When I heard that my good friend Roy from the Aquavitae YouTube channel had picked a Macallan as his virtual pub selection for Decadent Drinks, I knew something special was going on.
Roy is a bourbon-matured whisky guy through and through. So, for him to choose something clearly drenched in sherry influence? This had to be a bottle worth paying attention to.
A first fill sherry hogshead, 55% ABV, no added color, non-chill filtered, distilled in 2008, bottled in 2025, and limited to just 344 bottles. On paper alone, it checks every box.
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READ THE STORYThe nose on this one is gorgeous and tells you immediately that you’re dealing with a really, really good sherry cask. I want to emphasize that distinction: this isn’t just about the Macallan name. It’s about the quality of the maturation. You get waves of dark red fruit, dark chocolate, espresso, and chocolate-covered cherries, with a lovely milk chocolate sweetness rounding things out.
It’s layered, inviting, and frankly hard to pull yourself away from. Decadent Drinks doesn’t mess around, and if you’re going to bottle a Macallan, you need a sherry cask that can deliver. This one absolutely does.
Now, I’ll be transparent about the palate journey here. This bottle was shipped to me as a half bottle. When it first arrived, I suspect it had some bottle shock, because those initial sips were underwhelming. I would have scored it around an 84 at that point. But after letting it sit on my bar and open up, it transformed.
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The palate now shows beautifully with rich cherry notes front and center, and for 55% ABV, the heat is remarkably tame. You could drink this blind and guess it sits well below that proof. She’s ready to go, as I like to say, and the improvement has been dramatic.
Where I land is an 87, which in my scoring system puts it firmly in “buy it” territory.
Price is the one caveat. I can’t speak to exactly what was paid since half the bottle was a gift, but I’d estimate this sits in the $300 to $400 range for a 17-year-old. That’s not cheap.
I’ve noticed an interesting pattern with Decadent Drinks: their bottles under 20 years old tend to run a little pricey, while their 25 to 30 year offerings often feel like bargains compared to the competition.
There are solid sherried options from distilleries like GlenAllachie that come in under $200, so the value conversation is real. But for the overall experience, the quality of the cask, and the depth of flavor this delivers, 87 feels right. I would absolutely buy it again.
Good job on this pick, Roy. If you grabbed a bottle yourself, I suspect you already know how good it is. For those still hunting, I’ve seen Decadent Drinks Macallan releases available through BSW as well, so options are out there.
Have you tried any Decadent Drinks bottlings that surprised you, and how do you feel about their pricing on younger releases?
To see my full tasting, watch my YouTube video.
