The Macallan 12 Years Old Sherry Oak opens the distillery's sherry-led range, matured mainly in European oak casks seasoned with sherry in Jerez. It is a classic Speyside malt of dried fruit, ginger and wood spice.
About This Whisky
The 12 Years Old spends at least twelve years in oak casks, mostly European, that were first seasoned with sherry in bodegas in Jerez. The casks hold sherry for a number of months before they are emptied and shipped to Speyside. That seasoning gives the whisky its natural gold colour and its dried-fruit, ginger and spice character. The 70cl bottling is 40% ABV.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Dried fruit and candied orange peel, with ginger, nutmeg and polished oak.
- Palate: Sultanas and raisins, sweet ginger, cinnamon and a touch of vanilla.
- Finish: Warm and fairly long, with oak and ginger spice.
Serving & Food
Enjoy it neat in a small wine glass, just below room temperature. On a warm Hong Kong evening it also takes a single large ice cube well. Pair it with roast goose, a dried-fig and walnut tart, or aged Gouda.
How to Enjoy
A dependable gift, and a good introduction to sherry-cask Speyside malt.
Product Details
Category: Single malt Scotch whisky
Producer: The Macallan
Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Age Statement: 12 Year
Cask: Sherry-seasoned oak, predominantly European
ABV: 40%
Format: 700mL
About the Distillery
Every Macallan label carries a picture of Easter Elchies House, the manor above the River Spey that the distillery calls its spiritual home. A house has stood on the spot since at least 1453. It was rebuilt in 1700 for Captain John Grant after Jacobite soldiers had ransacked it, later fell into disrepair, and came back into Macallan's hands in 1959 before being restored. Around it lie the 485 acres of The Macallan Estate near Craigellachie, where whisky has been made since 1824 and where the Sherry Oak whiskies are matured. The distillery is part of the Edrington group.