Which Macallan (whisky) should I bring to my old best friend’s house during my tour of ALL THREE Massapequas on Long Island, New York, next week?
I’ll be visiting mainly to sign closing documents for my Mother’s house. I haven’t seen my friend, Eric, since I left the USA about 11 years ago.
I know for his honeymoon he went to at least Scotland and Edinburgh, and I can’t recall what whisky he brought back, yet it was really good. And I know he still partakes.
I’ll be limited to what Heathrow Duty Free sells, so if any of you know what to look for there, I’d be obliged.
I’m thinking something well beyond 18 years old and double or triple casked. Yet they may only have the one kind that sells. The sky isn’t the limit (last time there, I saw some $2,500 Cognac).
So, comparing to what Waitrose sells (in empty boxes), and on say a $300-400 budget, what is truly worthy of bringing to the USA?
Just to be clear…are you looking for a whiskey (whisky) or Scotch? Scotland is known for its Scotch (of course). Kentucky is Bourbon and everywhere else is Whiskey (or whisky).
It’ll help since, while they are all kinda related they can each be very different. Personally, I find selecting a good Scotch next to impossible since they can vary so much and each person has a preference (and some they may dislike). Honestly, same for whisky and bourbon.
I’d say Macallan is the easy choice. It is well regarded. Most people would be happy for a bottle of it (assuming they drink and like whisky).
Looking at their wiki, there are many varieties (casks, agings, etc..) and I’ve seen boxes of them at Waitrose (they fetch them when you pay). It would seem the older is better and costlier to be true..
I’m more familiar with Glenfiddich 12 and Glenfiddich 15, and that’s supposed to be true (price-wise - I’m not one to tell you a row of shots, this one is 12, that’s 15, 15, 12, 15).
If I have time (leaving tomorrow morning!) I can get a better idea at Waitrose, where it’s like £150, £200 and 350 (kinda making up those numbers). I can do the £350, esp. since at the market there’s 20% VAT.
Any they sell should be fine. And if the one in the glass canister is £1,200 and 150 years old, it’ll be for another time.
So at the same time I don’t want to just go by price, and knowing everyone has their own taste, where lies the sweet spot in $100 (hah) to $350 or so.
Not to rain on your plan, but Macallan is a very much mainstream Scotch whiskey in the USA. And especially so in NYC. If you’re trying to bring something exotic or unavailable, Macallan is not that. At the same time, they do have a good reputation and many people drink it as a premium product. I drink a bunch of various scotches and I’d be happy to be gifted a nice Macallan or even a basic one.
As an example, my local big-box liquor store carries the double cask single malt in 12, 15, & 18 year, the 12- and 18- year sherry oak, rare cask single malt, 12 year sherry oak 110 proof, the 2025 and 2024 classic cuts, and a few of the stupid expensive “I’m a rich guy with no taste” bottlings as well.
IMO … The 12s are basic nice scotch. the 15s are a good upgrade, and the 18s say you’re serious about the very good stuff. Naturally the prices follow right along. At my local store the basic double cask single malts are USD 70, 160, and 380 respectively.
I don’t know whether this URL will work from the UK; international and booze are sometimes a bad mix. But here goes: Total Wine & More - Search ‘Macallan’.
There are undoubtedly Scotch whiskies from small distilleries which are difficult, if not impossible, to find at retail in the U.S., mostly because the distilleries don’t make enough to warrant trying to export.
But, I would guess that any of the brands that would be available at the duty-free shop at Heathrow are going to be from the major, well-known brands, and those are nearly always widely available in the U.S. Even the limited-run, small batch varieties from the major brands are likely to be found at retail here, at least at bigger stores in bigger cities (even if they can be quite expensive).
The OP will likely be able to find a very nice Scotch for his American friend at duty-free; it’s less likely that he’ll be able to find a Scotch that his friend couldn’t buy here.
While I’m sure a nice Macallan would be a welcome gift, it’s true that it’s a pretty common brand to be found in a major US market like NYC. Heathrow duty free has a whole lot of options so you should be able to find something out of the ordinary at any price point. You might also want to consider a nicer sampler packs with multiple bottles from smaller distilleries.
750ml of something you paid serious money for that isn’t to their taste is a darn shame. BTDT as both giver and recipient.
Scotch comes in several distinct flavor families and many folks dislike at least one, if not half, of those families. 5 x150ml of reputable samplers might be a real score.
Last year Macallan opened a boutique in Terminal 5, which supposedly gives a taste of actually visiting the distillery, meaning they also have Macallan labeled goods besides whisky.
