I am not a lover of Scotch whiskey; my hubby, however, is. I’d like to get him a nice bottle for Christmas.
His favorite Scotch is The McCallan, 18 year old. However, at $150.00 that’s a little out of reach of my budget. The same store does have McCallan 12 year old for $50.00. If he likes the 18 year old stuff, does it follow that he would like the 12 year old pretty well?
Just as reference, he also likes Glenlivet and Glenfiddich; definitely prefers single malts to blends.
Thanks!
I’m a fan of scotch and it’s my estimation the $150 is mostly prestige pricing. The 12 Year McCallen tastes nearly as good. The differences in taste between the 12, Glenlivet and Glenfiddich is a matter of personal preference so you pretty much already have this figured out.
This was exactly the kind of info I was looking for! Thanks!
You could always go with the Macallan Cask Strength, which is less than $10 more than the 12 but with quite a bit more flavor to it.
ETA: Not a different flavor, mind you, just a bit stronger. It’s quite delicious.
See if you can find him a bottle of The Macallan Cask-Strength. I wouldn’t bet on him liking the 12 as much as he does the 18. Some of those single-malts change a lot in a few years in the barrel. I can’t stand Bowmore, for example, except for the 17. That is wonderful. Give or take a few years and I find it undrinkable.
eta: The Macallan gets its first simulpost!
I occasionally like a sip of Scotch, and keep a bottle of Johnny Walker Red around the house for that purpose. Not too expensive, and very smooth and tasty.
I appreciate the info. I saw the cask strength at the liquor store, and asked what the difference was, but the guy who was working that day doesn’t know much about Scotch; of course, I also seem to recall it was considerable more than $10.00 more than the 12 year old. But then, my memory sucks, so I’ll just have to look!
At any rate, it’s nice to have someone clarify what the “Cask Strength” is.
The Macallan 18 is a great drink, but pricy. Macallan 12 is still good, but in my book, the best bang for the buck among commonly available single malts would be Highland Park 18. About $60-70 a bottle.
As you probably know, whisky is aged in casks. The whisky in the cask is about 55% ABV. For most bottlings they’ll dilute it to about 40-45% ABV, but the cask strength is not diluted. I find the alcohol burn makes it difficult to taste high-proof liquors, but a lot of people like them, so YMMV. Of course, you can always dilute a cask strength whisky to be more like a standard bottling, so it’s definitely a safe gift.
Non-diluted, 116 proof. For the record, I find the Macallan 12 for between $40 and 45. The Cask usually is around 10 more, from $50 to 58. Our respective state taxes may well cause a discrepancy though.
I’ve no idea if this is “Scotch sacrilege” but what I’ll sometimes do is keep a bottle of Cask around with which to sweeten the 12. Just a splash on top really makes a pleasant difference… and of course it’s heavenly for a "Mac"ophile straight.
Then I will definitely have to see if it’s in my price range; my husband is very odd in that he actually likes the taste of alcohol! 
And I will tell him that if he finds it burns a bit too much, he can add a bit of water.
Just a quick note to back up what **lieu ** said. And no, I have no problem with you mixing Macallan’s - sounds sublime, especially because I can taste a big enough difference between the 12 and the Greatest Regularly Available Scotch of All Time™ - Speyside Region, Macallan 18 (I say “regularly available” because I have had the good fortune to be given a bottle of 25-year Macallan - twice. It turns out they actually box it up with a chorus of angels so every time you sip, the clouds part and you hear the celestial choir! 
)
I was basically a goofy, non-drinker in college (unless drink Shaefer Red, White and Blue beer when losing at Quarters counts). Until I went to Scotland and learned to drink there. This was before the single-malt boom, when only 'fiddich and 'livet were available in the U.S. Where I was - Stirling - the Scotches that they held up as the best were Glenmorangie and The Macallan…so the locals certainly vote for the Big Mac.
I would suggest Oban (thicker and buttery-ier vs. Macallan) as an alternative…
If you can get it in your range, the Highland Park suggestion is a good one.
He might also like Balvenie Doublewood.