Macallan 12 Doublecask

The Macallan 12 Doublecask is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. The name tells you how it's made: it is matured in two types of oak cask, American and European, and the two woods give different things. American oak usually adds vanilla, light citrus and a clean sweetness. European oak tends to add dried fruit, ginger-like spice and a deeper, more textured body. Single malts built this way typically read as honeyed and rounded, with soft wood spice and little of the peat smoke associated with Islay whiskies. Expect a fruit-and-oak profile with a gentle finish, not a smoky one. Serve it neat first. A small pour in a Glencairn glass concentrates the aromas and lets you pick out the vanilla, fruit and oak before you taste. If the alcohol feels sharp on the nose, add a few drops of room-temperature water. Water opens up the sweeter, fruitier notes in a malt like this. A single large ice cube in a rocks glass is a reasonable alternative for slower sipping. It mutes the aroma a little and tightens the sweetness, so use a big cube that melts slowly, not crushed ice. This bottle suits spirit-forward cocktails where you want the malt to stay audible. A Rob Roy, which is a Manhattan made with Scotch, works well with sweet vermouth and a dash of aromatic bitters. The dried-fruit and spice character of the sherry-influenced oak sits comfortably next to the vermouth. An Old Fashioned made with a small amount of sugar or demerara syrup and orange bitters lets the vanilla and oak come through. For a longer drink, a Highball of one part whisky to about three parts chilled soda, finished with a lemon peel, is clean and light. It's the better choice if you'd rather not use a neat pour on a warm day. A Whiskey Sour works too, though a malt this nuanced is better saved for the other drinks. For food, expect it to go well with aged hard cheeses, roasted nuts, dried apricots and dark chocolate. Each of these picks up the whisky's fruit and spice without competing with it.