It’s been a while since my last encounter with Macallan whisky. The last time I tasted this whisky was in December 2019, when I compared the Macallan 15 year old single malt with the Glenfiddich 15 year old single malt. That tasting emptied my bottle, and I hadn’t revisited Macallan until recently when John brought home a bottle of The Macallan Quest single malt Scotch whisky.
Macallan, one of the original farm distilleries, became legally licensed in 1824 when Alexander Reid obtained a license following the 1823 Excise Act. Over the years, it has undergone several name and ownership changes and is now owned by Edrington. This distillery is classified as a Highland distillery.
The Macallan Quest was initially released for the Travel Retail market in 2018, replacing the 1824 Collection. It belongs to a four-bottle series that includes the Macallan Lumina, Macallan Terra, and Macallan Enigma Scotch whisky.
These are all single malt whisky limited edition releases. The Macallan Quest honours the journey of sourcing the finest oak. Macallan Quest is aged in four different types of casks.
These casks include bourbon, sherry-seasoned European oak, sherry-seasoned American oak, and hogsheads. Notably, it has no age statement.
ABV: 40%
REGION: Highlands
COLOUR: Pale gold
NOSE: Soft and gentle with ripe mandarin and apricot notes sprinkled with vanilla sugar, toasted oak, and hints of a light spicy bite in the background.
PALATE: The fruitiness continues with ripe mandarin and dried fruit. There’s a spicy bite with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg notes mixed with caramel sweetness. Faint vanilla and woody oak appear as well.
While the individual notes are pleasant, they feel disjointed, as if they needed more time to blend. It has a light body and tastes very young. Adding water drowns out any sweetness and leaves it watery.
FINISH: Short and sweet, with spicy cinnamon and ginger mixed with oak and dried fruit.
RATING: GOOD
Overall, the Macallan Quest single malt is a bit bland and boring. It’s not the most complex whisky and feels very young. I barely finished my glass—not because it was terrible, but because it was unmemorable.
The Quest was the most affordable bottle in the series, priced around £ 55. In comparison, the Lumina retailed for around GBP 119, the Enigma for £ 260, and the Terra for £ 133 on Master of Malt. The entire series was a NAS (no age statement) release, and it is currently sold out.
When browsing Macallan whisky prices on Master of Malt, I noticed that of the 211 Macallan whisky bottles listed, only 3% fall in the £ 0-100 category, 5% in the £ 100-200 range, 19% in the £ 200-400 range, and a staggering 73% are priced above £400.
This means that most The Macallan releases are priced above £400. Are they really that drinkable and delicious, or is it just savvy marketing?
If I had £ 55 to spend on whisky, I’d instead buy a Glengoyle or a Glendronach, knowing I’d get something drinkable and delicious.
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