Why yes, I did just drop an Alice Cooper reference, we're going old school with this one. Anyway, you know you've got "School's Out" on your iPod, I checked.
Now that the prosecution has made its opening statement on the case for ditching age statements from single malt scotches, the defense will now offer a rebuttal. I have had occasional opportunities to 'go vertical' (scotch-snob-speak for tasting the same whisky at increasingly older age statements) with some malts we've previously sampled. The extra maturation time does have a significant effect on the character of the finished product.
The defense calls its first witness: Glenmorangie 18
I'm not sure how I made it this long without mentioning the Tobacco Company. This three-story Shockoe Slip restaurant is a local institution to which every Richmonder has taken an out-of-town guest for brunch at least once. There is an enormous bar on the ground floor next to a stage where there is always live music playing. Roaming cigar girls in shrink-wrapped cocktail dresses sell their wares in one of the last restaurants in RVA to still allow smoking (*not anymore, I'm told). Back out the front door and on the side street is a downstairs nightclub version with blackjack tables. There might as well be zip lines from downtown hotels to the front door of this place, as it seems this is where large groups of visitors to Richmond always end up, or as in my case on this particular evening, attend a class reunion.
Our group was large enough to merit its own blocked-off corner next to the stage, complete with a private buffet and bartender. It was the bartender's first weekend on the job (I hear that a lot, do they just say that to get nice tips?), and she seemed a bit overwhelmed with the thirstiness of our group. I asked her what single malts they had available, and she listed the usual suspects - Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Macallan, and Glenmorangie. Of the 4, I had by far the least experience with the latter, and ordered a double since it might take a while to get another.
The result is a much more complex malt, smooth as Nicole Kidman's forehead. The nose was more grapefruit than orange this time, with honeysuckle and jasmine. Very floral and sweet, like good perfume. At the time, I had assumed I had ordered the 10 year old expression, and remember thinking I had vastly underestimated its allure. A second deep whiff reminded me somehow of blackberry cobbler coming out of the oven.
Taking a sip, you could convince me it had been infused with citrus. I've read descriptions mentioning passionfruit and lychee, but I've never had either and will have to take their word for it. The texture was incredibly creamy, and together with the strong honey and nutty flavors saturated my entire palate and held there like a fresh coat of paint. It was at this point I knew I wasn't drinking Glenmorangie 10, and went to the main bar to ask if I could inspect the bottle.
There was a moment of smug satisfaction that I had been able to distinguish between the 10 year old and what turned out to be the 18 year old Glenmorangie. This was followed shortly by sheer panic as to what my bar tab was going to be. This stuff goes for $120 a bottle, it's gotta cost $20 a dram at a restaurant and I just ordered a freakin' double - no way I'm getting another!
My tab read, "Scotch - $6.00". Oh... In that case, keep 'em coming!
If it pleases the court, the defense now calls to the stand... Macallan 18: Sherry Oak Series
Macallan 18 is expensive. I believe it's the most expensive single malt kept on the shelves at Virginia ABC stores, sometimes you have to take an empty box to the counter to get it. Short of winning the lottery or signing a major league sports contract, I will never purchase it since I cannot justify spending $220 on 750 mL of scotch. My two experiences with it come from talking a friend into breaking his open at a party, and an airplane bottle as a thank-you gift from a co-worker. So full disclosure - the steep price tag has not yet factored in with my experience with tasting and evaluating Macallan 18. I might be a lot more critical of something I dropped a car payment to get.
Macallan's Sherry Oak 12 is pretty damn good in its own right. I suggested it for a hypothetical scotch-enthusiast's starter kit, as well as the perfect Thanksgiving scotch for its autumnal character and crowd pleasing approachability. Still, unlike or at least more so than any other distillery I had reviewed, their iconic flagship expression is not the younger, cheaper 10-12 year old; clearly the 18 year old bottling is the one for which 'The Macallan' is famous worldwide.
If you have ever opened a Costco size sack of raisins, that is the burst of dried fruit coming onto the nose first and foremost, followed by creaminess and spice - ginger, cinnamon, cloves. French vanilla ice cream and baked apples. I could sit and smell this stuff all day long, although I'm pretty sure that would eventually have medical ramifications.
Dried fruit is the driving force on the palate as well - raisins, apricots, prunes, dates, figs, maybe orange zest thrown in there for a citrus zing. Cinnamon and cloves alongside that baked apple note and a hint of toffee remind me more of Christmas than Thanksgiving. The finish gives you a hint of charred oak smokiness. A simply stunning Speyside scotch. I can almost see dropping the big bucks on this for a very special occasion, but no - I have children and a mortgage.
The extra six years between these Macallans does make a significant difference in character, but also more than a threefold increase in price. Their 25 year old expression is not sold at ABC stores, but available for special order at a whopping $1100. The Macallan 'M' will set you back (wait for it...) $5000, and the 50 year old scotch Macallan 1962 Fine and Rare in the James Bond film Skyfall, made to commemorate 007's 50th anniversary, fetched roughly $15,000 at auction. "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to drink!"
Your honor, requesting permission to approach the bench for a sidebar about... 1997
This year's 18 year old single malts were distilled in 1997. Just think about how long your whisky sat in a cask, waiting all this time for you to drink it. The world was a different place back 18 years ago. This day in January 1997 when the new make first came through the Swan's Neck somewhere in Scotland, the rest of the country still didn't have their own Parliament, nor had they met Dolly yet, their first successfully cloned sheep. The rest of Britain still had Princess Diana and sovereignty over Hong Kong, and nobody knew the name Harry Potter.
Closer to home, you were still paying hourly rates for AOL on your dial-up modem. Bill Clinton was President, and nobody knew the name Monica Lewinsky. Val Kilmer was Batman (until June), and nobody knew the name Ben Affleck. The Redskins had just played their last game at RFK, and nobody knew the name Daniel Snyder. Mike Tyson had yet to taste a human ear, Tiger Woods had yet to win a single major, and nobody knew the name Michael Vick. You were getting knocked down (and getting back up again) to Chumbawumba, and you knew all the names of the Spice Girls.
Feel old now, don't you? That might lend some perspective as to just how long that single malt whisky had to be cared for before finding its way into your glass. Not everything gets better with age of course, just look at our own Richmond Coliseum or the Diamond, or some of the names in that last paragraph. Cheap shot, sorry.
Still, to me at least, the age statement is a comforting yardstick standard I can wrap my head around when appreciating how much time and effort went into crafting my scotch, and justifying why I would have to take a loan to taste its distillers' crowning achievements. The new era of judging maturity simply by color and constant sampling is already upon us, but to me the only upside could be speeding up production. Not why I drink scotch. The defense rests (Sorry, I just caught the courtroom scene from A Few Good Men, and I find speaking legalese is highly contagious).
Verdict:
Glenmorangie 18 Overall Grade: 93/100, A-
Macallan 18 Overall Grade: 95/100, solid A
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