Macallan 25 Year Sherry

This Speyside single malt is bottled at 43% ABV and sold under the Macallan name as a 25 Year Sherry. That label points to a spirit matured in sherry-seasoned oak, and the age statement is the main thing to consider when serving it. Whiskies from this house and region, aged this long, usually show dried fruit, orange peel, ginger and warm baking spice from the sherry wood. They also tend to show polished oak, a little dark chocolate and a soft, honeyed sweetness. Expect little of the peat smoke that defines Islay malts. If smoke appears at all, it is more likely a faint toasted-wood note than anything medicinal. Pour this one neat. At 43% it is already diluted to a gentle strength, so the drinking is mostly about patience. Let it sit in the glass for a few minutes after pouring, since long-aged malts often open slowly and reveal new aromas as they warm. If the alcohol feels tight on the nose, add a few drops of room-temperature water, one at a time, and stop as soon as the fruit and spice come forward. Ice is not recommended. Cold dulls the aromatic detail, which is the main reason to buy a bottle at this age, and it can emphasize the oak's drier, more tannic side. A Glencairn glass suits it best. The tulip shape concentrates the aroma toward the rim, which helps with the layered sherry and wood notes. A rocks glass is fine if you want a more relaxed pour, though you will lose some of the nose. Mixing is possible, but it is hard to justify at this level. The subtle oak and fruit would be lost behind vermouth, bitters or citrus, and an Old Fashioned or Manhattan made with it would taste mostly of the other ingredients. If you want a cocktail, use a younger sherry-cask malt or a good blended Scotch for a Rob Roy, a Whisky Sour or a simple highball with soda, and save this bottle for the glass. At the table, it works with dark chocolate, roasted almonds, aged hard cheeses or a slice of fruitcake, all of which echo the dried-fruit and spice character typical of sherry-matured malts.