Macallan Edition No. 6

Appearance: Deep mahogany. Swirling shows a thin film on the glass with slow-moving legs. Nose: Very sweet and fruity, full of Rainier cherries, ripe plums, and sticky figs. Also notes of freshly ground coffee and milk chocolate, with subtle hints of ginger and cinnamon. Quite enjoyable! Palate: Starts sweet again, but with less fruit. Instead, flavors of brown sugar, sweet pastries, and dark chocolate dominate, balanced by cinnamon, oak spice, walnuts, and orange peel, which become more noticeable with each sip. Finish: Long. Begins with sweet berry jam and orange citrus, gradually becoming less sweet as a touch of chili pepper heat emerges alongside walnut, oak spice, and toasted bread flavors. A creamy sensation persists throughout. Near the end, it evokes buttermilk waffles, concluding with a stony mineral note. With Water: A few drops introduce fresh floral notes to the nose. The palate remains largely unchanged, but the finish gains fresh ginger, and the final mineral note is replaced by cough syrup. Overall: An exceptional example of the distillery's capabilities. The spirit, particularly with good sherry maturation at a higher proof, is impressive. The issue lies in the infrequent release of such expressions at a reasonable cost. Glad to have secured a bottle at its original price, regretting not buying a second. Now a collector's item, it's good but not worth the current market price. Recommendation is tentative, and repurchase is uncertain.

The aroma is dominated by nutmeg and cloves, followed by baked cinnamon apples, chocolate-covered raisins, orange zest, walnuts, sour cherries, and vanilla cupcake, though there's a faint sulfurous off-note. The tasting reveals a medium mouthfeel without burn, featuring golden raisins, chocolate, cinnamon apples, walnuts, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla cupcake, finishing with medium length and notes of cinnamon apples, chocolate caramel, and golden raisins. Ultimately, this is not a great expression; while many notes are appealing, the spice and sulfur are overpowering. It falls short of being the best in the series, with a previous release being the preferred choice. Attempts to invoke special powers after tasting were unsuccessful.

It's been an interesting run with the Macallan Limited Edition series. I missed the first, loved the second, found the next two to be just okay, and then my interest was reignited by the superb No. 5. With this one, I have the final installment, and the tiebreaker that will decide if I remember this line favorably or not. Nose: Apple, pear, plum, apricot, and orange. Vanilla, caramel, and toffee. Cherry. Butterscotch, brown sugar, sugar cookie, and honey. Raisin, date, and fig. Red grape, cranberry, and plum. Sawdust, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and oak. Palate: More apple, pear, orange citrus. Plum, red grape, cranberry, raisin, date, and fig. Velvety and plush. Blackberry. Vanilla and milk chocolate ice cream cake. Toffee, caramel, sugar cookie, butterscotch, and honey. Cola and a hint of leather. Almond, walnut, and chestnut. Oak. Finish: Plum, date, fig, and raisin. Apple, pear, apricot, and orange. Blackberry. Caramel, vanilla, and milk chocolate. Black pepper, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Medium-long finish. This is an excellent whiskey. In terms of quality, it's more like the 2 and 5 that I enjoyed so much. At $150, it cost $50 and $40 more than those respectively. I'd say it was still worth the effort, but it's outclassed in terms of value for money. And there it is. The end of the line for Macallan's special edition run, assuming no miracle occurs that presents me with a reasonably priced bottle of No. 1. Does the series live up to the hype? Perhaps not. And it certainly doesn't justify the second-hand pricing. But three of the five I sampled were excellent whiskies, and the other two were good (though not $100 good.) Looking back, this is a fine series. Thanks for the journey, Macallan. 4.25/5.

I'll start this review with my conclusion: in a blind tasting, I would have guessed this dram was a Glenkinchie 12 or an Auchentoshan 12. It's not bad, but for over $150 for a Macallan limited edition, you expect more than the common tasting notes of caramel and vanilla in whisky. Macallan Edition No. 6 is the final release in the collection, this time honoring the River Spey, its biodiversity, and its influence on the flavor of half of Scotland's distilleries. The light blue label is mostly unreadable and impossible to photograph to show off your find on Instagram haha. Bottled at 48.6% (0.01% higher than the previous edition), with a tawny color. The aroma is very good. Milky Way chocolate, orange leaf, caramel, cinnamon, dulce de leche, nutmeg. It also has a library-like scent of old books. After the first sip, it presented notes of Pizza Hut cinnamon sticks, a cinnamon candle, sawdust, honey, and floral elements. The palate was too simple. Caramel and sugar syrup, pepper and sulfurous notes, and Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. The aftertaste was uninspired. Chocolate with dulce de leche, caramel, butterscotch, and some herbal notes. A touch of saltiness is present. Overall, this one fell short of my expectations. It felt too simplistic; I didn't find anything that truly evoked homage to the Spey River (known for fruitier whiskies). It felt like a fancy bourbon cask on a very standard Macallan. It's not bad at all; it's just not what you bought it for. I believe this and Edition No. 2 are the weakest in the series, with No. 4 being the best. Skip this one, or buy it to complete a collection that will be worth significantly more in 10 years, but drink something more interesting. My score is 79 out of 100.

Aroma - Rich vanilla, toasted ginger, toffee, dried apples, persimmons, candied ginger, hint of orange zest, plums, sweet Riesling. Taste - Gentle sweet ginger & honey tea, slight tea/oak bitterness, light bitter orange peel, light bitter dark chocolate, vanilla syrup, dried persimmons. Finish - Lingering light metallic fruity bitterness, honey-sweetened tea, candied ginger, light toasted/charred ginger bitterness. Score - 85/100 Final Thoughts - The aroma of this one is truly fantastic. It's complex, well-composed, and genuinely smells like it might contain some older Scotch. It has a pleasant 'mustiness' I usually only find in older Scotches, making me think of a dusty cask aging for decades in a warehouse. The initial taste is nice, but then a slightly peculiar fruity metallic note emerges, similar to what I sometimes get from dried fruits. It's not unpleasant, but it's noticeable. The toasted ginger notes are pleasant and provide a gentle sweetness without heat. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Perhaps Would I buy a bottle? - Not at its current price. NOTE - All reviews are conducted without factoring in price.

The nose has those typical sweet, fruity notes you expect from Macallan. The palate carries over those dark fruits but adds some honey and chocolate along with lovely Christmas cake characteristics. The finish is long with some nuttiness and ginger emerging, accompanied by a slightly bitter citrus note. A few drops of water lessen the bitterness and enhance the chocolate flavors. It's an ideal Christmas drink. Criticisms? Yes, there are a few: The mouthfeel is a little thin, you won't be able to justify the price, so don't even try, the Classic Cut releases are less expensive and likely superior. But..... If you're a Macallan enthusiast, need to complete your collection of this series, or simply want to splurge for Christmas, then go ahead and get a bottle. As whisky aficionados, we don't always need to justify the cost/value. Sometimes we purchase whiskies because we want to; it's that simple. 88/90.