The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Years
The Macallan icon. One hundred percent barley, at least eighteen years in Spanish sherry casks, deep amber in colour. Dried fruit, nuts, orange, ginger and oak: a whisky to discover slowly.
The house icon
Sherry Oak 18 Years is made from one hundred percent malted barley and matured for at least eighteen years in Spanish sherry casks made of European oak. This makes it the older sibling of the Sherry Oak 12: the same choice of wood, but six years longer. Those extra years give it a deep amber colour and a complex flavour of dried fruit, nuts and spices.
While the 12 is mainly velvety smooth and fruity, the 18 reveals more layers: orange, ginger and oak join in, and it is bottled at 43% rather than 40%. It is one of the most sought-after whiskies in the world and a fixture among collectors. It appears in editions with a vintage year, such as 2025.
In brief
Deep, spicy and full of dried fruit
Dried fruit and nuts
Complex aromas of dried fruit and nuts, with spices that slowly open up.
Orange and ginger
Full and rich, with orange, ginger and spices on a bed of sherry and oak.
Long and dry
A long, drier finish in which the oak and spices linger.
Tasting profile of Sherry Oak 18 Years neat. Spicier and drier than the Double Cask 18.
Tasting like a collector
This whisky deserves a quiet moment and a good glass. Take your time with the nose; it is half the pleasure.
Smelling in three steps
30 ml in a tulip-shaped tasting glass. Smell first around the rim, then in the middle, then deep in the glass: this is how you find spices, dried fruit and nuts in succession. Keep your mouth slightly open.
Glass: tasting glass →Next to the Sherry Oak 12
If you have both bottles, pour them side by side. The same wood, six years apart: you can taste exactly what time does to sherry, fruit, and oak.
Sherry Oak 12 →A drop of water, no more
Add one or two drops of water halfway through. The orange and ginger become more pronounced. Leave the ice in the freezer: it takes away the complexity.
Glass: tasting glass →Cocktails? Only the simplest
A Sherry Oak 18 in a cocktail is a choice, not a necessity. If you do it, use classics with no more than three ingredients.
Old Fashioned
Whisky, a sugar cube, and bitters. The orange zest picks up the orange notes in the whisky.
Manhattan
Whisky, sweet vermouth, and bitters. With Sherry Oak 18, a velvety, luxurious version.
Godfather
Whisky with a splash of amaretto. Nuts with nuts.
All whisky cocktails
For when you want to mix a younger Macallan: all whisky cocktails in one place.The right glass for Sherry Oak 18
A tulip-shaped tasting glass with a narrow rim concentrates the complex nose. A crystal tumbler for the Old Fashioned and a coupe for the Manhattan.
More flavors from The Macallan
The Macallan
Where it began. On the brand page, discover everything about The Macallan: origins, varieties, and classic cocktails.
To The Macallan →
The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years
Twelve years in sherry oak from Jerez. Velvety smooth, with dried fruit, spices, and oak.
View The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years →
The Macallan Double Cask 15 Years
Vanilla, citrus and butterscotch from American oak, spices from European oak. Sweet, warm and balanced.
View The Macallan Double Cask 15 Years →
The Macallan Double Cask 18 Years
Eighteen years in Oloroso in two types of oak. Raisins, sultanas and caramel, with ginger and citrus.
View The Macallan Double Cask 18 Years →
The Macallan Rare Cask
From less than 0.1% of the maturing casks, selected for flavor. Vanilla, raisins, apple and citrus.
View The Macallan Rare Cask →Everything about whisky: the types, the best-known brands and the cocktails.
Questions about The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Years
Can't find your question here? Read more on the page about The Macallan or browse our cocktail recipes.
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