The Singleton 40 Year Old Single Malt Whisky Beats Macallan – Robb Report

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There’s no question that The Macallan is leads the pack when it comes to ultra-aged, sherry cask-matured single malt whisky (not to mention the prices those bottles command at auction). But this new 40-year-old whisky from The Singleton spent nearly two-thirds of its maturation in sherry casks, and while the effects are more subtle than The Macallan it is just as delicious.

The Singleton is one of the many whisky brands owned by Diageo, and it’s actually made at three different distilleries—Dufftown, Glendullan, and Glen Ord—which is unusual in the scotch whisky world. This new 40-year-old single malt comes from the latter of these three distilleries, and is the final and oldest release of the loftily titled Epicurean Odyssey Series (the previous two whiskies were aged for 38 and 39 years respectively). According to the brand, the reason why it was given that name is this is a whisky that is meant to be paired with food—and in this case, it collaborated with Eunji Lee, the pastry chef at Lysée in New York City, who created a pecan financier to match the flavor profile.

The Singleton 40 Year Old was aged for its first 12 years in bourbon barrels, before being re-casked into 13 barrels that were seasoned with a special blend of PX and Oloroso sherry for another 28 years. Finally, eight of these casks were finished in Zacapa XO and Royal Rum barrels, and then blended back together with the remaining five barrels. Obviously, this maturation journey is very different from The Macallan which is normally aged entirely in sherry-seasoned casks, but that’s still a very long time for a whisky to spend in that type of wood. This is a lovely single malt—absent are the usual extreme tropical fruit notes that lead the palate of a whisky aged for this length of time. Vanilla custard starts things off, with some spice, rum raisin, banana, apple, and orange notes. There’s a hint of mint and dark chocolate on the finish—mint chocolate chip, if you will—followed by some mango and pineapple. So yes, there’s some of that tropical fruit note, but it’s subtler than you might expect. And at 45.9 percent ABV, there’s a welcome bit of heat in each sip.

There are just over 1,700 bottles of The Singleton 40 Year Old available globally, and only 126 are making to the U.S. Indeed, this is a great whisky to pair with a financier or any after-dinner treat, but it’s also just an excellent single malt to sip before or during dinner. And it’s priced at $3,755, which is actually kind of a steal, if you can find it (check ReserveBar).

Score: 93

Every week Jonah Flicker tastes the most buzzworthy and interesting whiskeys in the world. Check back each Friday for his latest review.