Whisky: Macallan 13 Year (2008), SMWS 24.162 "Dystopian deviant"

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 62.9%

Cask: Oloroso Butt (10Y), First Fill Spanish Oak Oloroso Hogshead

Age: 13 Years (Distilled 13 Oct. 2008)

Nose: Dried fruit, caramel, vanilla, dark chocolate, orange zest, unlit charcoal, nutmeg, and cinnamon, watch oil and machine grease, butterscotch, and rubber.

Palate: Full-bodied, thick, caramelizing sugars, citrus, marshmallow, watch oil, baking spices, gingerbread, hints of citrus and molasses, leather with a touch of rubber and metal at the end.

Finish: Long and drying with molasses, gingerbread, and burning marshmallow.

Score: 7

Mental Image: T-1000 in Gingerbread

Narrative & Notes: Imagine a rendition of Terminator set in a gingerbread world. Dried fruits and candies adorn ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, chicory, and clove-spiced buildings. Accents of dark chocolate and vanilla cream provide shading among hints of unlit hardwood charcoal, watch oil, and machine grease. A hint of rubber and butterscotch are the only warning of the approaching cybernetic gingerbread assassin. Thick and unctuous, the palate was a touch more industrial but still firmly set on carnage in a gingerbread world. The flavor profile popped with watch oil and grease among flaming citrus candies, melting marshmallows, and puddles of milk chocolate. Ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon-spiced up the gingerbread construction with hints of orange zest and molasses. A gingerbread cyborg in a leather jacket approached as a drying quality and metallic rubber tinge lingered at the end. The finish was long and drying with molasses, gingerbread, and burning marshmallows.

Honestly, I was surprised to go back and see the SMWS name on this whisky as it somewhat matched my basic description and imagery— though the notes SMWS provided highlighted more herbal and woody character. They also call out “hessian,” which is one of those notes I sometimes see but have no frame of reference to understand. The fun thing about whisky notes, at least for me, is sorting through the familiar and strange to try to imagine a whisky— or evaluate whether it might suit my taste if I am considering a purchase or pour.

I initially nabbed this bottle to split with friends. While 200 USD is steep for a thirteen-year-old single malt, that is not horrible for a cask-strength sherried Macallan. This style of whisky is not my favorite; I rarely reach for sherry bombs, so I would not have purchased it if I had not planned to share most of it. In retrospect, I should keep a bottle like this at hand or save more of it for myself, as sometimes even I am in the mood for something funky, thick, and sherry.

About Macallan

From its humble beginnings as a farm distillery in 1824, Macallan expanded significantly during the 20th century to become one of the biggest distilleries in Speyside and one of the most recognizable luxury scotch brands. There is a cache attached to Macallan, especially since the 1980s when the distillery moved early toward single malt releases. They were, of course, far from the first to do this, yet they managed to capitalize early on the growing demand for single malts.

Macallan is primarily operated by Edrington (who also own Highland Park and Glenrothes), though its ownership structure is far more complex. In 1986, Suntory purchased a 25% stake in the distillery; the remaining 75% was divided (70/30) between Edrington and William Grant & Sons in 1999 when they bought Highland Distilleries. In 2020, Beam-Suntory purchased a 10% stake in Edrington, further increasing their financial involvement at the distillery.

The distillery produces a heavy and sulfurous spirit with minimal copper contact during distillation. Not unlike the approach at Glenfarclas, the heavy spirit stands up well to the robust sherry casks that the distillery prefers to use for maturation. Over time, the spirit mellows and softens, retaining a richness on the palate while some of the heavier or dirtier flavors fall into the background.