Macallan 1957 25 yo Anniversary Malt 43%
Happy 50th National Day Singapore. The occasion lives up to its hype. This is a milestone for the country, with much accomplished but also many ways we can improve, and not in the material sense. Still I raise a glass to the little red dot.
What’s a national day whisky? 60s? Wish I had a Bowmore at hand but I think this meets the criteria too.
(Picture credit – whiskyexhange.com)
Nose: Profound. Resinous cedarwood, juniper, kiwi polish, hot machinery, seamlessly melded with the dry aromatic richness of ‘old style’ sherry wood – luscious and velvety. Take golden raisins, acres of old leather, skins of a thousand muscat grapes, tablespoon of dark honey, maybe some candied ginger, blend it and let it oxidize a moment till just so. Add 25 years and then bottle a perfect marriage of wood and spirit.
Palate: Delivers. Dry, superbly aromatic despite its low strength. Dry leather, some rancio notes, roasted nuts, ancient wood. It’s a full bodied spirit dripping with richness, not without some tannic grip – an elegant result.
Finish: Medium long and a touch weak, I expected longer really, but hey 1957, 25 years in wood, 30 years in glass. Still brimming with woody oxidized notes though.
Honestly it’s very good whisky and worth the auction lust one sees with these old Macallans. But if you’re after big spirit matched with old oloroso wood, made the way that modern whisky cannot copy, there’s 60s, 70s Bunnahabhain, Strathisla, Glen Grant, Longmorn and Glenfarclas out there for a fraction of the price- just saying.
Whiskyrific RSS
- Bowmore 25 yo Blackadder 1973 / 1998 Blackadder #3174 51.2% vs Bowmore 20yo 1976 / 1996 Signatory 3548/49 52.6%
- Balblair 1975 / 2012 2nd Release 46% vs Balblair 10 yo Gordon & Macphail 100 proof
- Convalmore 24 yo 1978 /2003 Rare Malts 59.4% vs Convalmore 40 yo 1977 / 2017 Cadenhead 56.8%
- Lochside 29 yo 1981 / 2010 The Perfect Dram 51.1% vs Lochside 31 yo 1966 / 1998 Silent Stills #3910 57.7%
- Royal Brackla 16 yo Zenith 57% vs Royal Brackla 17 yo Intertrade 63.9%~bottled 1987
- Laphroaig 30 yo 43% ~ early 2000s vs Lagavulin 30 yo 1976 / 2006 52.6%
- Highland Park 13 yo 2006 for Simplywhisky Singapore #1646 64.7% vs Highland Park 30 yo 1989 / 2019 Gordon & Macphail 19/003 51.1%
- Pulteney 13 yo 1967 / 1980 Cadenhead 46% vs Laphroaig 21 yo Cadenhead for Sestante 52.1% ‘White Label’
- Ben Nevis 21 yo 1996 / 2018 Whisky Doris #2028 52.2% vs Ben Nevis 21 yo Private Bottling #1407 48.8%
- Glen Ord 40 yo 1965 Royal Mile Whiskies 40.1% vs Glenury Royal 24 yo 1973 / 1997 Signatory #6851 53.7%
whiskyrific 