Review #303 - McCarthy's 6 Year PX Sherry Cask Finish Single Malt
Like the Oloroso cask finished McCarthy's single malt that we previously reviewed, this is one of the finishing variations that Clear Creek distillery produces based on their 6 year single malt. Pedro Ximenez sherry is sweeter and juicier than Oloroso, generally speaking, so we're expecting an even heavier emphasis on red fruits.
McCarthy's 6 Year PX Sherry Cask Finish Single Malt
USA - Single Malt
Current Locally Available Price: USD 150 (2024)
Age Statement: 6 Years
Strength: 56.13% ABV
Cask Makeup: Finished in ex-PX sherry casks
Details: Bottled in 2022
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times (once blind) over 1 month from a sample. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Rich dark red fruits and dark chocolate; chocolate-covered strawberries, cocoa, hints of malt, rich and deep and musty. It does start a little subtle, but it opens to dense flavors, with soft savory notes at the end; in time, chocolate malt balls are added to the scents.
Palate: Medium-thick, absolutely delicious. Dark sweet berries or cocktails cherries, charred berries, and then a blast of char and smoke. Dense and rich like the nose, with more chocolatey malt, as well as grapes and spice like cinnamon. There's a soft oak presence as well - it's subtle, in the background.
Finish: Dark and brooding, with a long finish. Interestingly, the peat smoke actually continues to grow stronger in the finish - heavily peated, for sure. Sweet red fruits and blood oranges, a mix of milk chocolate and dark chocolate, coal smoke, and in the end, hard candies and icing sugar. Relatively sweet overall.
Final Note: Delicious whisky - this is one of the best American single malts that we've ever tried. The flavors are in line with the label's advertising: strong sweet red fruit from the PX sherry influence, and quite a bit of peat smoke, as we usually get with McCarthy's. There was quite a bit of chocolate, too - a great dessert whisky, if you like the smoky stuff.
Pricy stuff, as well, as are many of the bottles from this distillery, but this is the original, and one of the highest quality, American single malts.
Our Average Rating: 8.0 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.02
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other McCarthy’s reviews:
Review #302 - McCarthy's 6 Year Oloroso Cask Finished Single Malt
