The Macallan 10 Year Old Fine Oak Scotch Review

By Jake Emen

Rating: B

The Macallan Fine Oak 10 Year Old
(Credit: Edrington)

The Macallan is probably best known for their single malt sherry-aged whisky. However, that’s not all they’re up to, not by a long stretch. The Fine Oak series from The Macallan offers triple cask-maturation, a departure from the Sherry oak staple that you likely look to as the core of their lineup, standby offerings like The Macallan 12 year old or 18 year old.

In the Fine Oak series, the three casks used for aging include sherry-filled American and European oak, as well as bourbon-filled American oak. So how does The Macallan 10 Fine Oak turn out as a result of this two-spirits, three-wood treatment?

The Scotch
The Macallan 10 Fine Oak is pure yellow straw color in the glass. On the nose, you’ll get more Sherry than bourbon, along with a light honey sweetness. On the palate, it’s light, almost dry. Here you lose the Sherry influence almost entirely. Not that the bourbon background shines through, but instead, simply the wood itself comes to the forefront, offering a very oaky profile.

On ice, you’ll find a thicker, chewier mouthfeel. It’s still strong on the wood, but it’s also sweeter. Here, that bourbon shows itself more fully, vanilla, brown sugar, richer honey.

Despite the Fine Oak series being a divergence from what some consider The Macallan to be about, it still instantly brings to mind the profile you’d expect with the brand name. It doesn’t have the complexity, richness or depth you’d find in most of the rest of their lineup, but it’s The Macallan through and through nonetheless.

The Macallan 10 Fine Oak is the baby of the family, the youngest of 8 Fine Oak siblings. It shows real promise of what you might expect to find at later stops along the way. The Macallan touts its 10 year.

old Fine Oak by posing the question, “who says the Macallan isn’t for cocktails?” Well, who says you need to put it in a cocktail? Pour it on the rocks and you’re good to go.

The Price
Along with real promise, The Macallan (40% ABV) 10 Fine Oak is a real value. You can pick up a bottle for $40 or less.