Head to head · same category, comparable price
Kavalan Classic Single Malt vs The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask
One axis separates these two: sherried, 3 against 7.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| Kavalan Classic Single Malt | The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Single malt |
| Origin | Taiwan | Speyside, Scotland |
| Age | No age statement | 12 years |
| Strength | 40% ABV | 40% ABV |
| Cask | American oak | Ex-bourbon American oak, Oloroso sherry-seasoned American oak |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £60 | £72 |
| Per 10cl | £8.57 | £10 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £214 | £257 |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | Not stated |
What separates them
Different countries: Kavalan Classic Single Malt from Taiwan, The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask from Speyside, Scotland.
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask states 12 years; Kavalan Classic Single Malt states none.
Cask as each producer describes it: Kavalan Classic Single Malt in american oak, The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask in ex-bourbon american oak and oloroso sherry-seasoned american oak.
Neither states chill filtration.
Neither set of specifications is producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask is £12 dearer a bottle than Kavalan Classic Single Malt.
Strength keeps that ordering: £214 a litre of pure alcohol for Kavalan Classic Single Malt against £257.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, Kavalan Classic Single Malt is 28th cheapest and The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask 29th cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | Kavalan Classic Single Malt | The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 0 | 0 |
| Sweet | 7 | 7 |
| Fruity | 8 | 6 |
| Spicy | 4 | 4 |
| Woody | 5 | 5 |
| Sherried | 3 | 7 |
| Cereal | 4 | 4 |
| Oily | 6 | 6 |
That is the only axis of the eight to reach 3 points. Next widest is fruity, 8 against 6.
Identical on peaty, sweet, spicy, woody, cereal and oily.
Each bottle in its own right
Kavalan Classic Single Malt
Mango and coconut — subtropical maturation doing something Scotland cannot.
Matures in Yilan's heat, losing far more to evaporation each year than a Scottish warehouse.
Full record →The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask
Butterscotch, orange and a dry oak finish. Polished and very easy to like.
Full record →No overlap in what we list them for: Kavalan Classic Single Malt for something different and fruit-forward drinkers, The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask for gift and introduction to sherry cask.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for Kavalan Classic Single Malt and The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask: kavalanwhisky.com, themacallan.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.