The Macallan Sherry Oak 40 Year Old A Pricey Last Minute Holiday Gift

With just a few days left until you and yours are opening gifts from under your tree, is there perhaps room for one more high priced bottling of Scotch whisky? That’s what The Macallan seems to be hoping for, as word has surfaced of the 2017 version of their 40 year old sherry oak bottling.

The new The Macallan Sherry Oak 40 Year Old, according to those behind it, is exclusively aged in hand-picked Oloroso sherry seasoned oak casks from Jerez, Spain. It is drawn from a combination of three such casks – a European oak sherry hogshead, a European oak sherry butt and an American oak sherry butt – and is said to the pinnace of the distillery’s Sherry Oak cask range.

For those unfamiliar with the Sherry Oak range, The Macallan noted it works “very closely with fully integrated ‘tree to finished seasoned cask’ companies in Spain, to identify the oak trees, fell them sustainably, saw and air dry the oak staves, before shipping them to Jerez in southern Spain for further air-drying to reduce the moisture further still. The casks are then crafted and seasoned for 18 months with dry Oloroso sherry, before making the journey up to Scotland where they are filled with The Macallan ‘new make’ spirit to mature for decades.”

“After a gentle slumber for over 40 years in our exceptional sherry seasoned oak casks,” said Nick Savage, The Macallan Master Distiller, in a prepared statement, “this rare single malt is full of rich flavor and a beautiful natural color. The Macallan Sherry Oak 40 years old is an outstanding and distinctive addition to our collection of unique, mature whiskies and is testament to our enduring desire to create peerless single malts. We invest more in sherry seasoned casks than any other distillery in sourcing, crafting, seasoning and caring for our casks to create the depth, complexity and richness of flavor for which The Macallan is renowned.”

This 40 year old Scotch, bottled at 44% ABV, it limited to just 465 bottles worldwide, with only 70 bottles allocated to the USA at a price of around $9,000. You’ll find limited official tasting notes below for your consideration.

On the nose there are hints of sultanas, gingers and wood spice against a backdrop of sweet cinnamon and citrus, while the palate opens with soft cinnamon spices leading into date and figs, before giving way to a long, rich finish with a lingering cinnamon spice.