Skip to main content

The Macallan Gets a Little More American with Double Cask

macallan double cask
Image used with permission by copyright holder
If you’re a bourbon fan trying to get into Scotch, pay attention, this new Scotch may be for you.

The Macallan Double Cask 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky is The Macallan’s latest release and uses both Sherry-seasoned European Oak and American Oak to age their whisky.  To make the Scotch, the American Oak is selected and shipped to Spain where it is Sherry-seasoned before being transported to The Macallan’s distillery on Speyside, where the whisky ages for at least twelve years.

Once aged, the American Oak-aged whisky is married to European Oak-aged whisky, producing a Scotch that maintains all of the characteristics that Scotch lovers enjoy while also adding new, fresh notes more familiar to bourbon drinkers.

“By combining wood influences, we have been able to produce a new Macallan which sits perfectly between our existing Sherry Oak and Fine Oak ranges,” says Bob Dalgarno, The Macallan Master Whisky Maker.

The American Oak’s biggest contributions—and the reason it’ll appeal to bourbon drinkers—are the vanilla sweet notes that the oak imparts on the whiskey. The nose of Double Cask has creamy vanilla, candied orange, and strong hints of oak. On the palate you’ll find the distinctive dried fruit and wood spice that The Macallan Scotch is known for in addition to caramel and citrus. The finish is warm and sweet.

The 2016 Beverage Institute Tastings Competition awarded Double Cask a score of 95 (“Exceptional”), one of the two highest-placed scotches of the year. The Macallan Double Cask 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky comes in at 43% ABV and retails for $65.

Editors' Recommendations

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
Forget wine — Beer and cheese is an unbeatable combination
Put the corkscrew away and crack open a cold one
Beer and cheese

When one hears the term cheese pairings, wine is the beverage that most often comes to mind, we'd wager. Because, of course, it is. The pairing of wine and cheese is as classic a coupling as peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, or chocolate and strawberries. They're meant to be together. But that certainly doesn't mean that wine is the only adult beverage that can dance an alluring tango alongside everyone's favorite dairy product. Beer, as humble as its reputation can be, is also a beautiful balance to cheese's immense offering of flavors. While some may think of beer as not being as multi-dimensional and varied in its palate-pleasing capabilities as wine, this is not the case - especially now that we live in a world with so many exquisite craft beers, stouts, and lagers.
Of course, another classic accompaniment to cheese is bread or crackers. Why might that be, one might ask. Is it because we're simply in need of a starchy vessel to usher the cheese into our mouths? The answer is actually a bit deeper than that. Starches like bread and crackers are made from the same yeasty ingredients as beer, so their pairing makes perfect culinary sense.
This isn't to say, though, that one can simply pick up a hunk of cheddar and crack open a Budweiser and expect culinary artistry. The science is a bit more nuanced than that, so we're here to help you find the best pairings for your favorite beers and cheeses.

How to pair beer and cheese

Read more
Mijenta has a new cristalino tequila — here’s why bourbon fans will love it
Mijenta has a cristalino tequila perfect for bourbon drinkers
Mijenta Cristalino

If you’re new to tequila, you might not know all the terms. Even if you’re just a beginner, you probably know all about blanco, reposado, añejo, and maybe even joven. But chances are, you’re not familiar with Cristalino tequila. This reasonably contemporary style is simply añejo tequila that’s been charcoal filtered to remove its natural caramel color and various impurities.

The style is more than just a little popular. It’s actually the fastest growing style of tequila according to Nielsen data. The newest brand to get in on the Cristalino trend is Mijenta.

Read more
You may not dislike IPAs as much as you think — you’ve just tried the wrong type
There's much more to the IPA than bitter hop bombs
Beer

The IPA has been described as the cilantro of the beer world. It’s assumed by some novice drinkers that you either love it or hate it. On one hand, it’s one of the most popular beer styles in the American craft world. It’s loved by many drinkers for its liberal use of hops and fresh, crushable flavor profile.

But haters of the style dislike it because they have an assumption that all IPA beers are aggressively hopped and uncomfortably bitter. While there are IPAs that fit that criterion (and fans of that style can’t get enough of them), there are also a handful of other types of IPAs to fit any palate.
The IPA stigma

Read more