Macallan Scotch

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JOhnH

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Can anyone tell me the difference between these two bottles of MaCallan (other than one of them costs more and is out of stock)?
The one that costs more is from the place that is usually cheaper (Total Wine).

www.abcfws.com

Macallan Double Cask 12 Year Scotch Whisky - 1.75 L - 1.75L - Glass

Florida's oldest & largest family-owned fine wine and spirits retailer. Celebrating with you since 1936.
www.abcfws.com www.abcfws.com

www.totalwine.com

Macallan 12 Yr Double Cask

Scotland- The Macallan Double Cask 12 yr. has been crafted to deliver a new style of Macallan. One that is the perfect balance of 100% Sherry seasoned American and European Oak, a great marriage of 2 wood types. Smooth, Sweet and balanced.
www.totalwine.com www.totalwine.com
 
The second one is the sherry-cask finished version. It's the big trend these days to finish whiskey in wine barrels of various sort (I've got bourbons done in sherry, Madeira, and port casks).
Of course, we have some wineries that are finishing their wine in bourbon barrels. I suggested to a local winemaker that they get on some sort of barrel swap program with a nearby distillery.
 
Most wineries use boubon barrels. Bourbon has to be aged in a new charred oak cask, so there has to be a market for all those casks.

The three main ones are Scotch whisky, bourbon, and Tabasco (also aged in bourbon barrels).
 
Bourbon barrel ale is a good bourbon flavored beer in Kentucky. Hard to find in other places. St Augustine distillery in Florida makes an old fashion mix, the old fashion way, that I guess is aged in oak barrels, then they use those barrels to age their whiskey. It's really good and smooth. But at $200 a bottle it's a sipping kind.
 
I like bourbon. I like wine. I do not care for bourbon barrel finished wines and beers. I have had a few bourbons and scotches finished in various wine/sherry casks.

The latter tends to turnout far better than the former.
 
TCABM said:
I like bourbon. I like wine. I do not care for bourbon barrel finished wines and beers. I have had a few bourbons and scotches finished in various wine/sherry casks.

The latter tends to turnout far better than the former.
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robert mondavi bourbon barrel cab is my fav (cheapish) wine. I buy it by the case it's so damn tasty.
 
eman1200 said:
robert mondavi bourbon barrel cab is my fav (cheapish) wine. I buy it by the case it's so damn tasty.
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I’ve actually tried it and find it’s one if the very few barrel finished wines I’ll drink. Works well for steak night.
 
TCABM said:
I’ve actually tried it and find it’s one if the very few barrel finished wines I’ll drink. Works well for steak night.
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that's interesting. I've only really tried one other bb cab and I didn't like it AS MUCH as the mondavi. not because it was bb, just for the same reason I might not like another wine. maybe I'll give another bb wine a try. I honestly think it's mostly a gimmick, or maybe at my level of wine "expertise" (none). to me, it's just "a wine that I like", not "bourbon barrel wines are good (or bad)". I just, um, like the mondavi bb.
 
eman1200 said:
that's interesting. I've only really tried one other bb cab and I didn't like it AS MUCH as the mondavi. not because it was bb, just for the same reason I might not like another wine. maybe I'll give another bb wine a try. I honestly think it's mostly a gimmick, or maybe at my level of wine "expertise" (none). to me, it's just "a wine that I like", not "bourbon barrel wines are good (or bad)". I just, um, like the mondavi bb.
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I *think* that’s likely why I find it drinkable. The finish isn’t an overwhelming taste/smell, it just adds body to the wine. Others I’ve tasted seem overwhelming in taste or snell.
 
If you like the sherry casked stuff, Glennorangie has some really good ones
 
francisco collazos said:
balvenie 12 > Macallan 12
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If you say so, but I am buying this as a thank-you to a good friend that only drinks Macallan Scotch (he does drink other wines and liquors though) and would most likely re gift any other Scotch I buy him (or at least put it in his "guest bar" for company). This is a tiny thing for all he has done for me and others in the past.
 
JOhnH said:
Can anyone tell me the difference between these two bottles of MaCallan (other than one of them costs more and is out of stock)?
The one that costs more is from the place that is usually cheaper (Total Wine).

www.abcfws.com

Macallan Double Cask 12 Year Scotch Whisky - 1.75 L - 1.75L - Glass

Florida's oldest & largest family-owned fine wine and spirits retailer. Celebrating with you since 1936.
www.abcfws.com www.abcfws.com

www.totalwine.com

Macallan 12 Yr Double Cask

Scotland- The Macallan Double Cask 12 yr. has been crafted to deliver a new style of Macallan. One that is the perfect balance of 100% Sherry seasoned American and European Oak, a great marriage of 2 wood types. Smooth, Sweet and balanced.
www.totalwine.com www.totalwine.com
Click to expand...

It's probably that both bottles of Macallan Double Cask 12-Year Scotch Whisky you're looking at are the same. The different ways they're named, like "Macallan 12 Year Double Cask" and "Macallan Double Cask 12 Year Scotch Whisky," might just be because of different labels or what the store prefers. Macallan only makes one type of Double Cask 12 years, known for its sweeter, honey-like taste compared to their usual Sherry Oak kind. If you want to tell bottles apart, look for batch numbers or details about when they were bottled. But in general, Macallan Double Cask 12 years should taste the same, no matter what words are on the label.
 
eman1200 said:
robert mondavi bourbon barrel cab is my fav (cheapish) wine. I buy it by the case it's so damn tasty.
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Did you mention that our local pub in East Sac has a Mondavi cab as their house red?

Also did you tell them about that time we were at the winery and old Bob sat with us and chatted for a while?
 
Sac Arrow said:
Did you mention that our local pub in East Sac has a Mondavi cab as their house red?

Also did you tell them about that time we were at the winery and old Bob sat with us and chatted for a while?
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aaah, old Bob. good times, good times.
 
12 years. pssssssssh.

25 or longer.

Go big or go home, posers.
 
JOhnH said:
Can anyone tell me the difference between these two bottles of MaCallan (other than one of them costs more and is out of stock)?
The one that costs more is from the place that is usually cheaper (Total Wine).

www.abcfws.com

Macallan Double Cask 12 Year Scotch Whisky - 1.75 L - 1.75L - Glass

Florida's oldest & largest family-owned fine wine and spirits retailer. Celebrating with you since 1936.
www.abcfws.com www.abcfws.com

www.totalwine.com

Macallan 12 Yr Double Cask

Scotland- The Macallan Double Cask 12 yr. has been crafted to deliver a new style of Macallan. One that is the perfect balance of 100% Sherry seasoned American and European Oak, a great marriage of 2 wood types. Smooth, Sweet and balanced.
www.totalwine.com www.totalwine.com
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Total Wine has the 750ml bottle of this and it's only $75. If your budget is $200, then I'd suggest you get a 750ml bottle of a nicer scotch rather than the bigger bottle of this one. As a scotch drinker myself, I value quality over quantity. Especially if something I haven't previously had (and those make the best gifts).
 
StraightnLevel said:
Macallan 18.

Not joking - if he likes the 12, he'll REALLY like the 18 (though it may push your budget a bit....).
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Nope. I have bought him the 18 before. He was very appreciative, but let me know that he prefers the taste of the 12. I did tell him that I understand that there is no accounting for taste, but I did offer (and he accepted) that I help him drink it. We did make it last two nights.

But I like the 18 better. I just can't afford more than one bottle a year.
 
JOhnH said:
Nope. I have bought him the 18 before. He was very appreciative, but let me know that he prefers the taste of the 12. I did tell him that I understand that there is no accounting for taste, but I did offer (and he accepted) that I help him drink it. We did make it last two nights.

But I like the 18 better. I just can't afford more than one bottle a year.
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Everyone likes what they like, so no offense to your friend, but I wouldn't buy scotch for someone who told me his favorite scotch was Macallan 12 because I wouldn't consider him a scotch drinker. To me that's like claiming to be a BBQ afficianado and only eating at Dickies. That's just my $.02 though, maybe he really loves it. My stepdad was a Dewar's drinker and got me a very nice bottle for graduation. I cherished it but never drank it.
 
Lindberg said:
Everyone likes what they like, so no offense to your friend, but I wouldn't buy scotch for someone who told me his favorite scotch was Macallan 12 because I wouldn't consider him a scotch drinker. To me that's like claiming to be a BBQ afficianado and only eating at Dickies. That's just my $.02 though, maybe he really loves it. My stepdad was a Dewar's drinker and got me a very nice bottle for graduation. I cherished it but never drank it.
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I forget what the movie was, but there was a Billionaire that was pointing out the difference between the Scotch that Billionaires drink and the Scotch that mere Hundred-Millionaires drink.
I suspect that you might be similarly differentiated from my friend and I. I have a hard time understanding anyone dismissing a MaCallan 12 drinker as not a Scotch Drinker.
 
JOhnH said:
I forget what the movie was, but there was a Billionaire that was pointing out the difference between the Scotch that Billionaires drink and the Scotch that mere Hundred-Millionaires drink.
I suspect that you might be similarly differentiated from my friend and I. I have a hard time understanding anyone dismissing a MaCallan 12 drinker as not a Scotch Drinker.
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I may be a snob, but no one would mistake me for a rich snob. There's nothing wrong with The Macallan 12. But in my opinion, there's nothing great about it, either. It's certainly a top shelf drink, but I consider it to be sort of an intro scotch. There are much more interesting malts, even from Macallan. Again, just my opinion.
 
DaleB said:
I can take or leave Macallan 12. I haven’t tried the 18 yet, but I did try the 25 once. That’s a dangerous thing to do.
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I've had all 3 variants, but honestly don't remember much about them. Was on the company dime during a Christmas party on a beach at the Burj al Arab in Dubai, so the drinks were flowing and it wasn't really the environment for being a connoisseur. I do remember the 25 being very smooth, but nothing about the flavor itself.
 
StraightnLevel said:
You drank Macallan 25 in Dubai?!?!?! That's an expensive party! I can remember paying $80 for a cheap bottle of Shiraz at a Dubai hotel 15 or so years ago....the "location premium" in a generally dry nation.
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It was an absolutely expensive party, which luckily for me, was for a sister-division to mine and I happened to be there doing audit work and was invited along. I didn't have to explain any exorbitant items on my expense report, lol. UAE/Dubai is funny about the alcohol stuff, since they only allow it to be sold at hotels.
 
I don't drink any Speysides. There is a nasty after taste at the back of my tongue.

Give me a nice Highland or Island.
 
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