96
score
whiskyfun.com
March 27, 2014
Colour: amber. Nose: exactly what we were expecting – not bragging here ;-) – which is a rather more austere, and smokier style after the 1962. It’s also grassier, with a little menthol, certainly a lot of fern, moss, maybe touches of myrtle, some charcoal, some bitter chocolate… I’m not quite sure Macallan were still using a lot of peat instead of oil/coal when malting In 1952, like they did just after WWII, but this is certainly quite peaty. Oh, and quite stunning, of course… After ten minutes, it’s really smoky chocolate than stands out. Mouth: almost a beast! Incredibly powerful, rather less polished than the 1962, more aggressive in a way – which we love, you always have to be a little masochistic when you’re deep into whisky – and indeed very smoky and herbal. Massive cough syrup and chartreuse (that’s kind of the same thing, isn’t it), triple-sec, a tiny drop of cologne and a spoonful of marmalade. In fact, it’s so big that the tinier notes that should be hidden somewhere are having trouble making it through. Hey, let’s try water… With (two drops of) water: hurray! We unleashed an army of dried and fresh fruits, especially zesty ones. Kiwis, oranges, rhubarb and such. Finish: extremely long, essentially on triple-sec, marmalade and white pepper. Comments: only one word, the word ‘body’. It’s this whisky’s body that’s its most impressive asset. 'As bronzed and muscular as a practitioner of the noble art', as MJ once wrote.
