Macallan 1977/1992 Samaroli ‘Matured in sherry wood’ vs Macallan 25 yo 1976/2001 Silver Seal First Bottling
The traditional house style of Macallan is dominated by sherry cask maturation. It is to these beautiful whiskies beloved of Michael Jackson that I turn to after a very interesting weekend.
Macallan 1977/1992 Samaroli ‘Matured in sherry wood’ 46%
Interestingly, the label says ‘slowly reduced’, not something we hear about today.
Nose: Right, this is neither a dry woody sherry nor a sugar bomb, it sits somewhere between. Full of sweet old resins, but not syrupy. Black plums so ripe you can pull off their skins at a touch, in fact quite a fruity sherry. But at the same time there is more than a hint of tar and Worcestershire. A bit of old metal, a bit of soot and charcoal, but far from those extremes. A palpable thickness in the spirit, which doesn’t feel weighed down by the sherry. Still exuberant with a dense core that does not fall apart. So far so good.
Palate: Oh excellent, great play between the sweeter and more savoury elements. Rich fruitiness, but also dry leather, cocoa dust, coal, charred wood, bags of dried raisins and dates, black coffee, though it seems to want to develop quickly towards it’s drier side.
Finish: Long, dried leaves and branches, charcoal, toasted fruit, burnt purples. Dry. Great whisky.
Macallan 25 yo 1976/2001 Silver Seal First Bottling 50%
Nose: Very clear that the sherry cask is less assertive in this one. Here the Macallan has taken a step forward, and we’ve got perhaps more dry earthy scents coming to the fore – dried out wax tubs, dried lumps of black earth. Brown leaves and dried cereal husks, also lots of coal, charred firewood etc. In fact and it could be that the sherry influence also shows a drier more phenolic side in this one. It feels like desiccated purples and pure cocoa blocks. More hot tar, lacquers, and old leather than lush. Blackwood dust?
Palate: Much ‘grippier’, no it is definitely a much drier sort of whisky. Flaky varnish, cracking wood, dried leaves in a pile .. in fact it’s all these dried scents from the nose made flesh on the tongue. Leans quite far towards hot coal and burnt ends too. Some soy and some medicinal herbs. Development kind of peters out and it wants to finish rather soon.
Finish: Medium long, parched and burnt, feels like its giving out a bit.
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