Maclean’s Nose

Spicy, Maritime, Costal
2024-08-18

The independent bottler Adelphi has been a staple of high-quality whiskies for many decades. To meet the high demand, they opened the Ardnamurchan Distillery in 2014, returning to their roots as distillers. Recently, a Blended Malt has found its way into Adelphi's portfolio with Maclean's Nose. With a malt content of 70%, and bottled following Adelphi's classic philosophy of no added coloring or chill filtration, "the Nose" aims to impress.

Smell

The nose (pun intended) immediately surprises with its complexity. We find an extremely warm but also "dirty" smoke. This is accompanied by citrus and orange zest, as well as freshly grated applesauce. Over time, the malt opens up to reveal herbal notes with licorice and freshly cut grass. The aroma is rounded off by a touch of sea salt and a pleasant hint of almond.

Taste

On the palate, the sherry cask influence becomes quite evident. We detect both fresher notes of vanilla ice cream with chocolate shavings and the smoke of a recently extinguished campfire. In addition, there's burnt caramel, a pronounced chocolatey richness, and a hint of plum compote.

Finish

The finish is long and carried by smoke. We continue to taste the pleasant sweetness of plums and raisins, complemented by white chocolate. The aftertaste lingers with hints of licorice and nutmeg that remain on the palate for quite some time.

Thoughts

With Maclean's Nose, Adelphi offers a remarkably convincing product. Any connoisseur who might turn their nose up at a no-age-statement Blended Malt is truly missing out. This flavorful and complex whisky could very well offer one of the best value-for-money ratios out there.

Rating: 82/100 - Excellent (Marcel: 80 | Sascha: 83)

Value for Money: 5/5 - Very Good

Preview Image Source: Whiskybase