The Macallan 18 Year Old 1984 / 43% / 0.7l

The Macallan 18 years old debuted in 1984, when the brand was already experiencing popularity outside of Scotland.

It was distilled in 1965, and for the next 20 years, the 18-year-old version would be bottled with a vintage designation. In 2004, other 18-year-olds were launched: Fine Oak, combining The Macallan aged in sherry and bourbon casks, and Sherry Oak without a vintage designation. The Macallan presented here is a 2002 edition containing whisky distilled in 1984 (and earlier) and aged exclusively in Spanish oak sherry casks. The Macallan is now the third most popular single malt, selling a million cases a year.

Nose: classic Macallan, strong sherry notes, raisins, dried plums and apricots, dark chocolate, freshly ground coffee, bitter orange jam, traces of allspice and tobacco.

Palate : lots of sherry, dried plums, figs and apricots, raisins, dark chocolate, hazelnuts, vanilla, traces of tobacco and leather and beautifully woven notes of oak.

Finish : quite long and pleasantly balanced, with notes of dried fruit, dark chocolate, roasted nuts and almonds, a pinch of spices and oak.