1974 The Macallan 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

These fabulous old Macallans are surfacing less and less frequently. In full Sherry-form, distilled in the heydey when majority Golden Promise barley was still being used and bottled in the 1990s, it's a very tempting collectable. Some scuffing and staining. Just one available.

Other reviews... Colour: amber. Nose: starts both fresher and fruitier than expected as well as less heavily sherried. It’s more flowery at first nosing, with heavy notes of peony mingling with tangerine liqueur and hints of old roses. Very elegant and very expressive, with a perfect balance. Whiffs of smoke. Gets then more classical with a little oak, raisins, orange marmalade, apricot cake… Also huge notes of ripe mirabelle plums, faint hints of ginger tonic and even grenadine syrup. And ripe strawberries, blackcurrant, prunes, a little toffee… Funny notes of black olives. Top notch. Mouth: a beautifully dry attack, not as sweet and rounded as expected. Lots of tea, bitter caramel, balsamic vinegar… Rather powerful at 43%. Goes on with notes of cake, rum, Smyrna raisins… Not very complex in fact but beautifully compact and ‘crafted’. The raisins grow bigger by the minutes (so to speak). The finish is long, slightly bitter, dry and clean, with hints of calvados and a little salt. Classy stuff anyway. 90 points. - Serge Valentin, whiskyfun.com