There should by now be very little, if any at all, doubt as to Macallan's reverence of its oak casks - unequivocally it stands at the very core of what Macallan is, and to put their money where their mouth is, the distillery takes it to a whole other level when it comes to getting its hands on the best casks available. It may be every distillery's bread and butter, but for Macallan it's its very essence.
Case in point, Macallan has ceaselessly paid tribute to its Jerez made Sherry casks in numerous forms and collections, from art to record breaking hammer priced expressions, with the distillery even more recently going so far as to sink in its roots deeper into where its Sherry comes from, having acquired the cult Sherry-maker Valdespino (via Grupo Estevez), along with cooperage and wood craftsman, Vasyma and Tevasa Forestal respectively. This is a far cry from simply having European oak planted, specially selected and dedicatedly coopered, which already is beyond the usual efforts of simply using Sherry seasoned casks - Macallan guarantees that its casks come from Sherry that is in fact of drinking quality, and not simply something to coat its barrels that's then dumped away. Make no mistake, this all expansive depth and level of commitment is bar none, and if anything is what definitively puts Macallan in its own league where it comes to its casks. It's in many ways a century-long realisation of a path that the distillery had been set upon by its once owner Roderick Kemp, who had into the 1900's instituted Macallan's Sherry wood maturation policy. And so there simply isn't any other distillery that has put so much into its cask program, and so when we say Macallan really loves its oak casks, we actually mean it!
From the storehouses of North America to the bodegas of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, and finally the dunnage warehouses of Speyside, each cask necessarily makes a remarkable voyage that has persisted for centuries.
And so, with the new, highly anticipated Macallan Carta Nautica, we're once again directed towards Macallan's oak casks, this time focusing on the historical and still ceaselessly ongoing voyage that these treasured casks make across the Atlantic Ocean, from North America to Spain's Jerez de la Frontera (in the Sherry Triangle) and finally to Speyside, Scotland, it is a journey that Macallan believes deserves greater emphasis. It is, after all, an oceanic route that has withstood the test of time, and all the major global events and technological revolutions that have come with it, to remain remarkably unchanged. Even after over a century, there's really only one way to bring these casks to and fro; from North America these oak staves make their way, some straight to Scotland, whilst others earmarked for Jerez which eventually too will find their way back to Macallan's spiritual home at the Easter Elchies along the River Spey. To pay homage to this ancestral journey that these casks take in order to create Macallan's whiskies, Macallan has thus created the Carta Nautica Collection, so named after the Spanish name for nautical charts, which will feature four expressions that are said to tell the story of seafarers of a bygone time who had to rely on such maps to navigate, courageously, these unknown, near mythical waters, with these casks in tow.
Casks being loaded for their long journey ahead, all in a bid to make whisky.
The Macallan Carta Nautica Collection which consists of four expressions - the Distilled in 1987, the 20 Year Old, the 105 Proof and the Carta Nautica NAS - all therefore share a common characteristic of having been double cask matured, first in Sherry seasoned oak casks from Jerez de la Frontera, before then a second leg of ageing in ex-Bourbon barrels from North America, itself a rather uncommon sequence with most distilleries typically starting with ex-Bourbon and then Sherry. Nevertheless, Macallan says that this allows the whiskies to first gain richness, depth and structure, before then given a lift of brightness for balance - a profile that Macallan underpins as the hallmark of its transatlantic identity. Each expression in the collection thus emphasises a fundamental tenet of the whisky - vintage, age, proof and finally a flagship that serves as the Carta Nautica Collection's entry touchpoint.
With that said, let's give the Macallan Carta Nautica 20 Year Old a taste! Let's go!
Whisky Review: Macallan Carta Nautica 20 Year Old, 42% ABV
Released as a Global Travel Retail exclusive.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Yellow Gold.
Aroma: Rounded and led by honey and candied fruits. This is a rather fruit-driven and decadent one. It opens with candied orange peels, dried dates, dried apricots accompanied by rich creamy vanilla and soft milk chocolate. Layers of cloudy Manuka honey and maple syrup drizzled over clean tropical fruits - dried mango slices, charred pineapple and marmalade. Fresh citrus zest against warm marmalade and fruit preserves. Then brighter notes of orchard fruits, poached pears and golden apples. The texture remains luscious and layered throughout.
Taste: Rounded, luscious and fruit-forward, carrying much of the same lustre from the nose with a somewhat runny texture. A clean sweet barley malt character joined with fresh figs, medjool dates in caramel, milk chocolate with more indulgent vanilla sweetness. Chocolate-dipped orange peels. Then pear drops, creme caramel and caramelised banana. Peach fuzz, dried apricots, dried mango leading into dried lavender florals. Soft leather and light salted nuts.
Finish: Medium plus in length. Orange peels, dried mango and pineapples trailing off into warm toasted oak spices, cocoa powder, and the embrace of vanilla and more soft powdery florals - dried lavender and violets.
My Thoughts
This is an unusually indulgent bright, tropical-fruit inspired interpretation of a mature Macallan. You can find much of the familiar richness and warmth of Sherry-seasoned cask in this, but it’s generously topped off with bright golden character of Manuka honey and the likes of mango, pineapples and orchard fruits that makes this noticably riper and sweeter than a European-oak focused Macallan of similar age. It’s a lovely movement from rounded milk chocolate notes to sweet tropical fruits, luscious orchard fruits, before a return to soft approachable spices and a bed of powdery florals. The profile makes sense if you consider how this expression was partly matured in American ex-Bourbon oak casks for an added brightness.
@CharsiuCharlie
