Macallan Rich Cacao
The Harmony Collection Official Bottling | 44% ABV
Score: 3/10
Disappointing.
TL;DR
Nice packaging – shame about the whisky. A missed opportunity.
Is The Whisky Flipper An Endangered Species?
The short answer to the question above is undoubtedly “hopefully” – though in truth it may be a little too early to start celebrating.
With the downturn in auction prices for most whiskies it would seem logical to suppose that many of those who just a couple of years ago were hoovering up armfuls of supposedly “investable” whiskies in pursuit of a quick profit, have now stopped. Or at least slowed down.
Having helped to drive up prices for the whiskies in question (and inspired some marketers, distributors and retailers to jump on the bandwagon), those we love to loathe must be seeing that returns on flipping whisky are surely smaller and harder to come by now than at the height of the frenzy.
Judging by my Instagram feed (obviously a highly scientific barometer of economic and social trends), there would definitely seem to be less speculation going on in and around the whisky community. While I did block a couple of the more obnoxious offenders, for the most part others seem to have quietly slipped into silence, no longer gloating with posts of case upon case of the latest NAS Macallan “limited edition” stashed in their back bedrooms. I guess being left with dozens of over-priced bottles that now sell at auction for less than originally paid at retail isn’t quite so brag-worthy. And the day-trader crowd that suddenly seized on whisky as their commodity of choice don’t seem quite so enthusiastic about sharing news of their less successful adventures.
Every cloud has a silver lining I suppose.
Of course, plenty of those folks did make some money along the way – if only by selling to others who joined the chase later.
And plenty of retailers and distributors benefited from the spike in interest and prices too. Distillers themselves were mostly further removed from all these shenanigans, though a few did make their best efforts to cash in. Most notable of all these must surely have been Macallan.
With an array of bottlings marketed in special series of limited and thematic editions all supported by loads of breathy and excitable PR, Macallan went to town to take full advantage of the seemingly endless appetite for anything that carried its logo. The Editions Series, The Harmony Collection and the whole Night on Earth thing are all cases in point.
I have no idea of course how many of the bottles from these collections that were purchased actually ended up being opened and drunk, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was less than 50% (though maybe more have been opened now that prices have stagnated for most of them).
The irony of all this is that the Macallans that helped start all the excitement about “investable whisky” weren’t modern releases, but were instead old, rare and genuinely collectable. But that didn’t stop Macallan - or the day-traders - from doing their best to stoke the fires and fill their pockets with these special releases – and by jacking up the prices on the core range bottles.
To be clear, I don’t blame Macallan at all for leaning into the trend for speculation. They are in the business of making money after all, and that means getting the highest possible price per litre of alcohol produced. And as they were the brand that the flippers wanted most, they would have been negligent to have ignored the opportunity.
And while there is a whole debate to be had about the merits (or otherwise) of the notion of manufactured collectability, that’s not what I’m digging into here. What I’m more interested in, is the question of whether or not the stuff was actually any good – hence the review that follows.
Let’s actually crack one of these things open.
Review
Macallan Rich Cacao, The Harmony Collection, 44% ABV
US$200 (£160) paid. Widely available around £190.
A little context before we get stuck in.
Obviously I come to this with a certain perspective. While I’m no fan of the faux collectability of series like the Harmony Collection, I have no problem with young whiskies being collectable. But for me they have to a) be good and b) come from a place of authenticity and of genuine interest. There needs to be something that distinguishes them to make them collectible.
Now that’s just me of course and, ultimately, collectability is in the eye of the beholder. But I’d be a fool if I didn’t acknowledge that this could colour my inbound attitude to the whisky.
Similarly, I’m not a fan of the modern Macallan range. It’s a perfectly well-crafted product that definitely meets its global market in a sweet spot. But in producing a highly consistent product at scale that appeals to as many drinkers as possible, the brand has inevitably become an industrial product that sacrifices true character and individuality to the pursuit of its commercial goals. And that is absolutely fine and they’ve done an admirable job of building a global powerhouse brand that sells at a premium and employs a lot of folks and satisfies millions more. Kudos and credit where it’s due.
But for me that success has resulted in an uninteresting and unremarkable dram. I don’t typically connect with anything in the core range. I’ve had some really amazing cask strength Macallan’s (thanks to the independent bottlers) and some astonishingly good old Macallans. But those were produced in different times and are materially different from the modern offering. Again, I’m casting no shade on Edrington – I just don’t think I’m any longer in their target market.
I bought this bottle when it first came out, when a retailer was working hard to convince me it was a good buy. It was before I truly went down the rabbit hole of whisky and I took the advice as it was intended. And it ended up lurking at the back of a cupboard until now. Mostly because I became aware that I found other whiskies far more interesting.
So with all that off my chest I’ve tried to approach this dram as objectively as possible over the last ten days or so. With an open mind and palate.
Score: 3/10
Disappointing.
TL;DR
Nice packaging – shame about the whisky. A missed opportunity.
Nose
The nose is light and subtle. I get spices like clove and cinnamon. Maybe some nutmeg. There’s a touch of pine resin then more than anything else I get a distinct note of lightly roasted almond. And there’s a very light raisin note.
All pretty much as expected for a sherry influenced dram (the packaging references “sherry seasoned oak casks”).
What I’m not getting are those cacao and chocolate notes that this dram is meant to be all about.
Palate
There’s a tannic, oaky note that dominates at first which was a bit of a surprise. Not bad, but unexpected. It’s very slightly creamy but manages to taste thin at the same time. A little black pepper and some light vanilla.
Some of the spice notes on the nose come through - mostly the cinnamon and now a bit of ginger. And the oak remains, as does the nuttiness of the almonds on the nose. But now it’s less almondy and more generic ‘nut’.
I’m searching for anything that connects me to the rich chocolate notes promised on the packaging but I’m coming up empty. If you told me this dram was an exercise in highlighting the interplay of oak and spirit, I’d believe you and be happier. It tastes – to me anyway – like a straightforward American oak bourbon cask maturation with no sherry to speak of in the mix.
The Dregs
Honestly, I’m confused – and more than a bit frustrated. I actually wanted to be surprised and impressed by this. I hoped to find a sumptuous and rich, indulgent profile that reminded me of what great chocolate can be combined with the character of what Macallan itself can be.
This ain’t that.
The extensive copy on the box talks about how this has been created “using a harmonious combination of exquisite sherry seasoned European and American oak casks, which deliver a unique rich, dark chocolate note”.
Well I don’t know where they delivered it to, but I fear it was lost in the post. It certainly never made its way to this dram.
Instead we have a whisky that seems to have earnestly avoided developing any true character at all. It feels like it’s trying not to upset anyone rather than trying to be in any way memorable or distinctive.
I find myself wondering what Jordi Roca must think about the result of this collaboration. As one of the world’s most celebrated pastry chefs I would have thought he’d be looking for something more. Something that delivers a taste experience worthy of the man and worthy of the price. This feels like it is a wasted opportunity (or possibly a rather cynical marketing exercise, but let’s not go there).
It looks great. The bottle and packaging are beautiful and super eco-friendly (everything is made from leftover cacao husks apparently). But to be brutally honest, it looks better than it tastes.
And for the price you can easily buy two or even three whiskies that will be infinitely more satisfying and worthy of your attention. So do that.
I’ve gone out of my way to spend more time with this dram than I normally would to avoid jumping to easy conclusions. As a result I think I’m probably more frustrated. I tried hard to find the good in this whisky and while it’s a perfectly well constructed dram it really doesn’t warrant the price, the hype and all the BS that's been carefully created around it. I actually saw it on a Manhattan retailer's shelf the other day for $440. Which is obviously farcical.
But let’s try and leave all this on a more positive note. Macallan is capable of producing outstanding whisky. Maybe as the market takes a downward turn and the flippers go into hibernation (hopefully once and for all), perhaps these exercises in hype and manipulation will become a thing of the past.
And just maybe, brands like Macallan will see potential in producing a series of releases that speaks to what their whisky can be at its best. Genuinely special releases that attain status and collectability on the basis of their outstanding quality, character and craftmanship. They can definitely do it and it would undoubtedly find a ready market in all us enthusiasts and nerds who routinely hunt down the good stuff.
In other words, cut the crap and focus on whisky first, marketing second.
Humbly yours,
N Fleming Esq.
(By the way, Netflix’s Chef’s Table series has a great episode on Jordi Roca that is worth watching. It’s beautifully shot and gives a great insight to the artistry that could have been applied to this collaboration if the will had been there).
Score: 3/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. NF
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