1998 Gordon & Macphail Speymalt from Macallan 25 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

The barrel number for these newly presented Speymalts now appears in a tiny font on the back label, so have a magnifying glass at hand when trying to identify them. Lighter in colour than the twenty year old from the same shipment, we can't say definitively whether this was sherry matured or not (it may have been drawn from a second fill barrel). Worth noting is the fact that a sister cask (same vintage and with a barrel ID beginning in '216') was indeed sherry matured and received glowing reviews at whiskybase.com. By definition a unique and limited experience, single cask #21603906 yielded 319 bottles at 54.4% Alc./Vol. Given the erratic nature of these releases and their typically stellar quality, it ranks as a genuine collectable - especially considering the asking price compared with official distillery equivalents, now commanding upwards of 4K.

Notes from the bottlers... Morello cherry aromas with dark chocolate and zesty orange. The palate holds vanilla fudge, cinnamon spice and toasted hazelnuts leading to full and lingering stewed red berries.