The ninth release in the high-strength series blends sherry-seasoned oak and ex-Bourbon casks for a whisky that challenges its own name.
Each year, when The Macallan drops its Classic Cut release, something subtle but seismic happens in the world of whisky. Devotees pause. Collectors lean forward. Purists draw quiet comparisons with previous editions, nosing out continuity and disruption. With the launch of the Classic Cut 2025 Edition, the distillery’s ninth installment in the series, that ritual deepens—and turns slightly sideways.
Bottled at 50.6% ABV and priced at $130, the new release is matured in a mix of sherry-seasoned European and American oak casks, along with ex-Bourbon barrels. That combination alone makes it a departure—less about rigid tradition, more about the possibilities within it. Or as Macallan puts it, this whisky is “anything but classic.”
For those keeping score, the Classic Cut series began in 2017 with a simple premise: allow drinkers to experience Macallan at or near cask strength, untouched by heavy dilution. Each year’s edition offers a new ABV, a new story told through wood and time. But this year’s bottle seems to lean into paradox—bearing the name “Classic” while pushing the concept further out to sea.
What does it taste like? According to Macallan’s official notes, the nose opens with orange oil, barley sugar, and velvety milk chocolate, softening into vanilla panna cotta and freshly baked apple turnover when cut with a few drops of water. On the palate, expect grapefruit and mandarin, sweetened by lemon-zested meringue and caramelised almonds. The finish lingers with a fresh flash of melon, more grapefruit, and a whisper of oak spice—a slow, warming fade.
The whisky’s natural golden sunset color speaks to its careful cask craft, a hallmark of the Highland distillery’s broader ethos. But it’s the use of ex-Bourbon barrels alongside its signature sherry oak that adds dimension to this release, giving it a fruit-forward character that straddles both Macallan’s DNA and something more modern.
For collectors, the 2025 Classic Cut is another chapter in a cult-favorite series. For newcomers, it’s a headlong plunge into the intense, unfiltered side of Macallan’s portfolio.
And for everyone in between, it’s a reminder: “classic” is a word that invites definition—and sometimes, reinvention.
For more information, about the Macallan Classic Cut 2025 head over to the brand’s official website.
In December, The Macallan unveiled the latest addition to its Harmony Collection, Vibrant Oak And Guardian Oak.
