24.184 Cherry Make Merry

Macallan 16 Year Old 2008, Scotch Malt Whisky Society cask 24.184 Cherry Make Merry, is a single cask single malt Scotch from the Macallan distillery in the Speyside region (SMWS distillery code 24). Distilled on 13 October 2008, it was matured for 16 years first in ex-oloroso butts and then, after the Society combined selected casks at 10 years old, in a second-fill PX hogshead and bottled at a natural cask strength of 62.9% ABV, with an outturn of just 315 bottles. The Society places it in its Deep, rich & dried fruits flavour profile, and its Tasting Panel describes a dark, festive dram of boozy cherries, marzipan and spice with sherried, meaty depth. Like every SMWS bottling it is presented at cask strength without chill filtration, and the label carries the Society's cask code rather than the distillery name.

Nose: Boozy cherries, marzipan, green melon, cured ham, ruby port and cinnamon bark; water adds cupboard spices, dark dried fruit, apricot jam and papaya

Palate: Hibiscus tea, young PX sherry and meaty notes with freeze-dried strawberries and prunes; water brings cherry vermouth, green chartreuse, herbal bitters, blackberries and coffee sweetened with muscovado

Serve: Neat first, then with a few drops of water to open it up; at full cask strength it rewards patience.