The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky 110 Proof
55% ABV (110 proof) | 750mL | 12 years old | Sherry-seasoned oak casks from Jerez, Spain | Speyside, Scotland — The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Year Old 110 Proof takes the house's flagship sherried expression and bottles it at a muscular 55% — a deeper, more intense cut of the Sherry Oak collection. Twelve years in sherry-seasoned oak casks from Jerez, Spain (the hand-picked casks The Macallan has been defined by since 1824), bottled with natural color. The classic Sherry Oak 12 runs at 43%; this 110-proof bottling is its higher-strength, limited-release US sibling. Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
Higher proof changes everything here: the sherry cask drives dried fruit and dark chocolate deeper, the oak spice turns up, and the spirit stays silky rather than hot. Among high-proof Scotch whiskies, few carry The Macallan's sherry-cask pedigree — this is for the sherried-malt drinker who found the standard 12 too polite.
Tasting notes
Nose: dried fruits — dates, figs, raisins — cherry compote, cinnamon, orange peel, cocoa. Palate: dark chocolate, sultanas, treacle, espresso, cinnamon, oak spice. Finish: long and warming, sherry-driven with oak spice and sweet dried fruit.
Why buy it from Del Mesa Liquor
- 55% ABV (110 proof) — the high-strength take on Sherry Oak 12
- 12 years in sherry-seasoned oak casks from Jerez, Spain
- Natural color; single malt from Easter Elchies, Craigellachie, Speyside
- Limited-release US bottling (750mL)
- Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor
How to serve it
Neat in a Glencairn — or with a drop of water, which softens the 110-proof heat and opens the dried-fruit core. This is a contemplative pour, not a mixing whisky.
Frequently asked questions
How is the 110 Proof different from regular Macallan Sherry Oak 12?
Same 12-year age statement and sherry-cask style, bottled at 55% ABV instead of 43% — more intense sherry fruit, deeper oak spice, and a longer finish.
Is it cask strength?
It's bottled at 110 proof but is not sold as a cask-strength bottling — call it a high-strength release.
What does "sherry-seasoned oak" mean?
The oak casks were seasoned with sherry wine in Jerez, Spain before the whisky matured in them — that's where the dried-fruit and dark-chocolate character comes from.
Does The Macallan use artificial coloring?
No — this bottling carries natural color from the sherry-seasoned casks.