The Macallan Guardian Oak, the fourth entry in the Harmony Collection, features first-fill and refill sherry casks and is intended as a Travel Exclusive, though it is commonly found in regular shops. This trend of Travel Exclusives being widely available reduces the hassle of carrying large bottles through airports, leading to the opinion that distilleries should reconsider the concept of Travel Exclusives since distributors often sell them everywhere regardless of their intended exclusivity.
Anyway, that’s enough of a rant on that. And time for my next rant…. Haha, no just kidding. But I do want to take time to adress the elephant in the room here. Many whisky lovers nowadays look down upon The Macallan. No age statement releases that costs a fortune, while some still rememeber the absolute gems of the 60’s and 70’s, and a clear focus on luxury branding, have led many a Macallan fan away from the brand. But my question with this review is, are we missing out, by skipping on The Macallan?
Like most Macallan products, the bottle comes with a sense of luxury, and I’ll be honest… I do love a bit of luxury from time to time. But what I like the most is the stories that inspired these releases in coöperation with Cirque du Soleil. I do love it when a brand takes that extra step to give you a little insight about what inspired them.
For the same reason I love brands like Turntable and Uncharted Whisky who combine their love for music with their passion for whisky. Whisky is a beautiful creation that can tell you many a tale, but it’s nice when the makers give you just a hint of what direction they meant to take you in.
But in the end, all that really matters is. What happens when we open the bottle, and take a sip. I am someone who beliefs strongly that whisky is not meant to be collected, but to be enjoyed. They’re little works of art that can only be enjoyed through a sniff, sip, and savour. And in that light, in the back of my mind I’m always looking for value.
Now value is fluid, if something can give me a beautiful experience it’s worth quite a bit. If something strikes me with a beautiful memomory, it might be priceless. But all-in-all The Macallan has not offered me much of either these past few years (although I have not been lucky enough to try some of the more hyper exlusive releases), but I’m dying to find out if this The Macallan Guardian Oak can impress me today. Let’s find out in this review with today’s tasting notes!
Tasting Notes: The Macallan – Harmony Collection – Guardian Oak
Stats:
Age: NAS
ABV: 44,2% (88,4 proof)
Distillery: The Macallan
Natural Colour: Yes
Chill-filtered: Yes
Nose:
Do you know the hard strawberry-flavoured candies with a liquid inside? That note is very present here for me and it does strike some very nice memories (of trips to my grandparents as a child haha). It’s paired with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon, cupcakes with a large helping of icing and freshly toasted bread. Almonds, damp moss, old leather and pipe tobacco are all to be found as well. Making the nose of this dram a whirlwind of exciting aroma’s. I find my thoughts drifting away long before I even take a sip, lovely!
Palate:
A syrup like texture hits the palate with flavours of strawberry jelly, mascharino cherries and salmiak liquorice. Upon giving it a swirl it’s liquorice root tea that hits me first, slowly making way for deeper lying flavours of white pepper, maple syrup and manuka honey. Freshly baked biscuits with brown sugar and a light dusting of lemon zest round this dram of beautifully. The image that strikes me most is that of the cookies you used to lick, but could also dip in your tea. In Dutch we just call them “likkoekjes” Or Lickcookies haha. Perhaps an odd thing to think of while sipping whisky, but the flavours are all there!
Finish:
The finish of this Macallan Guardian Oak is medium-long to long and packed with flavours like brown sugar and liquorice, with hints of Hibiscus tea. There’s some popsicle stick bitterness near the end, but it doesn’t overpower the overall pleasantness of this whisky. The finish is far less complex than the nose and palate of this dram, but it is no less enjoyable. I wouldn’t have minded a bit more fireworks at the end though.
Food Pairing:
The Macallan Guardian Oak will go absolutely stunningly with some cure Iberico ham, although carpaccio or pasta-pesto as a meal option would also be a perfect fit for this lovely dram. Those with a sweettooth will get a bit an odd but particularly good recommendation as well, candied honey. Those big chunks? They pair wonderful with this whisky.
Verdict:
I will be completely honest here… I absolutely loved this dram. This is not a dram that packs the biggest punch, nor is it the most complex whisky you’ll ever try. But everything it does, it does elegantly, pleasantly, and beautifully well-rounded. This is just such a good easy sipper, I found myself longing for another (and another) glass right after I swallowed my last sip. Which does throw me a bit of a pickle. At the current retail value, it sits way out of my comfort zone for an easy sipper. And if I were to bottle (presumably for a special occassion) I’d propably go through it in a heartbeat.
So, what’s my verdict? It’s good, in fact I think it’s very good. It’s a stunning… easy sipper. And in some cases, that’s exactly what we’re all looking for. This bottle is not for me, for the simple fact that I can’t afford to drink this on a weekly basis. But if I could… this would be my perfect companion to a good book.
Fair is fair, good is good. I like The Macallan Guardian Oak. And I find myself longing for another dram of something I can’t really afford. All I can say is that I hope lots of people will open their bottles and try this dram. It’s worth popping the cork on this one!