Macallan has a well-deserved reputation for an unswerving commitment to quality, and it shows in the whisky. For instance, it goes to great lengths, and expense, to use Golden Promise, a barley that produces so low a yield that few farmers want to grow it, but results in richer-flavored whisky. It also uses only old sherry casks to age its whisky. Again, these are expensive but give the Macallan its quite unmistakable creamy, slightly sweet sherried character, and results in a whisky packed with all those flavors that make Speyside so special--toffee and spices, dried fruits and wood, and, most noticeable of all, rich fruitcake. Many whisky lovers, including my editor, consider the Macallan 12 Year Old the best whisky bang for the buck, and it's hard to argue with them when you taste this silky, polished dram.