The Macallan Double Cask 15 Year Old and 18 Year Old Review: A Step Up

The release of a new Macallan usually prompts a responses from the jaded among the whisky community, which usually goes something like “Great, another one. What’s new?“

While I find the view a little cynical, I actually think that the question, if asked in earnest, is a valid one. There’s a substantial stable of Macallan products already, so the chances are, as the Barenaked Ladies might sing “It’s all been done before”.

The funny thing is, with the release of the new 15 and 18 Year Old Double Casks, I find myself agreeing with that view. The funnier thing is, I think that might be a good thing.

Something New, Something Old

It’s been four years since the release of the original The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old. Given the time that’s passed since then, perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised that the Double Cask will now be released in 15 Years Old and 18 Years Old expressions.

Peering beneath the surface, however, this has some interesting implications. The word on the wind is that these sherried whiskies will eventually become the core of Macallan’s range.

The catch is, this will be to the exclusion of the Fine Oak, Triple Cask and other whiskies made wholly or in part with spirit matured in ex-bourbon-casks. That’s quite a large step.

The Sherry Conundrum

Let’s consider this; while sherry is popular in the production of whisky, the wine itself has been languishing for some time. With the decreased demand for sherry, the bodegas that produce them have switched tactics. They’ve started to make more premium sherry, and shifted slowly away from the sweet, oxidised cream sherries to the dry, unoxidised fino styles. There’s also a decreased production for sherry, overall. If this continues, fewer new sherried casks will be available to impart their flavour to whisky.

At the same time, the stockpiles of casks obtained as a happy side-effect of sherry’s boom days in the 1970s and 1980s are also slowly thinning out; you can only fill a sherried cask with new-make whisky so many times before it runs out of flavour to give.

What this means is that sherry casks are getting increasingly rare and costly, and fewer sherried whiskies will be made available.

There’s also some lively debate between whisky enthusiasts on the quality of the sherried whiskies as well; it usually boils down to “past releases of sherried whiskies tasted better”. I think there’s some truth in this; anecdotally, this has been my experience, too.

That is not to say that all more recent sherried whiskies are necessarily inferior, but there will be those who think that. What’s more interesting is the why; one theory is that there are simply fewer good sherried casks to mature whisky in.

On the other hand, bourbon casks are still relatively cheap and available. This allows the price of whisky production to be lower, and the ex-bourbon-cask-matured whisky to be sold more cheaply- or at larger profit margins- as sherried whiskies of comparable age.

With the world whisky market growing, and producers needing an increasing number of casks to mature spirit and meet customer demand, while simultaneously keep the quality of their flavours high, the producers’ choice seems obvious- make more ex-bourbon cask whiskies.

With the release of the 15 and 18 Year Double Casks, Macallan affirms that it has decided to move in the opposite direction from the mainstream.

So why do I think it’s a good thing?

This shift in focus will allow the distillery to play to its strengths and to build upon them. They can differentiate themselves from other whiskymakers, and keep things the same for the fans who have already fallen in love with the brand’s trademark sherry-and-oak flavours. There is also an opportunity to focus on refining its sherried whiskies.

Going Their Own Way

We’ve covered it before, but Macallan has agreements with cooperages and bodegas in Spain, which gives it a steady supply of sherry casks and even a bit of leeway to do its own thing.

Which brings us, neatly, into what the Double Cask series is.

The eponymous double casks are the American and European oak casks that the whiskies were matured in. For the curious, the American white oak, quercus alba, was sourced from Ohio, Missouri and Kentucky, and the European oak, quercus robur, from Spain and the French Pyrenees. The American oak gives vanilla and cream notes to the whisky, and the European gives spice and tannin.

Both types of casks were seasoned only with sherry; there’s not a drop of bourbon, even in the American oak. It’s quite the departure from previous releases like the Fine Oak, or Triple Cask, which all incorporate the ex-bourbon casks in their production.

From a drinker’s point of view, it is quite difficult to separate the flavour of bourbon from the flavour of American Oak. After all, the bourbon gets much of its vanilla and coconut flavours from the oak itself. The flavour transfer works both ways though, and the bourbon itself tends lend its own grain sweetness and light qualities to the cask, and therefore, eventually, the Scotch whisky.

There’s probably quite a lot more to it, but that’s the biggest difference that I can discern between Macallan’s Fine Oak and Double Cask. Let’s see how the actual flavours match up.

Tasting Notes

From what I was told, all three Double Casks are the same in terms of the base spirit used- that is, there is no difference in the new-make, unmatured whisky being used to produce any of the whiskies in the range. The difference comes almost entirely down to the age and, perhaps, the ABV of each expression.

That, of course, left me rubbing my hands together with glee. I haven’t had a better opportunity to study the effect of aging on whisky than this one in a long time. Same liquid, similar casks.

The Double Cask 12 still remains one my favourite twelve years out there. It remains a very fresh flavoured, pleasant whisky with enough depth and interplay between fruit and spice to keep it interesting. I still think it’s great value for money in Singapore.

A pleasant whisky. Compared to the 12, it’s more confectionery-like, It’s still fairly clean-flavoured, but rounded off with richer spice that keeps it interesting.

Despite the considerable heft and power that comes through in the midpalate and on, thanks to the citrus, the 18 Year Old is surprisingly fresh and sprightly. I find it quite sensual and rich, but not cloying or unwieldy.

Comparing Oranges to Oranges

If you get a sense that the tasting notes are fairly similar, then you’re right on the money. The whiskies definitely did turn out to be quite recognisably similar, which should surprise no one, since the difference between them is just the age (and ABV).

So, as a drinker, how do you make a decision? Well, I’m here to help. Here are the essentials:

If you’re looking for a sipping whisky that represents the best value for money, I think the 15 would be the right pick. While the 12 is pretty good already, the 15 is more elegant and nuanced, and still doesn’t hit the two hundred dollar mark.

The 18, on the other hand, is a luxury purchase if one is looking to spoil oneself. It is a touch more interesting than the 15, and a large step up from the 12 for sure, but the price is also double the price of the 15, and triple that of the 12.

You’ll have to decide for yourself if your goal is to get the most bang for your buck, or the best whisky of the lot. The good news is, it’s hard to go wrong.

The Macallan Double Cask range will be available in The Macallan Online Shop, The Macallan Space at 1855, selected premium bars and retailers. For more information, click here. If you want to get a second opinion on the Double Casks, you can check out what Spirited Singapore has to say.