“You’re No Good”
Whisky Review # 1059
Country: Scotland
Region: Highland/Speyside
Region: Highland/Speyside
Brand: Macallan Lumina - The Quest Collection
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: NAS
Age: NAS
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 41.3%
Maturation: Mix of Sherry-Seasoned European/American Oak casks & Hogsheads
Chill Filtration: Yes
Maturation: Mix of Sherry-Seasoned European/American Oak casks & Hogsheads
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 120-180 (March 2025)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎 Way too expensive for what it offers
Buying Advice: 👎 Better stick to the standard distillery bottlings
Colour:
Golden (Natural Color)
Nose:
Young and on the Thin side. Not the best casks for sure. Probably 2nd and/or 3rd Refill. Some Oloroso influence. Sweet Candy, Orchard Fruit & Vanilla are the main drivers. Not good enough for a Macallan at this price level.
Main Aromas:
Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Sugar, Sweet Apples & Pears, Sweet Candy (Strawberry, Raspberry, Orange, Grape), Lemon, Dusty Oak, Pepper and Ginger.
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎 Way too expensive for what it offers
Buying Advice: 👎 Better stick to the standard distillery bottlings
Colour:
Golden (Natural Color)
Nose:
Young and on the Thin side. Not the best casks for sure. Probably 2nd and/or 3rd Refill. Some Oloroso influence. Sweet Candy, Orchard Fruit & Vanilla are the main drivers. Not good enough for a Macallan at this price level.
Main Aromas:
Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Sugar, Sweet Apples & Pears, Sweet Candy (Strawberry, Raspberry, Orange, Grape), Lemon, Dusty Oak, Pepper and Ginger.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Caramel, Toffee, Honey, Glue, Treacle, Slivovitz, Nuts, Milk Chocolate, Floral Soap, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Cloves.
Palate:
Young and Thin. Light Sherry influence. There's something Artificial/Industrial to this Lumina. It's not giving me a lot of pleasure that's for sure.
Young and Thin. Light Sherry influence. There's something Artificial/Industrial to this Lumina. It's not giving me a lot of pleasure that's for sure.
Main Flavours:
Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Apples & Pears, Mixed Red Berries, Lemon and Grapefruit, Milk Chocolate, Dusty Oak, Pepper, Cinnamon and Ginger.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Honey, Toffee, Caramel, Buttered Toast, Wax, Floral Soap, Hazelnuts, Cloves and Nutmeg.
Honey, Toffee, Caramel, Buttered Toast, Wax, Floral Soap, Hazelnuts, Cloves and Nutmeg.
Finish:
On the Short Side. Sugary Sweet at first but with a light Bitterness towards the Medium-Dry end. A slightl Metallic off-note. I also find Sweet Barley, Vanilla and Toffee, Sugar, Tart Apple Pie with Raisins and sprinkled with Cinnamon & Powder Sugar, Pear, Milk Chocolate, Lemon, Grapefruit, Dairy, Dusty Oak, Pepper, Clove, Nutmeg, Ginger and Licorice.
On the Short Side. Sugary Sweet at first but with a light Bitterness towards the Medium-Dry end. A slightl Metallic off-note. I also find Sweet Barley, Vanilla and Toffee, Sugar, Tart Apple Pie with Raisins and sprinkled with Cinnamon & Powder Sugar, Pear, Milk Chocolate, Lemon, Grapefruit, Dairy, Dusty Oak, Pepper, Clove, Nutmeg, Ginger and Licorice.
Added Water kills this Lumina.
Rating: 6.5 (******1/2)
Nose: 7 - Taste: 6.5 - Finish: 6
*** Important Note with respect to Rating.
If the Final score is above 8 you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink.
Conclusion:
The Macallan distillery was founded in 1824 by Alexander Reid and is located in the village of Craigellachie (Morayshire). The majority of the shares is owned by the Edrington Group. The current production amounts to around 15 million litres per year. The core range includes a/o Sherry Oak, 12, 18, 25, 30 and the 12, 15, 18 and 30 Double Cask. We have visited both the old & the new distillery and liked the old one better. For some reason I don't like the combination of Modern infra-structure and Whisky. I'm more the Springbank kinda guy!
The Lumina was part of the Travel Retail Quest Collection, together with Quest, Terra and Enigma. This collection was replaced in 2023 by the 12,15,18,21 and 30 Years Colour Collection. I will try to find samples of this new collection.
Lumina is the Goddess of Wisdom and Illumination. Both not applicable to this Single Malt unfortunately. It's such a pity that most of the Travel Retail Malts are simply lacking quality casks & sufficient maturation. This Macallan is no exception to the rule I'm afraid. Good thing it has been discontinued in the meantime!
Cheers! 🥃
Jan van den Ende March 19, 2025