Macallan 18 Year Old from the 1985 distillation, bottled in 2003 at 43% ABV. It is one of the last vintage-labelled 18 Year Olds before the 2004 redesign, here in 750mL.
About This Whisky
This bottle holds spirit distilled in 1985 and matured for 18 years in sherry oak casks, bottled in 2003. Japanese and other export markets received the 75cl size, while Europe used 70cl. The 1986 vintage, bottled in 2004, brought new packaging, so this is among the last releases in the older style.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Dried fruit and caramel with clove, orange peel and mature oak.
- Palate: Smooth and full, with sherry sweetness, raisin, toasted oak and a gingery warmth.
- Finish: Long, with dried fruit, cocoa and gentle wood spice.
Serving & Food
Serve neat and unchilled in a Glencairn, or with a single ice cube on a warm evening. It sits well with char siu, sticky toffee pudding, or a mature Parmigiano.
How to Enjoy
Collectors closing out an 18 Year Old vertical, and gifts for anyone born in 1985.
Product Details
Distillery: The Macallan
Expression: 18 Year Sherry Oak
Vintage / Bottling: Distilled 1985, bottled 2003
Region: Speyside, Scotland
Cask Type: Sherry oak
ABV: 43%
Size: 750mL
About the Distillery
Macallan does not add caramel colouring to its whisky, and it treats that as a founding principle rather than a marketing line. Every shade in the glass, from pale gold to deep mahogany, comes from the cask and the years spent in it. Because sherry-seasoned casks vary, the colour of each release shifts slightly from year to year. Natural colour is one of the six principles the distillery calls its Six Pillars.