Macallan Classic Cut 2017 Review

Background

In 2017, Macallan released the first edition of their “Classic Cut” series, which is a series designed to- I am honestly not sure what, except fulfill a bunch of marketing promises! Per Macallan it’s meant to “...celebrate our ongoing commitment to seek out the extraordinary and in doing so, create whiskies of unique character.” Sick!

I may be giving Macallan some shit (that it surely can take), but I’ll be damned if I haven’t enjoyed virtually every drop of their cask strength liquid that I’ve had the good fortune of tasting. Based on their marketing materials for this series, it does seem like they give themselves some wiggle room on the casks that go into each edition. For example, both the 2020 and 2021 mention the use of ex-bourbon casks. The 2017, by comparison, seems to only include sherry seasoned American and European oak casks. Let’s dig into this offering and see how it holds up!

Macallan Classic Cut 2017 (NAS, 58%)

Nose: Orange marmalade, French toast with cinnamon, prunes and hints of anise. It’s not overly punchy, but rather elegant and inviting.

Palate: Cinnamon, honey and dates. A gentle nuttiness like honey roasted pistachios. All throughout there is a central orange zestiness.

Finish: There's a nice rounded baking spice, cloves and cinnamon again. There is also a gentle, lingering, dark wood and cocoa note.

Excellent (8/10)

Overall: This is quite nice, and I enjoy that it’s not necessarily a capital B sherry bomb. Instead it’s a very refined and balanced sip, arguably a bit understated, and centered around a lovely citrus and baking spice blend. I was blessed with a 2 ounce sample of this from a friend to review, and I initially poured about an ounce of it. Then I just kept splashing a bit more into the glass, then a little more, then the sample was gone.