Theme(s):
|
Creamy, fruity, nutty, cereal, dark chocolate, caramel, honey, vanilla, coffee notes
|
Tasting notes:
|
The 1824 Series
The Macallan have released a new range, the 1824 Series. The 1824 Series comprises of four "expressions" that do not have age statements and instead are named after the colour of the whisky: Gold, Amber, Sienna and Ruby. The idea is that each whisky "expression" in the range represents a particular colour.
The Sienna is the second darkest of the range.
|
Macallan 1824 Series: Gold, Amber, Sienna and Ruby |
Salvaging the treasure
|
The culprit: Henry |
The aesthetic value of a whisky or spirit is in its natural
colour and bottle design. When I first saw the bottle of The Macallan Sienna, the
vibrant colours the whisky emitted from the classic bottle design were
beautiful. I just had to capture it in that light, because the sun was setting
and it was in just the right angle to reflect the colour of the whisky without it reflecting off the label.
I eagerly rushed to the pond, and placed the bottle
in the perfect spot – the sun’s rays beamed through the whisky as the spirit caught
the light like a prism, and it reflected the water and nearby vegetation. I
peered through my camera with a big smile on my face, but the whisky had suddenly vanished. The culprit? Henry the King Charles Cavalier. With a flick
of his tail, Henry sent the whisky sinking two metres to the bottom of a murky pond. Looking
satisfied that he one again had my undivided attention, Henry’s cuteness let him get away with yet another act of vandalism – first my Burberry
glasses which he chewed up, and now this!
The sun was setting. Its once friendly glow quickly turned hostile. The pond was getting darker and darker with
each minute and the faint white shimmer of the bottle was fading fast as the
sun went down. Even worse, the sun was reflecting off the pond now and it was
impossible to see anything, even the fish were hidden beneath a veil of sunlight.
|
The salvaged whisky |
The bottle could have drifted anywhere. Armed with an extremely
long pool cleaning net, I scooped hopelessly for this bottle of Macallan
Sienna, feeling as though I was looking for a needle in a haystack. The light
was no longer my friend, because with each scoop the water became murky from
the unsettled mud at the bottom of the pond – surely the sealed bottle would be
buried by now. There I stood, stabbing into the water to feel the clink of a
glass bottle… and with each stab I looked sillier and sillier. With each “clink”
I felt, I pulled up a rock and managed to hold back some colourful language. Then, I felt it. “Clink”, “clink”, “clink”… “this
must be it”, I hoped. As I raised the scoop the treasure reflected the sun. There
it was, The Macallan Sienna, its label peeling but its contents untouched due
to being sealed. Phew! Needless to say, Henry couldn’t be blamed – all is well that
ends well!
Tasting the salvaged whisky
Nose: Nose warming and gentle, cereal notes and barley abound with dried husks and oats with honey, raisins and pecan (one of my favourites!). Light notes
of orange and lime develop with chocolate coated raisins and a soothing creamy
layer of vanilla rich white chocolate and almonds. The mood of this whisky is
bright with moments when the clouds come rolling in to unravel something new –
raisins and sliced mango are layered with sweet golden caramel as cracked
cinnamon sticks and ground nutmeg spark within creamy mocha and vanilla bean
ice cream, almost affogato, with the oily aroma of crushed nuts. That creaminess is lovely, developing into fruit packed buttered scones and hot cross buns as gentle solvent and citrus notes cut through the fatty layers.
Taste: Beautifully
integrated and balanced, a luscious wave of Spanish style rum and raisin is balanced by dark
chocolate as the fruity burst of sultana and nectarine leads to a palate buzzing with
gradually receding dried fruit and wood spices of nutmeg in particular - this whisky rekindles memories of spiced fruit loaf, and the sweetness is balanced by the cocoa and wood spices. What is particularly striking
about the Macallan Sienna is its balance. As soon as it hits the tongue, the
flavours meld together and integrate without causing any noticeable friction or
clash – instead they interlace and complement one another.
Finish: Drying, with lingering dried fruit and wood notes softened by gentle vanillas and luscious gooey caramel and honeycomb oozing from a cracked dark cocoa rich chocolate.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment