Macallan Edition No 5

I have missed the Edition No 1 and by now it has become so expensive that I’ll probably never get to try it. Edition No 2, a collaboration with the chefs of the world famous Spanish restaurant El Cellar de Can Roca was outstanding imho. Edition No 3, with a little help from Master Perfumer Roja Dova was also very good. For Edition No 4 Macallan’s Bob Delgarno himself selected an enormous amount of casks which resulted in a release of some 300.000 bottles, but taste wise it did not come close to the previous editions. Soon the sixth will be upon us, but I dusted off my sample of the Edition No 5 to give that a go. For this release Macallan worked together with… errr… Pantone, the company from New Jersey that is specialized in… colors. Not sure what that has to do with the whisky itself, as it was only a unique color that was created for the packaging. No less than 525 (!) casks were used for this vatting, making this a limited edition – say what? – of 260.000 bottles… It comes as no surprise that this one is still easy to find.

The nose needs a bit of time, but then develops in to an elegant mix of sultanas, pear syrup, toffee and ginger. There is also a lovely floral note, joined by some more dry notes of oak. The peel of oranges kicks in with a vengeance – I quite like that – while leather polish makes a grand entrance.

Oily and sweet, but also quite peppery on the palate. Oranges and ginger return and precede raisins and nuts. Sweet malt, flowery honey, fresh figs and pear syrup. Hint of cold espresso. The spices keep your mouth warm throughout.

The finish is it’s forte: very long, softly drying spiciness and some dark chocolate at the death.

My Dark Side went looking for flaws in this whisky, but honesty urges me to admit that this is simply another great Macallan.

PS. Should any of you have the Edition No 1 open and is willing to sell me a sample: yes, please!

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