A few crazy Mortlach


November 10, 2025

A few crazy Mortlach

By Zeus and the Wee Witchie, no Mortlach in this year’s Special Releases, but that won’t stop us enjoying an official bottling, naturally distilled 2.81 times, in line with their famously byzantine system… No, nothing to do with Istanbul. (AI)

Mortlach 16 yo ‘Distiller’s Dram’ (43.4%, OB, +/-2025)

We tasted this wee baby upon its release in 2018, liked it a lot (WF 89) and then nothing more. It was high time we formed an opinion on a more recent batch… Colour: gold. Nose: that familiar slightly scorched walnut cake and plenty of hot malted chocolate, before everything drifts towards ferns, dark soils, roasted chestnuts and dark tobacco, not forgetting the obligatory touches of orange zest. A very Mortlachy Mortlach, in short. Mouth: this is really rather full-bodied despite the modest bottling strength, fairly salty and deeply earthy, with cigars, malt, very strong black tea and a splash of Guinness. In short, everything’s black—you’re talking synaesthesia here! Finish: long, curiously both dry and bitter, yet still fairly honeyed (heather). The aftertaste grows distinctly more peppery, that’s black pepper, of course. Comments: cracking bottle, no question. If one were to have but a single Mortlach…
SGP:451 - 88 points.

Mortlach 25 yo (46%, Gordon & MacPhail, Distillery Label, +/-2025)

Colour: gold. Nose: very sulphury at first, as if you'd just struck a massive match, the kind one uses to light a fireplace. But we know that’s part of the house style (of Mortlach, not G&M). Then come notes of spent flint stones or even an old Zippo lighter from grandad, beef jerky, shoe polish, and eventually a basket of garden fruits, apples, pears, peaches and apricots, the latter also in dried form… Mouth: still that tightrope walk between a most singular bitterness, reminiscent of mutton fat and truffle, and garden fruits, with also this distinct impression of chewing on an untipped Gauloise (very, very late at night, well one really shouldn’t, it’s toxic). Finish: long and bitter, akin to certain rooty and very bitter Italian cordials. Pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: quite the beast, certainly not for every palate, though seasoned exegetes of the style should be thrilled.
SGP:461 - 87 points.

Mortlach 30 yo 1995/2025 (47.3%, Kanpaikai Japan & The Antelope Macau, Dollar Cat, refill sherry hogshead, cask #803457, 187 bottles)

These folks seem to be firing on all twelve cylinders. Superb cask selection! Colour: amber. Nose: and here comes the sulphur again, though reined in to more civilised levels and leaning towards paraffin, perfectly paired with a heaped basket of orange zest dipped in honey. I’m almost tempted to stop here, it’s that good, precise, flawless, and 100% old-style Mortlach (reminds me of the oldest 32yo 1971/2004 official, sheer magic). Mouth: have we already said this was perfect? Both in terms of those fruity-bitter flavours and from a historical and philosophical standpoint. The pink grapefruit is absolutely sublime too. Dare we call this an authentic Mortlach? One could debate it for hours… Finish: long, with the arrival of ferns, pepper and those famed Italian herbal and root liqueurs. Comments: truly, truly impressive in its precision, every marker’s in place.
SGP:662 - 92 points.

Mortlach 35 yo 1989/2025 (44.2%, Artist #15 by LMDW, The Dark Side of the Moon, 2nd fill sherry butt, cask #S-28607, 250 bottles)

Lovely Pink Floyd-esque series name, faintly reminiscent of the Glen Grant 1972/1995 ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ by Signatory/Velier, which was excellent too (WF 90). Ah, popular culture… Colour: amber. Nose: this is fresher and more cheerful, the sulphur clearly of the paraffin oil variety, with touches of pistachio cream and sesame, the proverbial citrus fruits, a few very light metallic touches (copper coins), then slightly bruised baked apples with cinnamon and honey. A gorgeous nose. Mouth: incredible. Again it calls to mind the official 1971, the waxes are in full caps, the ripe fruits are… well, ripe, the honey is utterly honeyed and the sulphur increasingly discreet, though still present. Without it, it just wouldn’t be Mortlach, would it. Finish: long, superb, tense and pulsating. Citrus, honey, pepper etc. Absolutely no excessive woodiness, on the contrary. Comments: beautiful artwork by Sthenjwa Luthuli on the front of the bottle (or is it the back?) If the contents weren’t so splendid, you could almost buy it just for the artwork and pour the whisky down the sink. Yes, sacrilege—but at this stage, who’s counting.
SGP:661 - 92 points.

Mortlach 19 yo 1975/1995 (59.9%, The Whisky Connoisseur, Cask Master Selection No.1, cask #6261)

Hold tight, these folks have already delivered some utter marvels. Largiemeanoch, anyone? Colour: gold. Nose: do not nose this kind of malt while standing, you might just topple over. Incredible oils, graphite above all, then sunflower, sesame paste, linseed oil and patta negra ham with plenty of belottas. Sublime profile, almost abstract. With water: a handful of barley soaked by autumn rain (really?) Mouth (neat): we’re stunningly close to the Artist bottlings here, only with even greater tension and bitterness. Water should ease things off a little, but it’s sublime. With water: no, it’s utterly sublime. Citrus and beeswax dancing a frenzied tango to the sound of Gotan Project. Finish: is it really necessary to go on? Only the aftertaste turns slightly green, soapy and acidic in a rather unexpected way, and that just shaves off 2 points. Dura lex… Comments: but again, what a beauty! Though both the Kanpaikai/Antelope and the LMDW were just a touch above, after all.
SGP:561 - 91 points.

We were having several other Mortlachs we wanted to taste today as well, but given the way things turned out – quite beyond our control, rest assured – it’s probably best to leave it there. We’ll try to taste them before Christmas. I mean, Christmas 2025.

Check the index of all Mortlach we've tasted