The Macallan Classic Cut was first released in USA late 2017. It’s a NAS Macallan which isn’t a real surprise but it did surprised the crowds by having a hefty 58.4% ABV. We didn’t see a cask strength release from Macallan for ages, or at least since the Macallan 10yo CS and the Cask Strength releases years ago.

It seems that Macallan has finally realized it’s time for a come back following the rising stiff competition from other distilleries releasing good sherried whiskies (hello Aberlour & Glendronach!) and I’m sure that the constant pleas from the fans didn’t hurt the cause.

Right now Macallan Classic Cut is a USA release only at the moment, but further editions and batches will be find their ways into the European markets. Since we can find it for $80 in the states, we can probably expect it to cost £60/€70 when full distribution will take place (although even now you can find stray bottles in European shops for double that price).

Let’s check it out.

Macallan Classic Cut 2017 Edition (58.4%, $79.99)

Nose: Dried fruits, sultanas, prunes, dates paste, milk chocolate,  gentle spiciness with cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg.

Palate: Dried fruits, prunes, sour-sweet berries, fruit peels, bitter dark chocolate and milk chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg and oak spices.

Finish: Medium long length, lingering dried fruit & prunes compote, cinnamon, heavy bitter dark chocolate and a touch of oak spices.

Thoughts: Frankly, I had low expectations from this one, thinking it will be a young and boring Macallan without much sherry-ness. But in fact it’s a pretty good sherry bomb. Yes, it’s mostly young whisky in there but the selected casks are good (we do know they have good casks after all) and the sherry influence is perfectly balanced between fruitiness, chocolate and spices. A worthy addition to the NAS Sherry bombs shelf.