I recant my former statement on the novelty of the Edition series from Macallan. Just when I admit the freshness of this curious set of bottles, along comes Edition No. 4. Here is a quick snippet from Macallan on No. 4…..

The fourth release in this innovative annual Series, Edition No.4 embodies the craftsmanship and pioneering design of the new Macallan Distillery and demonstrates the mastery of whisky making since 1824. As we enter an exciting new era, this limited edition marks the coming together of our history and new horizons in the creation of two structural masterpieces: a remarkable whisky and a magnificent new distillery.

Translation: We just spent 200 million bones on a new distillery and here’s a bottle to remind you of it. No. 4 could be the best bottle ever of Macallan but I thought I would mention this to save my own credibility, which, wasn’t there to begin with so who am I kidding. On to some particulars….

The Macallan Edition No. 4 comes to us bottled at 48.4% as a NAS, single malt expression. Like the previous editions, overall this series attempts to make liberal use of unique oak casks. And again, abundant detail is available on the casks used, they are as follows:  refill European & American oak butts; refill European & American oak hogsheads; first-fill American oak Vasyma hogsheads; first-fill European oak Diego Martin Rosado butts; first-fill European oak Jose y Miguel Martin butts; first-fill European oak Tevasa butts/puncheons; first-fill European Tevasa hogsheads. Enough of this, to the review.

SWC Review

Nose- Musty raspberries and strawberries. Damp, old growth oak. Grapefruit with biscuits. Floral feel. Toffee.

Taste- Sweet barley. Honey and berries. Green pears. Black coffee, black pepper. Toasted almonds and citrus.

Finish- Candy. Pineapple. Bitter and herbal. Raspberry. Heavy char. Dry spice.

Comment- A step down from No. 3. We detect the quality but No. 4 doesn’t generate too much excitement. Our vote for best goes to No. 3.

SWC Rating- 84/100

Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments section below and we will send you a free bottle of Edition No. 4. Except to say that we won’t.