1. The Macallan Quest
The topic of this article is The Macallan Quest. The Macallan Quest is the most affordable product in Macallan’s duty-free lineup. In terms of pricing, it follows Rare Cask, Enigma, Terra, Lumin, then Quest. The price of Macallan Quest is $92. Checking prices at several duty-free shops, it was around $90~100.
This product is a whisky gift with about 300ml left. The label reads Est 1824 and under “The MACALLAN,” it says HIGHLAND SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY.
Under ‘QUEST’, it tells us that it was matured in four different types (Sherry seasoned European oak casks, American casks, and American Bourbon casks) which were hand-picked. And at the bottom, it says Natural Colour, so you can see that no coloring has been included. The content amount is 1L with an alcohol content of 40%.
2. The Macallan Story
1) Macallan Distillery Stroy
It is a whisky with the highest recognition among single malts, and the distillery is located in Speyside. It is synonymous with premium and expensive whiskies, also known as “Rolls Royce”. It is famous for using European sherry casks seasoned with oloroso sherry from Spanish European oak, along with GlenDronach and Glenfarclas, it is also called a sherry bomb.
Nowadays, products that use American sherry casks or bourbon casks made of American white oak have been added to save costs. This Macallan Quest product also used casks included to reduce costs. And during the malting process of the barley, Pete was hardly treated.
Originally famous for high-quality luxury, but in the 2010s, the single malt market rapidly grew. So, there was a shortage of good oak barrels during the distillation process.
The best original European Oloroso sherry casks were sold at high prices, limited editions, and then used second fill or American sherry or bourbon barrels.
2) Tasting Notes
The color is golden whiskey, and the color is not bad. When you smell it, you can feel the woodiness first. And you can also feel the vanilla and fruit.
When you taste it, it’s quite complex. Initially, there is a nuttiness and sweetness, but then you catch the warmth of ginger and cinnamon spices. The back of the tongue feels a bit tingling.
The finish is not that long. And it feels smooth and light. The aftertaste of a sherry whiskey is left in the mouth. It feels a bit weak due to spiciness.
3. Overall Review
In summary, The Macallan Quest seems quite good, but there might be some mixed opinions due to spiciness. When I drank Macallan 12 Year Double Cask, it was smooth and sweet. However, Quest is a slightly different version.
After letting it breathe enough, drinking it was a bit more appealing as the spiciness decreased somewhat. However, if asked about purchasing intentions, I would spend a little more money and buy another label from Macallan. And looking at other people’s reviews, it wasn’t as good as I thought.