Macallan scotch
The Macallan Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky – heretofore referred to as “Macallan” – hosted a tasting poolside at the Viceroy hotel earlier this week, and what a tasting it was. Moderated by Eden Algie, Macallan brand ambassador, and held in a kick-ass cabana, other bloggers and I sipped on Macallan in neat and cocktail form. I learned more about scotch than I ever thought I would. There’s fine (light-colored) and sherry (dark-colored) oak-matured scotch, which is a single-malt whiskey (the Scots spell it “whisky”) made from barley. American whiskey is really bourbon made from rye.
We started off with a Maple martini from the Viceroy’s menu. It’s made with Macallan 10 (aged 10 years), maple syrup, ginger ale and bitters. I was expecting it to be sickeningly sweet, but it wasn’t. Then we moved on to Macallan 10 and Macallan 18 prepared neat, which basically means they were poured straight without any mixer. I found the scotch to be stronger than expected, but that’s probably just because I’m used to drinking Jack and Gingers (not very refined, I know). After adding a splash of water to the Macallan 10, I liked it better because the water breaks the surface and allows more of the flavors to come out. But the one I actually finished was the Macallan 18, which is is heavier. Go figure.
Macallan isn’t cheap. Macallan 10 retails for about $40 a bottle, and the 18 retails for about $150. We were allowed to look at, but not drink, a Lalique bottle filled with Macallan 55, which costs $16,000 (or $2,000 per shot). The company is releasing a Macallan 57 in a Lalique bottle later this year. Too rich for my blood, but I’m sure it’s tasty.
Macallan 10 (left) and Macallan 18 (right)
Lalique-bottled Macallan 55
A special thanks to e*starla for helping to set up the tasting!
[UPDATE: A previous version of this post stated that a bottle of Macallan 10 retails for $30. It actually costs $39.99.]
