Speyside 17y/o (Macallan) Cask#DRU17 A106#34 Signatory Vintage 58.5%ABV 30ml

Signatory Vintage are releasing some cask strength single cask whisky called Speyside (M). What does the M stand for....Magnificent? No, its Macallan. This 17y/o was bottled just 2 weeks before its 18th year - but if a whisky hits its peak - bottle it fast don't just wait for an age statement - but if this was a distillery bottling they would have waited and maybe that is the problem when the priority is marketing and building an 'aspirational lifestyle brand' rather than taste and quality.

This is a massive sherry bomb - raisins, dark fruit, berries, dark chocolate, nougat - full, oily mouth feel. Its a throwback to 1970's/1980's to an open-shirted muscular Macallan with a medallion, moustache and hairy chest. 

On first opening this was too much - like a paxarette punch in the face - let it breathe for a minute as it is so sweet to taste initially - after a minute the sweetness seems to subside and more multi-dimensional deep flavours emerge. Great stuff.

I imagine Signatory pillaged Macallan for some great casks when there were massive cost overuns at their new space age distillery and the distillery was forced to sell casks to raise money. These casks are now hitting the market - Macallan doesn't allow the casks to be fully disclosed as they worry it will dilute their brand. So wrong - these indie bottlers are reminding people how Macallan reached its status in the past and that it is still living off those past glories today.

Vintage  11.07.2005

Bottled 27.06.2023

Stated Age17 years old

Cask Type1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt

Cask number DRU17 A106#34

Number of bottles681

Strength58.5 % Vol.