Macallan 1990

16 year old Speyside 57.4 % vol

1 of only 399 bottles from cask 14995

Macallan is renowned for maturing its whisky in sherry casks, and this refill butt from 1990 is certainly traditional Macallan.
Polished mahogany in colour, the initial nose is quite etheric, becoming richer with scents of tangy cherries and bitter-sweet Seville orange marmalade, even slightly caramelized. There is also a faint dustiness behind with a slight herbal note.
Water freshens the nose considerably with zesty orange peel (again bitter-sweet).
The flavour matches the nose, both sweet and then dry with a lovely texture, nicely balanced and refreshing. The dustiness returns with more water, but the cherries insinuate in the otherwise dry aftertaste.
The sherry has not dominated this maturation, allowing the original character of the make to shine through. All in all, a lovely example.

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