It took a while to review this whisky. At first we wondered if they’d overdone it with triple casks. It’s not like a lot of Highland scotches, this Macallan 12 year old is a lot smoother and not as aggressive. Despite having being matured in two types of sherry casks, European and American, it’s not too sweet but you can see what Macallan mean by there being notes of melon. If anything the bourbon casks provide the dominant flavour to this triple cask scotch. Many Highland whiskies have quite a distinct heat to them but this is much more mellow.
Nosing this whisky leads you to believe the taste could be quite herbal but also fairly Southern American, which is a reason why it took a while to come round to this scotch, as it shares traits of whiskies from other regions. If you’re into Irish whiskies, this is a nice way to transition to scotch as there are similar attributes.
This feels like a real curve ball to have in your locker but not in a bad way. If you’re after more stereotypical Highland spice and oaky flavours, this may catch you off guard but we quite like that factor. Macallan have really created something that’s easy to enjoy with their triple cask 12 year old single malt.