Speyside Trip: Macallan & Glen Grant

Hello again everyone,

Back again today with some more of my adventure in Scotland (June 2016).

First thing I did today was go to a tour at Speyside Cooperage which was really interesting. You don't really get much for your £3.50 (15 min video then a viewing gallery into the Cooperage) but it was pretty mesmerising to see the coopers at work.

After that I just about had time for a tour at Glen Grant. 45 mins, £5 and you get to taste the Major's Reserve and the 10yo. Since I was driving I took some away in a sample bottle and tried later. Guide seemed a little nervous and might have been new.


Glen grant is an interesting distillery (most of them are!) because they got purifiers on the stills, similar to Ardbeg, although I think Glen Grant were the first distillery to use them. Anyway, these purifiers only allow the lightest vapours into the condenser, allowing for a lighter spirit.

Glen Grant 10 40% (2016 packaging)

Colour: Gold

Body: Light

Nose: Fragrant, fruity and perfumed. Melon and banana, heady women's perfume, orange blossom, orange peel, lemon.

Taste: Soft. Sweet and perfumed, flowers, orange blossom, orange peel, fragrant oak, lemon pith, some chocolate into the finish.

Finish: Medium length. Chocolate and oak.

Notes: Nice nose, lackluster finish.

67/100

Next up was Macallan, which I was expecting big things from. Horst Leuning suggested it as his distillery to visit as a connoisseur. 1 hour, 30 mins, £10 and 4 tasters (all pretty small but some rarer stuff too). Plus all four tasters I hadn't tried before. Very professional and


friendly guide who knew a lot about just about everything.

Macallan is huge, its really 3 distilleries on one estate. They are just finishing the 3rd distillery and its bigger than the other 2 combined, its going to be pretty impressive once its done. Did you know they also own a cooperage in Spain?

Anyway onto the whiskies. Macallan has 3 main ranges, the NAS 1824, and the age statement Sherry and Fine Oak. Sherry is just Sherry casks, Fine Oak is a combination oof Bourbon and Sherry.

Macallan 12 Fine Oak 40%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Aromatic. Very malty and oily. Nutty, Sherry, honey, honeysuckle, little floral notes- Heather, milk chocolate.

Taste: Oily, nutty, very malty, Sherry and vanilla, lots of honey, more oily malt, Macademia nut.

Finish: Short/Medium length. Nutty and then oily and cloying.

71/100

Macallan Amber 40%

Colour: Light Amber

Body: Medium

Nose: Malty and oily, Sherry, wood spice, nutty, oily nuts, fresh barley, raisin, biscuit.

Taste: Very soft arrival, raisin, biscuit, malt, barley, spices building up, then some harsh oak and tannins, but recedes into the finish.

Finish: Short/Medium length. Oily malt and oaky spices.

69/100

Macallan 12 Sherry 40%

Colour: Amber

Body: Medium

Nose: Lovely. Heavy and fat. Sherry, nuts, oily, malt, earthiness, raisin, dark chocolate.

Taste: Soft, Sherry, nutty, oily, oily malt, barley, raisin, honey, dark chocolate, good quality coffee.

Finish: Medium length. Good quality dark chocolate and great coffee.

Notes: Great stuff. Can't believe this was discontinued in most markets, or maybe they just got super expensive?

73/100

Macallan 18 Fine Oak 43%

Colour: Dark Gold

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: Lovely, very perfumed, perfume, men's cologne, aromatic spice, cinnamon bark, honeysuckle, orange blossom, orange peel, orange juice.

Taste: Soft arrival, lots of honey, honeysuckle, floral, perfumed, manly cologne, musk, old oak, sandalwood, some tannins, Sherry, toffee, chocolate and dark coffee.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Toffee, honey and spiced oak.

Notes: I didn't know they did this. Thought the 21yo was the next step up from the 15 fine oak. A really grown up whisky, sophisticated. 

78/100

Reviews #161-#164

Score Average: 74.5

Best Score: 91

Worst Score: 44

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent