Macallan – 18 Year Double Cask (75cl, 43%)

This is an 18-year-old Speyside single malt from Macallan, bottled at 43% in a 750ml bottle. It is a Double Cask, combining whisky matured in sherry-seasoned American oak with whisky matured in sherry-seasoned European oak. The American oak brings a creamier, vanilla-led character, while the European oak adds deeper dried-fruit richness. Macallan makes each of its sherry-seasoned casks over about six years, from harvesting the oak through to seasoning with sherry in Spanish bodegas. The nose shows caramel and toffee, dried fruit, ginger and vanilla pod. The palate is rich and rounded, with raisin and sultana, creamy caramel, orange peel, and wood spice. The finish is long, with oak spice and ginger turning to sweet orange and toffee.