The Macallan 12 Scotch Whisky Review
The Macallan 12 is the consummate example of a timeless style of Scotch whisky that deserves a spot on any home bar. As a no-smoke single malt aged in sherry-seasoned casks from Spain, it's rich, full-bodied, and redolent of dried fruit and dark chocolate. Simply put, it's the perfect sipper when fall starts to crispen and shorten the days.
“If there is one classic sherry cask-matured Speysider, it has to be The Macallan 12,” says Hans Offringa, spirits expert and the author of A Field Guide to Whisky, among many other books on the subject.
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We dug beneath the surface of the world-renowned whisky (known by its full name, The Macallan 12 Years Old Sherry Oak Cask, or simply as The Macallan 12) to learn about its history, production process, and flavor profile. If you're interested in more in-depth whisk(e)y reviews, check out our deep-dives into Johnnie Walker Blue Label or Maker's Mark No. 46.
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The Macallan 12 at a Glance
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Bottom Line: The Macallan 12 Years Old Sherry Oak Cask is the benchmark of the sherried style of single malt Scotch.
Type: Unpeated single malt Scotch
Proof: 86 proof, 43 percent ABV
Age: A minimum of 12 years
Appearance: Rich gold
Nose: Rich and chocolatey, dried orange peel, dried fruits, sherry, nuts.
Mouthfeel: Smooth and voluptuous, oily, full-bodied
Taste: Sweetness first, then dry and tannic, with flavors of toasted Christmas cake, caramel, and sherry
Finish: Long and warming
The Macallan 12 Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Classic example of sherried Speyside whisky | Can be too rich for some |
Broad appeal | High sherry influence not for everyone |
Widely available | Heavy for warm weather sipping |
Great for gifting |
The Macallan 12 Review
The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 was the first Scotch I ever tasted. This was back in the nineties, when the term “single malt” was still a fairly exotic designation in the U.S. My godfather had come for a visit when I was in my teens and was showing off a bit by bringing a bottle of “The Good Stuff” as a gift.
I remember sneaking into the pantry, grabbing the bottle from the top shelf and pulling out the cork—which felt fancy in itself. I gave it a smell, then took a tiny taste from the bottle. I didn’t get past a few drops on my tongue before I backed down. But those few drops formed my first memory of fine Scotch.
A couple decades after that first pantry sip of The Macallan, when it came time to plan my bachelor party, I hosted a whisky tasting for my closest friends. But I still didn’t really know it until I started writing about it.
To get a handle on The Macallan, and this expression in particular, I connected with The Macallan whisky maker Diane Stuart, who says the casks are the most important ingredient.
“Up to 80 percent of the distinctive flavors and aromas of The Macallan, as well as all of the wonderful natural color of the whisky, comes from our casks,” says Stuart.
The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years Old is part of the Sherry Oak Collection, which also includes 18-, 25-, and 30-year-old expressions. According to Stuart, the 12 “captures the overall classic taste of the brand,” including “flavor notes of dried fruits, oak spice and nutmeg, and a warming ginger finish.”
How to Drink The Macallan 12
Most brands have a “no rules with our whisky” messaging. And while it is true that you should enjoy your whisky however you want to enjoy it, it’s also nice to have some guidance before you dump your finely crafted Scotch into a tumbler of Diet Coke. The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 is rich, which makes it easy to sip on its own.
While Stuart expresses the “no rules” attitude, she also says that, in her personal opinion, drinkers should sip the whisky neat out of a proper tasting glass, which creates a “heightened tasting experience by concentrating aromas up the funneled neck of the glass,” she says.
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Stuart also recommends trying it in a cocktail, such as the maple old fashioned: “A twist on the classic [pairs] the sweetness and depth of Canadian maple syrup with the Sherry Oak 12 Years Old’s notes of wood-spice and dried-fruit, further demonstrating the versatility of the spirit.”
Offringa, who has been drinking The Macallan since the 1970s and as such has a special place in his heart for it, says no ice or water is needed—especially when drinking in the fall or early winter. The sherry characteristics are particularly nice when there’s a nip in the air.
How Does The Macallan Make 12-Year?
Over decades, The Macallan has cultivated alliances with sherry producers in Jerez de la Frontera in northern Spain. In 2023, they formed a partnership with Bodegas Grupo Estevez, who own the Valdespino vineyards and bodega dating back to 1264. Stuart says that their “investment and understanding in sherry-seasoned oak casks have shaped our signature style and the quality and consistency synonymous with our brand.”
These alliances allow The Macallan a high level of influence over the entire lifespan of the casks. Starting with the raw materials, the brand's casks are made of both European and American oak.
“European oak, which we source from the forests of northern Spain and across the Pyrenees into southern France have a high tannin content, which provides dark gold and mahogany colors to the whisky, along with rich dried fruit and sweet spice flavors,” says Stuart. “American oak, which we source from forests in Ohio, Missouri, and Kentucky, has less tannin, provides bright gold colors to the whisky, and vanilla, fresh fruit and coconut flavors.”
The virgin casks are filled with sherry for 18 to 24 months, says Stuart: “This allows the sherry and wood to interact and create the perfect conditions for extraction of flavor and color from the casks during whisky maturation.”
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Meanwhile, the distillery produces the base liquid at its headquarters in Speyside, a subregion of the Scottish Highlands. The Macallan uses smaller stills than other Scotch whisky distilleries do, which is unique. Stuart explains that small stills give the whisky optimum contact with the copper during distillation, which helps to concentrate new-make spirit (the clear liquid that's later placed in casks to age) and creates the rich, robust, and fruity character that The Macallan is known for.
“The distinctive small size and shape of our short stills allow heavier oily vapors to easily rise during distillation and travel down the arm of the still to be captured as they condense,” says Stuart.
Once the casks arrive in Speyside, they're filled with new-make spirit and the wood begins to age the liquid. Stuart says that the majority of The Macallan’s casks are “first-fill,” meaning that the new-make is the first liquid besides sherry to touch the barrels. That way, the liquid extracts more color and flavor out of the casks during maturation.
History of The Macallan 12
The Macallan has a 200-year history stretching back to 1824, and one of the original licenses in Speyside when the area’s many distillers began shifting over from illicit stills to legal operations.
The distillery was founded by barley farmer and schoolteacher Alexander Reid. The name itself comes from the word “Maghellen,” which was the original name of the area. The word was derived from the Gaelic word “Magh” meaning fertile ground, and “Ellan,” from the Monk St. Fillan who had an association with a church on the grounds of present The Macallan Estate prior to 1400 AD.
The name has changed a bit through the years, originally called Elchies, then Macallan-Glenlivet. According to whisky expert Charlie MacLean, the distillery shifted from blended malt to single malt in the 1970s, and in 1980 they dropped the Glenlivet suffix and began promoting their single malt.
The Macallan is owned by Edrington, a holding company that also owns Highland Park, The Glenrothes, Famous Grouse, Brugal rum, and Wyoming Whiskey. The largest shareholder in Edrington is a charitable trust called The Robertson Trust, Scotland’s largest independent grant-making body, according to the trust. The story behind it is pretty cool. Three unmarried sisters inherited The Macallan distillery along with Highland Distillers from their father and managed it well, with the youngest, ‘Miss Babs,’ running day-to-day operations at The Macallan.
As the sisters got older and were faced with creating a succession plan not just for their businesses, but also for their employees at a time when there was an 80 percent death tax in Scotland, they got creative. In 1961, they established the holding company Edrington, named for the property where the Robertson sisters all lived together. At the same time, they created a charity. Then, they gifted their majority stake in the whisky holding company to this charity. The Robertson Trust, The Macallan’s unlikely majority owner, distributes ￡20 million annually.
"When you buy a bottle of The Macallan, you are in effect supporting a charitable cause,” says Hans Offringa.
If You Like The Macallan 12, You’ll Also Like…
Glendronach 12
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This sherried Highland single malt is aged in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso Sherry casks. The Glendronach 12 is the perfect bottle to buy next if you like The Macallan Sherry Oak, with the two sherry varietals adding different flavor notes.
Bunnahabhain 12
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One of my all-time favorites, Bunnahabhain 12 is an unpeated Islay single malt that's mainly aged in sherry casks, with some time in ex-bourbon casks. Matured on the Isle of Islay, the casks pick up maritime notes from the wind-blasted seas nearby. The combination of salinity to the sherry flavor profile gives it an umami that is hard to beat. At 46.3 percent ABV, it stands up well to ice dilution.
Dalmore 12 Sherry Cask Select
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Finished in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks, the sherry influence is different. It’s a less dominant but still very present sherry flavor, making it a great cold-weather crossover bottle for rye or bourbon lovers. Dalmore 12 Sherry Cask Select a particularly nice bottle for gifting with the metallic stag’s head applied to the bottle.
Why You Should Trust Me
I've been writing about bars, cocktails, and spirits for 16 years—and, before that, I bartended for more than a decade at Hollywood's legendary Chateau Marmont Hotel. In one way or another, I've been employed in the realm of booze since the turn of the millennium.
Scotch whisky has a special place in my heart. To better understand it, I have made three trips to Scotland, visiting distilleries in different whisky producing regions to meet and interview the people who dedicate their lives to making it.
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