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Whiskies: The Macallan fine oak 10yo & 15yo, and sherried 12yo & 18yo
Venue: The Westcliff Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa
Date: 5 August, 2010
Cost: R295 ≈ £25

The South African whisky calendar is about as crowded as an AA meeting during happy hour. If you’re on the right email list you may hear of a whisky tasting organised by one of the bottle stores, but apart from the highlight of the year that is the Whisky Live Festival in November, there is little else to write home about… or blog about for that matter.

So, as soon as I caught wind of  a Macallan event via the twitter grapevine universe (?), I was eager to book and have a whisky event to look forward to. A quick call to the venue for confirmation, an email to my whisky club, and before you can correctly pronounce Jerez de la Frontera, the booking was made.

The event, billed “as entertainment for those who enjoy the finer things in life“, was held at the Westcliff, a self-titled luxury hotel that’s  situated on a pretty hillside in an upmarket suburb in Jo’burg. Upon arrival we were poured a dram of The Macallan 10yo fine oak and ushered onto a large, candle festooned balcony to appreciate a night view of the CBD. While sipping on a young and crisp 10yo, well paired with the evening’s air, we waiting patiently for the festivities to begin, and not so patiently for the whiskies that where to follow.

After enough time to have a second 10yo, the doors to the main room were opened and we shuffled in, palate’s moistened and thirsty for more. The crowd was then addressed by The Macallan South African brand ambassador, Niel Hendriksz, the brain behind the event, with a short welcome and explanation of the setup.

The breakdown was as follows: The room was divided into 4 stations, 3 of them based on a whisky from The Macallan range and paired with several, small-portioned food items meant to compliment the respective flavour profiles, and the 4th station had the infamous Macallan ice ball machine on display. Station 1) The 10yo section had the option of a cocktail, which of course I avoided like the plague, and was paired with a beautiful piece of oak smoked salmon with a Madagascan pepper sauce, a pea and ham/bacon soup, sushi rolls, and crème brûlée. There was also a used ex-bourbon barrel on display, as well as a second barrel that broke while setting up the function that allowed a nice opportunity to see the charred staves firsthand. Station 2) Focused on the 12yo sherried Macallan, this time paired with cubes of raw tuna, grilled chicken pieces,  lobster tail chowder, and some ice-cream. There was also an ex-European refill sherry puncheon. Station 3) This had the 15yo fine oak Macallan paired with a duck broth soup, rare Kudu loin with chocolate sauce, more sushi rolls, and chocolate brownies. Station 4) This had no less than 3 of the Macallan ice ball machines on display for those who a) like gimmicks b) like to dilute their whisky and stunt the flavours c) wanted to feel good about themselves by flirting with a paid whisky girl, or d) all of the above.

The main attraction for the night was a separate room that opened quite surreptitiously well after everyone had their fill of the entry Macallan range and fancy-plated food. This room was the home of the highly regarded 18yo sherried Macallan, the only whisky of the evening that I had not tried prior to the event, and as such the only one I was really looking forward to. This room also had numerous rare and expensive Macallan’s on display (and for sale), including the 57yo Lalique decanter and nearly 80 Fine and Rare vintage bottlings. A truly wondrous site for any whisky enthusiast.

Overall the evening was most enjoyable and a nice once-off edition to this year’s whisky calendar. The 18yo Macallan is an exquisite whisky and the 4 (or was it 5?) pours I had were well worth the cost of a ticket. The food was delicious and excellently presented, although I feel not all items paired well with the respective whisky. The Westlcliff hotel was a great choice of venue and certainly compliments the luxury/exclusive positioning of The Macallan brand. I do think a bigger room would have been better suited; in the beginning of the evening it was a bit too cramped to feel like fine entertainment. Lastly, most whisky events, particularly tastings, are predominantly male. Due to the venue and food pairings this was a great event to include our better-looking-halves and have a nice evening out as a group of friends… but still be able to drink some great whiskies.

My highlights of the evening:
1) The Macallan 18yo. Definitely lives up to its reputation
2) My fellow whisky club members all cleaned-up and donning some smart-casual attire (Gary and Stu specifically!)
3) Food: Particularly the raw tuna cubes, smoked salmon, and duck broth
4) Seeing such a large collection of the Fine and Rare bottlings (even if they were replicas as rumour had it!)

Well done to all involved, and looking forward to more events of this type in the future!