The Macallan Edition No 3 Single Malt Scotch Whisky Review

let’s begin

A truly phenomenal Whisky from the whisky makers at The Macallan, Edition 3 needs to be on your Whisky bucket list.

The Macallan Edition Series

This release comes as part of The Macallan Edition Series, which is an exploration in wood.

The Macallan are well known for their passion about wood. It informs most of their innovation and the Edition Series is no exception.

The distillery handpicks the casks for this series to “[exemplify] the diversity of oak casks used in the maturation of The Macallan Whiskies.”

The Macallan Edition No 3 Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a collaboration between Whisky Master Bob Dalgarno and Master Perfumer Roja Dove. The emphasis here is really on the aroma of the Whisky. This has been created to bring out all the best aspects of The Macallan’s flavour profiles.

Dove, an expert in all things aroma based, used his expertise to balance out the different flavours of the Whisky. He was invited to the distillery to nose samples of Whisky and give his interpretation of the flavours.

From there, the Whisky was created, using Roja’s descriptions. The result is pretty incredible.

The Macallan Edition No 3 Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What can be said of The Macallan Edition 3, other than it is amazing?

The flavour is intense and luxurious, with all the tell tale notes of an excellent Speyside, but really elegantly drawn out. It is a perfect melody of flavour.

The Macallan Edition No 3 Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What can be said of The Macallan Edition 3, other than it is amazing?

The flavour is intense and luxurious, with all the tell tale notes of an excellent Speyside, but really elegantly drawn out. It is a perfect melody of flavour.

Tasting notes for The Macallan Edition No 3 Single Malt Scotch Whisky

The nose opens with soft floral and orchard notes. The oak is rich and sweet, with a slight warmth to it be. This is only helped by the heat of the cinnamon and nutmeg that also come through.

Crisp apples and tangy citrus fruits, especially orange, follow on from the oak and add a lovely refreshing sweetness to the overall flavour.

Vanilla, caramel and chocolate appear, adding lots of sweetness with a lovely soft edge. These are the perfect complement for the fruity notes.

On the palate this dram really shines. It busts with fragrant notes of cooking apples, pears and cut grass, all wrapped up in an oak barrel.

The oak is definitely a lot sweeter on the palate and brings in vanilla and cinnamon. It is warming and spicy with bold notes of caramel coming in towards the end.

The complexity of the flavour is obvious from the get go, with all the flavours bouncing off on another. The fruits highlight the subtleties of the oak and allow the soft vanilla to flourish.

The finish to The Macallan Edition No 3 Single Malt Scotch Whisky is long and lingering, ending off a final note of oak and vanilla, with a little warmth of cinnamon.

The Macallan really show exactly what they can do with this dram. The richness of the palate is unparalleled and we highly recommend you seek this one out to discover a remarkable Speysider.

Why aren’t all whiskies from The Macallan like this?!

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below and let’s have a chat!

Tags: Edition No 3Single Malt ScotchThe Macallan

Greg

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.