique flavor profile compared to other Macallan's, on the tongue it tasted very good, and then I waited for the hint of peat and hoped for a long, complex finish. The peat was undetectable. The finish was nothing to boast about. (Imagine being at a fireworks show only to have it end without a grand-finale; disappointing.) I taste tested this with three other people, each of us our own dram, and we were all left wondering if we were somehow sent the wrong scotch. While that's certainly not the case, what is the case is that this is a disappointing scotch. We had such high hopes. For the price, I honestly expected to be blown away -- I even thought it had a chance to be the best scotch I've ever had. It's Macallan. It's very expensive. And it's a rare, unique flavor. But it doesn't deliver, and that's really too bad. Instead of buying a bottle of the rare cask black, I personally believe you would be better off spending the same money on the original rare cask and the estate reserve.
