This New 15-Year-Old Sherry Cask–Matured Whisky Is One That Macallan Fans Will Love

When it comes to sherry cask-matured , the leads the pack in terms of popularity and sales. But there are more than a few other distilleries of note making really excellent that is mostly or entirely matured in sherry-seasoned oak, and one of those is the sister distillery, the , which just launched a new 15-year-old expression.

The was founded in 1879 and has been making whisky consistently since then despite a few fires that caused pretty significant damage to the distillery in its early years. In 2017, Scottish drinks company Edrington bought it from Berry Bros. & Rudd, a return to the company’s portfolio after a seven-year absence where it rejoined and the . While the former distillery uses a large amount of sherry casks to mature its whisky, the latter is almost exclusively aged in sherry-seasoned European and American oak barrels sourced from Spain. The same is true for the , which relaunched its core lineup a few years back to focus on two older expressions bottled at 18 and 25 years old.

The 15-year-old joins those two whiskies as the youngest permanent member of the core lineup (there is a 12-year-old that is part of the Soleo collection), but this is still a mature whisky that is full of flavor. “Whilst spirit is inherently delicate in style, it does not get overwhelmed by the bolder flavors created by maturation in first-fill European oak casks,” said master whisky maker Laura Rampling in a statement. “It is this precise and counterintuitive marriage of the delicate and the bold that makes this 15-year-old whisky unique, bringing sweet fruit and bright spice together in a deliciously unexpected way.”

The whisky is bottled at 43 percent ABV with no color added, and it’s a rich and luscious sipper. Look for aromas like cinnamon, brown sugar, and some tannic oak on the nose, followed by dried fruit, candied ginger, vanilla, chocolate-covered espresso bean, and flamed orange peel on the palate. This is a very good sherry cask-matured whisky that sits in the Goldilocks zone of maturation—not too old, not too young—that should appeal to fans of the and fine single malt scotch whisky overall. The Glenrothes 15 is available now to purchase from websites like (SRP $100) as well as local liquor stores.