🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

Quick hit review. Whisky calendar - Day 4. Hey Ernie, wanna buy an 'M'? Sure Lefty, keep the 'acallan'! Good old times. A rich sherry nose awaits, think of blackberries, prunes and cocoa, enriched by wood polish, walnuts and mint. It is a bit prickly but very appealing. The punchy arrival unfolds with stewed fruits, peppery spices and dark chocolate, initially very juicy and savory, then slightly dry. Decent mouthfeel. Heather honey, fresh herbs and resinous oak subside in the medium finish. A rock-solid dram! RATING: 3.7/5.0 stars ≙ 85 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE [+]

More sherried and less complex than #16.

Macallan must be doing something right to still be knocking about after so many years - this is a good example of what they can do when the marketing men are distracted. A pleasant dram, which is being opened as it's not being sold for silly money. Drink with an open mind.

Dark amber color. Oily structure.

Spicy (M) Signatory is one of the first to firmly grasp the pressure the whisky industry is currently under, with the launch of their 100 Proof series: interesting bottlings, each and every one, bottled at 57.1% (the old 100 Proof) with a particularly friendly price tag. Candied fruit, cocoa, cold coffee, rotten wood and furniture polish: that's the nose of this malt in a nutshell. Underneath that is a hint of rhubarb and orange jam, supplemented with cola candy and resin. This is quite good for me. This is quite oily on the tongue, but the fruity and sweet notes are relentlessly pushed aside by a very sturdy and spicy spice rack. Yes, this is spicy! Chili pepper, candied ginger, oregano and baking spices. The sweetness suffers a bit here, I must admit. Still very tasty, sweet and full, but too spicy to be completely appealing. The balance is a bit off. While the finish is medium long, it is mainly the herbs that rule, which makes it difficult for the sweetness to show itself. Mokatine on the deathbed. And yet it is still a lot better than what the house officially puts on the market at at least double the price. For example, you can buy this Speyside (M) – Macallan for those who know – for a mere 60 EUR, which makes it easy to say: do it.

Not totally there yet. Call it youthful vibrance. Or a slightly immature whisky, if you will. One of the spicier malts I’ve tried in a while.

Color: light amber - a very good quality whisky - very good barrel strength - worth trying - tastes more like Mortlach than Macallan - for 60€ - 70€ totally ok