Macallan "tasting" - am I missing something?

[cruise kitty]

14 hours ago, markeb said:

 

Islay...

 

You ever see one of those word maps? Where the size of the word represents how often it's used?

 

Smoke

Peat

Iodine

Salt

Sea

Medicinal

 

Sounds disgusting. Tastes amazing!

 

But not Highlands, Speyside, or Macallan!

 

Mark described it perfectly, I think it's either something o love or hate 🙂 

It's the perfect foil for Creme Brule (imho)....  ask for the sugar to come extra hot...my go to desert when cruising  🙂

[cgolf1]

33 minutes ago, zitsky said:

It’s worth it if you find something you like.

Until the wife sees the price tag on the bottle that is;)

[cruise kitty]

1 hour ago, canderson said:

Harry Starke, perhaps?  Fun shipboard Kindle reads, too.

Now you've tipped off my curiosity...    I could use a fun, easy going series for our (hopefully) upcoming cruise 🙂

 

 

[canderson]

46 minutes ago, cruise kitty said:

Now you've tipped off my curiosity...    I could use a fun, easy going series for our (hopefully) upcoming cruise 🙂

 

 

Search for Blair Howard (author) - Harry Starke.

All available as part of Kindle Unlimited as well, I think.

Might be good to start with the prequels (Genesis series).

 

[zitsky]

26 minutes ago, canderson said:

Search for Blair Howard (author) - Harry Starke.

All available as part of Kindle Unlimited as well, I think.

Might be good to start with the prequels (Genesis series).

 

The detective stood in his office alternating between a drag on his Pall Mall and a swallow of the finest scotch known to man, Macallan 25.  He stood an even 6ft tall with blonde hair and blue eyes.  His client was late.  He hated late.  She had called earlier to say she was just getting off the Celebrity Infinity but he knew the Infinity had been repositioned to the Caribbean, and all the cruises were canceled.  So why the lie?

[Softball20]

23 hours ago, markeb said:

I thought we were talking about Macallan…😀

Macallan is definitely not a peaty scotch.  Not a fan of the peaty ones either, but I love Macallan!

[Softball20]

21 hours ago, markeb said:

I went Balvenie and Glenmorangie. I do have a Macallan 12 in the basement and should open it. 
 

This called my name during this thread…

 

Yum!!

[Charles4515]

21 hours ago, zitsky said:

I’m usually happy with Macallan 12 Sherry cask but I have that and Double cask at home right now.  I have also tried Cask strength.

Macallan is fine but overpriced. They really are charging on their name. I like Balvinie 12 DoubleWood as my home default. 😀

[Charles4515]

9 hours ago, lsb48154 said:

There was no Johnny Walker Black (only red) available on the Apex a week ago. Rather disappointing!  They claimed supplier issues.  And to add insult to injury, they had Black for sale in the shop on board.

 

Usually the shop onboard has a Johnny Walker tasting. They will have the one's you can't buy except in duty free shops like Johnny Walker Blue. 

[JL87]

I'm not a big fan of Johnny Walker but my favorite is the Green. I also think the Blue is overpriced. I like some of the older bottlings of Macallan but I'm more of an Islay drinker when it comes to whisky. Right now drinking a glass of Redbreast 15yo. I like the Irish stuff too.   

[zitsky]

3 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

Macallan is fine but overpriced. They really are charging on their name. I like Balvinie 12 DoubleWood as my home default. 😀

I get your point but should companies charge *less* for their name?  Who wants to buy no name scotch?  Well maybe Costco.

[markeb]

16 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I get your point but should companies charge *less* for their name?  Who wants to buy no name scotch?  Well maybe Costco.

 

There are name Scotches that have been priced much better than Macallan, but looking tonight, there's been a lot more price convergence, at least here in Virginia. Balvenie 12 year old Doublewood has been my favorite for years, but it's 69.99 in the Virginia state stores, same as Macallan Double Cask 12. Actually, a whole series of whiskies are all 69.99. Oban, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila 12, Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10, etc. Glenmorangie is still mostly in the low 60's, and those are great whiskies as well.

 

My two big digs on Macallan over the years were price and so many different versions that you couldn't keep them straight. And honestly, I preferred Balvenie, and until very recently (as in looking today) it was always priced well under Macallan. It probably still is in a lot of places (hopefully including the local military exchanges!).

[zitsky]

I’ll just keep buying the Sherry cask 12 year Macallan until they get rid of it.  You want expensive?  Look at the price of “vintage” Macallan like a 1965 (my birth year).  Astronomical prices if you are lucky to find a legit distributor.

[Charles4515]

12 hours ago, zitsky said:

I get your point but should companies charge *less* for their name?  Who wants to buy no name scotch?  Well maybe Costco.

 

The price for the Balvinie is about the same as the Macallan Double Cask here. I  just happen to prefer the Balvinie these days. I used to buy the Macallan until my preference changed. There is nothing wrong with prefering the Macallan or something else. At the stores I shop at there are often sales. That is when I step out from my comfort buy and buy a bottle of something else to try.

 

Where I used to live there were scotch tastings that I could walk to but not here. No way I could drive back from a scotch tasting......

Edited February 20, 2022 by Charles4515

[DCPIV]

22 hours ago, zitsky said:

I should thank the naysayers because if everyone drops out, I’ll have a private tasting. 

 

Actually, you won't. They don't hold it unless they get a minimum number signed up. I don't know what that minimum is, but it's more than 1.

 

I did sign up for the Macallan tasting last fall. I was the only one, so they canceled it. That was a blessing. I did it on my own for a lot less than $50.

 

 

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, DCPIV said:

 

Actually, you won't. They don't hold it unless they get a minimum number signed up. I don't know what that minimum is, but it's more than 1.

 

I did sign up for the Macallan tasting last fall. I was the only one, so they canceled it. That was a blessing. I did it on my own for a lot less than $50.

 

 

I’ll tell them I’m some big Macallan executive.  That will work, right?

 

Any bar will be busy and it can be hard to get the bartender’s attention for one drink, much less 3 or 4 scotch tastings.  Do you find a bar you like and go on the slow times?  If you are on Premium package how do they charge for 3 or 4 tastings?

Edited February 20, 2022 by zitsky

[markeb]

13 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I’ll tell them I’m some big Macallan executive.  That will work, right?

 

Any bar will be busy and it can be hard to get the bartender’s attention for one drink, much less 3 or 4 scotch tastings.  Do you find a bar you like and go on the slow times?  If you are on Premium package how do they charge for 3 or 4 tastings?

 

They're probably going to charge for a pour, unless they have a flight on the menu, which I personally haven't seen. So you'd get 3-4 1 ounce pours. Two probably within the package and two over.

 

Here's the thing, you can definitely do this on a drink package on your own. But you theoretically can only get one drink at a time per card. And if you're staying in a single family or style of Scotch, you're not going to recognize the differences (or maybe even be able to smell or taste well at all) after the second pour. The taste buds don't recover that fast. You could do a couple of Macallans, maybe a Highland Park, and Laphroig, but you wouldn't pick up any subtleties in the Laphroig, just smoke, peat, salt, iodine. But it would be different enough from Macallan that you'd know the difference. And 4 ounces of Scotch whisky in one sitting is a LOT of alcohol!

 

This is why a good tasting is good. Smaller pours, a guide describing the tasting, and bluntly slowing you down. Tasting notes. When I did it, they had the coffee beans, chocolates, etc. for aroma comparisons. I've known sommeliers, and they're constantly training their pallet to recognize aromas in wine (and you're now seeing the same thing in whisk(e)y). 

 

A bad tasting is the same as a self-guided tasting on the drink package. With AI, there's probably fewer people just looking to drink as much whisky as they can for the least amount of money, and the tasting isn't exactly cheap.

 

It would have been limited to what they had on hand, but the folks at the WCB generally knew their product. Last two cruises WCB had Oban 10 at the premium package pricing, for instance. One of the subcontractors in duty free is probably going to be trained by Edrington (Macallan, Highland Park, Glenrothes, Famous Grouse) on their product line. I've seen better whisky open for a thimble full, but I don't know that I've seen a real tasting. Lots of flavored rums! And the shipboard F&B account is separate from the shipboard retail account...

[kearney]

Years ago on a business trip with my husband. The group he was with were staying at the Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh.. across from the castle grounds. One night they did a Scotch tasting...with selections from across Scotland. My husband was the first to taste one of the Islay Scotches... which was known ..apparently for its peaty quality. When asked to comment... he noted that it tasted like what he imagined the inside of our fireplace tasted. Turns out it was the favorite of one of our fellow travelers who went on to taste it and comment that DH was correct and that he would never be able to drink it without thinking he was licking the inside of a chimney...:)  I am not a hard liquor drinker..but back in B school when companies would sponsor a cocktail hour...I would get a glass of scotch knowing that it would last the evening and no way I was going to get embarrassingly drunk in front of a prospective employer.

[kearney]

15 hours ago, zitsky said:

I get your point but should companies charge *less* for their name?  Who wants to buy no name scotch?  Well maybe Costco.

For a time Costco's Kirkland scotch was made by Macallan.. and it was bought up quickly... but a few years ago we found that they had changed companies.

[zitsky]

I really appreciate all the suggestions.  I’d be happy with a tasting if I can see what I like or don’t like.  If I pick up the nuance, then all the better.  I don’t think I could make one glass last all night.

[zitsky]

6 minutes ago, kearney said:

For a time Costco's Kirkland scotch was made by Macallan.. and it was bought up quickly... but a few years ago we found that they had changed companies.

I’m in one of the few states that require purchases at a state liquor store.  😭

[NantahalaCruiser]

On 2/18/2022 at 9:30 PM, markeb said:

 

$2499 a bottle in Virginia. They're not tasting that. $200-250 for Balvenie 21 Port finished. I'll take that one. And it's probably still too old, but the Port finishing calms down  the wood tannins from all that barrel time. The Sherry finish does the same for the 25 year old Macallan.

Wow $2499! Way too expensive for me.

[NantahalaCruiser]

While on board, you can also look for small free tastings in the liquor shop.

[zitsky]

1 minute ago, NantahalaCruiser said:

Wow $2499! Way too expensive for me.

Be my friend and I might invite you over for some.

[Softball20]

On 2/19/2022 at 10:09 AM, zitsky said:

Red tastes like turpentine.

Ugh!   I hope black available on the Reflection next week!  It's our "house" scotch; not a fan of red.  I'm looking forward to whatever the single malts there are on board.   

 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Softball20