Remember the six pillars of single malts – a spiritual home for the spirit, curious small stills, only the finest cuts, oak casks, the natural colour of the whiskey and peerless spirit that goes into making the malt!
The Macallan Double Cask is a balance between an Old and New World recipe. The use of 100% sherry seasoned oak casks mature the “new-make spirit”. It is different from the original sherry oak range with an eye on American Sherry Oak casks. There is the Double Cask Gold and the Double Cask 12 Year Old. These two both have navy and black packaging with two casks symbols to identify the product. My favourite was simply the Double Cask Gold, which was smooth to drink while having a full-bodied flavour to it.
My favourite hands down for the evening was Macallan’s Triple Cask. This is a rebrand of the Fine Oak range, it uses sherry oak casks and ex-bourbon oak casks. There is a 12/15/18 year old versions of the triple cask. Different flavours are present in each expression for each cask type. Lighter colours and flavours highlight this cask, and it is a home run between being a smooth drink while taking the drinker on a deep, complex flavour profile that the casks provide. The cask symbol has been tripled on the packaging.
The Naked Grouse is a blended Malt Whiskey, which matures in a sherry cask. It is a mix of Highland Park and Macallan. And no, it is NOT the “hot dog of whiskeys” according to the seminar.
Magnus is a North American exclusive. It has a beautiful bottle design. The name is inspired by the story of the founder, Magnus Eunson, a true Viking soul. The Magnus has a non-age statement and is 40% ABV. It is matured in a high proportion of Sherry seasoned American oak casks along with refill casks. It has a natural cask influenced colour, light golden, clear and bright. It tastes like lemon, vanilla cake, caramelized pineapple, light smoke and violets. So in short, it is sweet with vanilla, light peat and floral notes with a light citrus and smoky finish.
The Highland Park 18 Year Old is a true beauty. It is smooth, balanced with a toffee sweetness and leaves the mouth watering with its smoky finish. It is aged in a 100 percent Oloroso sherry seasoned European and American oak casks. It is truly the best whiskey I’ve ever tasted!
I talked about all the noteables, but the entire lineup was: Glenrothes Bourbon Cask Reserve, The Macallan Double Cask gold, 12Y Double Cask, 12Y Triple Cask, the Macallan Rare Cask, Naked Grouse, Highland Park Magnus, Highland Park 18 year old.
For more information on Whistler Cornucopia, check out their website here: https://whistlercornucopia.com/
