Macallan No. 4 Scotch Review

By Emma Briones

Rating: A

The Macallan Edition No. 4
(Credit: Emma Briones)

The Macallan is celebrating the opening of their new $190 million distillery. In my opinion, if you’re a Macallan fan and can’t go see it yourself in the near future, there’s nothing better than trying their brand new whisky: The Macallan Edition Nº 4.

With The Macallan Edition Nº 4, the Scottish distillery goes back to the range origins. If Edition Nº 2 was a collaboration with El Celler de Can Roca, and Edition Nº 3 with Roja Dove, the fourth edition, as the first one, is not a collaboration. Edition Nº 4 is a tribute to the new distillery created by Nick Savage, Master Distiller at The Macallan.

The Macallan Edition Nº 4 has been aged in a series of Spanish-made barrels. For the whisky’s base, they’ve used Sherry barrels from the Tevasa cooperage. The whisky structure is given by European oak barrels from José y Miguel Martin and Diego Martín Rosado cooperage. The finishing comes from Vasyma sherry-seasoned American oak barrels. The Macallan Edition Nº 4 has been bottled at 48.4% ABV.

The Scotch
The Macallan Edition Nº 4 follows the same bottle design than other editions, but this time in bright green. In the glass, the whisky is dark amber with mahogany tones.

On the nose, it has a spicy aroma. There are some honeyed caramel notes, covered by cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg scents. There are also some dark notes of coffee and dry oranges, with more fruity scents of sweet peaches and apples, plus a touch of toasted oak.

On the palate it is thick, with a medium body. As on the nose, it highlights its spicier side, with strong notes of nutmeg, ginger and fresh clove. There are also some sweet vanilla and honey notes that lead out to the fruitier side. Caramelised apples, orange jam, dried apricots and sultanas. The finish is long, sweet and fruity, with a spicy touch.

The first thing I though when tasting The Macallan Edition Nº4 is how it tastes a lot like Edition Nº 2. Like, really a lot. That is not so weird taking into account that the barrels used in both whiskies come from the same cooperages and are quite similar. Edition Nº 2 was more mellow, but Edition Nº 4 is a nice substitute.

If there is something they know at Macallan is how to play on balancing barrels and sherry notes. The Macallan Edition Nº 4 is a perfect sample of it at a reasonable retailing price. The thing is, that limited editions like this one fly too fast. So don’t doubt it for a second if you can get your hands on one, you won’t regret it. 

The Price
The Macallan Edition Nº 4 is a limited edition available globally in limited quantities. Its retailing price was €99 euros, though you’ll hardly find it for that price. Nowadays, it is retailed around $130 in the U.S.