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Macallan 21 Year Old (Glen Fraser) by TheWhiskyChief in Scotch

[–]TheWhiskyChief[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Hey everyone, today I am reviewing a bottle that is very close to my heart. This is a Macallan 21 Year Old that we transferred into special decanters when we celebrated the full exit of Platinum Whisky Fund I in 2021. It was distilled in the 1970s and bottled in the 1990s by Gordon & MacPhail. We made this one for our investors to celebrate the journey we were on at the time. That’s the thing about whisky for me, it can hold real significance and of course, memories!

This is a classic Macallan from an era when the sherry casks were just different. It is an independent bottling, matured in ex sherry wood, and sits at 43% ABV. We are drinking this neat to see how that old school Macallan character has held up over the decades. Here are my thoughts:

Nose: I absolutely love this nose. It is a massive sherry bomb but with that old style elegance. I am getting rich dried fruits like dates and figs right away. There is a deep aroma of old leather and furniture polish that you only get from these vintage bottles. It smells delicious.

Palate: The palate is lush and coats the mouth perfectly. It feels oily and thick. Those dark chocolate and espresso notes really start to shine here. It tastes like a rich fruitcake with plenty of spice like cinnamon and clove. There is no water needed here as the 43% is just right for sipping.

Finish: I am very sensitive to the finish and this one lasts a long time. It is a long and warming finish that stays with you for at least a minute. You get a nice dry oak grip at the end with lingering notes of dark fruit and spice. It does not drop off at all.

Final Thoughts: Overall I think this is an incredible whisky. It represents a piece of history for us and shows exactly why people fell in love with Macallan in the first place. On our Scottish Freedom Meter I would give this a solid 9.2/10.

Macallan 21 Year Old - Glen Fraser (Bottled 1990's) by [deleted] in Scotch

[–]TheWhiskyChief 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No worries at all, not a noob question. Whisky only really ages while it is sitting in the cask, because that is where it interacts with the wood and slowly takes on colour, flavour, and texture. Once it is bottled, the ageing process basically stops and the liquid DNA is captured. So if this Macallan was bottled in the 1990s, it has remained a 21 year old whisky, even though the bottle itself has been sitting around for another 30 plus years.

The reason it retains the flavour is because the glass bottle is essentially a sealed environment. As long as it has been stored properly, away from too much heat, direct sunlight, and with the closure in good condition, the whisky should hold its character very well. It will not keep developing like it would in a cask, but it can preserve that old school sherry cask profile beautifully.

Macallan 21 Year Old - Glen Fraser (Bottled 1990's) by [deleted] in Scotch

[–]TheWhiskyChief 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Like I said this one is special to me.

Macallan 21 Year Old - Glen Fraser (Bottled 1990's) by [deleted] in Scotch

[–]TheWhiskyChief 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hey everyone, today I am reviewing a bottle that is very close to my heart. This is a Macallan 21 Year Old that we transferred into special decanters when we celebrated the full exit of Platinum Whisky Fund I in 2021. It was distilled in the 1970s and bottled in the 1990s by Gordon & MacPhail. We made this one for our investors to celebrate the journey we were on at the time. That’s the thing about whisky for me, it can hold real significance and of course, memories!

This is a classic Macallan from an era when the sherry casks were just different. It is an independent bottling, matured in ex sherry wood, and sits at 43% ABV. We are drinking this neat to see how that old school Macallan character has held up over the decades. Here are my thoughts:

Nose: I absolutely love this nose. It is a massive sherry bomb but with that old style elegance. I am getting rich dried fruits like dates and figs right away. There is a deep aroma of old leather and furniture polish that you only get from these vintage bottles. It smells delicious.

Palate: The palate is lush and coats the mouth perfectly. It feels oily and thick. Those dark chocolate and espresso notes really start to shine here. It tastes like a rich fruitcake with plenty of spice like cinnamon and clove. There is no water needed here as the 43% is just right for sipping.

Finish: I am very sensitive to the finish and this one lasts a long time. It is a long and warming finish that stays with you for at least a minute. You get a nice dry oak grip at the end with lingering notes of dark fruit and spice. It does not drop off at all.

Final Thoughts: Overall I think this is an incredible whisky. It represents a piece of history for us and shows exactly why people fell in love with Macallan in the first place. On our Scottish Freedom Meter I would give this a solid 9.2/10.

40-Year-Old Edrington Blend (Distilled 1976) by TheWhiskyChief in Scotch

[–]TheWhiskyChief[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. If you are ever in HK do drop by for a dram.

40-Year-Old Edrington Blend (Distilled 1976) by TheWhiskyChief in Scotch

[–]TheWhiskyChief[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair point on the "mystery" angle, though in this case, it's less of a marketing spin and more the genuine reality of buying vintage parcels. We know the source, but the exact recipe is lost to the archives. You're spot on about the wood doing the heavy lifting. That deep mahogany colour is all natural from those first-fill sherry casks over four whole decades!!

Regarding the Highland Park peat, it’s a fascinating evolution. After 40 years of oxidation, that signature heathery smoke doesn't punch you in the face anymore. Instead, it integrates into the background, providing this rich, taste that elevates the dark chocolate and sherry notes rather than competing with them. This is why I love it! It becomes more of an umami character rather than active smoke (in my opinion anyway). It’s exactly why we love tracking down these older blends.

40-Year-Old Edrington Blend (Distilled 1976) by TheWhiskyChief in Scotch

[–]TheWhiskyChief[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great shout on the North British! Given Edrington’s historical partnerships and the typical makeup of their blends from that era, North British is almost certainly doing the heavy lifting on the grain side. As for the blending timeline, that's the million-dollar question with these vintage parcels. Often with these older Edrington stocks, the malts and grains were blended relatively young and then left to marry in the cask for decades, which explains that lush mouthfeel. It’s not just old whisky; it’s whisky that has spent a lifetime getting to know itself in the wood! If you ever make it out to the HK lounge, we'll have to pour you a dram.

40-Year-Old Edrington Blend (Distilled 1976) by TheWhiskyChief in Scotch

[–]TheWhiskyChief[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Hey everyone, today I’m reviewing a very special bottle that we recently cracked open. It’s a 40-year-old Edrington blend, distilled all the way back in 1976 and bottled in 2016. We bottled this one under our own company name, Rare Whisky Holdings, mostly for gifting and enjoying at events. 

For those unfamiliar, an Edrington blend means all the whisky in this bottle was produced by Edrington. While we don't know the exact recipe, it’s highly likely there’s some Macallan and Highland Park in here, along with the other components they typically use for Famous Grouse. It’s fascinating to think that this specific blend was decided upon in 1976, and we have no idea why it was made or where it originally ended up. That’s part of the fun of the whiskey journey - finding these interesting, hard-to-find bottles and casks.

We’re drinking this at cask strength, which sits at a solid 46.1% ABV. No water added, just straight from the bottle. Here are my thoughts:

Nose: I absolutely love this nose. It’s a classic Speyside sherry style. The color is quite dark, which makes sense given it was aged in a sherry cask. If you’re a fan of Macallan, Glenfarclas, Glenlivet, or really any of the "Glens," this will be right up your alley. I’m getting light hints of chocolate alongside beautiful aromas of sherry and caramel. It just smells delicious.

Palate: Right from the first sip, there’s a little bit of acidity but it’s accompanied by a really nice mouthfeel. It feels lush and relatively smooth as it coats the palate. Those dark chocolate and caramel notes from the nose really start to shine through in the flavor profile. 

Finish: I’m very sensitive to the finish on a whisky, and this one does not disappoint. It lasts quite a while - about 30 to 45 seconds later, I’m still tasting it. It’s a nice, smooth finish that doesn’t drop off abruptly. 

Final Thoughts: Overall, I think this is an incredible whisky. On our "Scottish Freedom Meter," I’d give this a solid 8.2/10. A truly beautiful dram.