DA MAN discovered the new Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old at a special unveiling in Singapore
It was around 1 PM in Singapore when I arrived at La Ventana, a restaurant specializing in Catalan cuisine, helmed by the Michelin-starred Chef Charles Gaig. It was August, and I forgot to check the temperature, but it felt like 29 or 30 degrees Celsius (or 86 degrees Fahrenheit for you Americans).
And I was about to drink some whiskey.
To give you some context, I was at that time attending the pairing lunch and launch of the Macallan’s Double Cask 12 Years Old, hence the whiskey-drinking. At 1 PM. Have I mentioned that it was a hot day?
Then again, it was 5 PM somewhere… Although I didn’t know exactly where, but definitely not in Scotland, from where Daryl Haldane, the event’s guest of honor, just flew in the previous night.
Daryl Haldane
The Head of Education at the Macallan, Haldane was at the launch event to do what he does best: Educate us on whiskey, although not before a brief opening speech by the Macallan’s Brand Advocate, Singapore’s own Randall Tan.
Randall Tan
Once Haldane started, he was almost as fiery as the whiskey. First up was the Macallan Fine Oak 12 Years Old, whose lightness matched our appetizer: Slow roasted octopus with potatoes and Spanish smoked paprika.
The star of the event, the Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old, was next. Earlier, Haldane explained that 80 percent of a whiskey’s flavor comes from the wood. This is why the Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old is so special, because as the name suggests, it has two!
American and European oak work together to create a whiskey that truly depicts “the best of two worlds.” European oak, according to Haldane, is usually very dominant; it’s “intense” and “powerful.” The American oak then balances it, lending the whiskey its smooth and sweet flavor, and coconut and vanilla-like smell. The two casks also gives the Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old its blue color. “It’s a natural color that comes from two types of wood,” Haldane said.
Later on, at the cocktail party that followed the lunch, he also added, “Double Cask will be the single biggest thing Macallan does in the next 10-15 years. It’s absolutely massive!”
Back at the lunch, the whiskey was paired with the main menu of the day: Catalan Roasted “Pularda” or pan-roasted chicken glazed with the Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old.
Haldane then continued to introduce the Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years Old. The classic number from Macallan was the perfect accompaniment to Whiskey Pineapple, which concluded the heated lunch.
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