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Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé!
   
   
 

January 22, 2025


Whiskyfun

A small collection of independent Mortlach

Mortlach

Dufftown's Mortlach Distillery in 2012 (WF Archive)

 

Mortlach has a reputation for being robust, meaty, and quite sulphurous, but of course, we’ve all tasted ones that were floral, cheerful, and as light as a summer dress (copyright Christian Dior). I think we’re going to get a lovely overview today, but to really delve into things, we’ll probably need two sessions. All the better! We’ll start with the younger ones and finish with the older ones, but regardless of vintages, bottling dates, or alcohol strengths, alright?

 

 

Mortlach 7 yo 2016/2023 (54.7%, The Duchess, Game & Wildlife, matured in PX quarter cask, cask #216A, 189 bottles)

Mortlach 7 yo 2016/2023 (54.7%, The Duchess, Game & Wildlife, matured in PX quarter cask, cask #216A, 189 bottles) Three stars and a half
189 bottles at C/S from a quarter cask, that’s no mean feat. Colour: gold. Nose: the fact is that all these little dried raisins suit Mortlach well, creating a profile not too far removed from the legendary Flora & Fauna series through which many enthusiasts first discovered Mortlach. A lightly earthy fruitcake, some pipe tobacco, a touch of Ovaltine, Bündnerfleisch, hints of bay leaf, and new leather… With water: the leather moves to the fore. Mouth (neat): toffee, leather, tobacco, Pepsi, chicory, chocolate, and honeyed raisins. With water: it relaxes, becoming lighter, with a touch of sulphur and bitter oranges making a gentle appearance. Finish: long, leaning more on dried fruits, pepper, and clove. Comments: a lively little beast, firmly marked by the sherry.
SGP:561 - 84 points.

We're going to taste some that are much more 'natural'...

Mortlach 9 yo 2013/2023 (58.4%, Hogshead Import, refill hogshead, 133 bottles)

Mortlach 9 yo 2013/2023 (58.4%, Hogshead Import, refill hogshead, 133 bottles) Four stars
I don’t think one could get much closer to the distillate, given the colour. Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: an explosion of all sorts of redcurrants, cranberries, gooseberries, and pink grapefruit. We’re far removed from boar terrine doused in gravy and pipe tobacco (what?). With water: chalk, saltpetre, and shards of slate. It’s indeed ultra-distillate-driven. Mouth (neat): once again, a fruity explosion (two-thirds apples, one-third grapefruit) followed by pear eau-de-vie and a hint of ginger tonic. It almost tickles the tongue. With water: chalk makes a comeback, along with a few exotic fruits, especially lychees, which add a muscat-like character. Finish: fairly long, very fruity, almost like an eau-de-vie. Comments: I think this would be delightful for making sorbets (lemon, apple) with a splash.
SGP:641 - 86 points.

Mortlach 11 yo 1998/2010 (46%, Hart Bros., Finest Collection, bourbon cask)

Mortlach 11 yo 1998/2010 (46%, Hart Bros., Finest Collection, bourbon cask) Four stars
You don’t see too many of these Hart Bros. bottlings around anymore, do you? Colour: white wine. Nose: we’re very close to barley, bread, porridge, oatcakes… The sulphury side of the distillate (nothing to do with the burnt sulphur used in wine casks to prevent spoilage) is quite prominent and very appealing. Lemon and damp chalk. Mouth: porridge, fizzy aspirin, a chalky sensation, and lemon juice. Perfect for a champion’s breakfast! Finish: fairly long, still very chalky, with a hint of acidity (again, lemon) and the porridge (with a splash) lingering in the aftertaste. Comments: it’s great fun to taste these whiskies without sherry or any other wine influence, especially as the bourbon barrel seems to have been rather lazy. Or tired. We’re close to the pure vibration of the distillate.
SGP:451 - 86 points.

Mortlach 12 yo 2011/2023 (48.4%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular, refill hogshead, cask # DL 17756, 361 bottles)

Mortlach 12 yo 2011/2023 (48.4%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular, refill hogshead, cask # DL 17756, 361 bottles) Four stars and a half
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: apple juice, chalk, bread dough, lemon juice, porridge, and vanilla. I find it perfect, though it’s hardly surprising. Water isn’t necessary. Mouth: very good, perhaps not overly complex and slightly less fruity than expected, but this extremely chalky and lightly yeasty profile reminds us of great Champagnes, which is utterly delightful. White peaches then steal the show. Finish: the same. Comments: excellent class from this distillate, a perfect young Mortlach by DL, ideal to mix with sparkling water for a lovely ‘Champagne.’ Well, I suppose the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin Champagne will have my head for this—I’d better stay away from Wine Paris in February. Just kidding, I’ll be in Andalusia hunting manzanilla añada anyway.
SGP:551 - 88 points.

Mortlach 15 yo 2008/2023 (52.4%, Whiskyjace, Art Edition No.6, oloroso hogshead)

Mortlach 15 yo 2008/2023 (52.4%, Whiskyjace, Art Edition No.6, oloroso hogshead) Four stars
Much love for this label! As we’ve always said on Whiskyfun, ‘Art, not Ads!’ Colour: gold. Nose: everything here is about balance, perfectly poised between the sherry-soaked Mortlachs and those left entirely bare, as nature intended (what?). Lovely notes of walnuts, hay, and tobacco, joined by apples, plums, and that signature earthy, chalky side. Altogether, we’re 100% in the countryside. With water: moves more towards rustic farmhouse cider. Mouth (neat): rather lively and spicy, with a pleasant bitterness—those walnuts again, a demitasse spoonful of mustard sauce, leather, and then apples returning. The sherry-distillate balance is well maintained without straying into redcurrant territory. With water: water works beautifully; it’s an excellent swimmer, even though the sherry retains a bit of the upper hand. Finish: apples, tobacco, walnuts, and just a drop of mustard. Comments: absolutely superb. Oh, and they really should offer large-format prints of those labels—if the rights allow.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

Mortlach 15 yo 2008/2023 (51.2%, The First Editions for HNWS Taiwan, oloroso quarter cask, cask #HL19853, 130 bottles)

Mortlach 15 yo 2008/2023 (51.2%, The First Editions for HNWS Taiwan, oloroso quarter cask, cask #HL19853, 130 bottles) Four stars and a half
Glad to be back in Taiwan. Colour: deep gold. Nose: this feels like a more modern Mortlach, with hints of new wood, cedar, and thuja, along with traces of glue, butterscotch, and then the expected old walnuts (no reference to any French politicians at this stage) and apples. With water: autumn leaves, mushrooms, and humus—all of this adding even more depth. It works perfectly. Mouth (neat): absolutely faultless. Earth, tobacco, dried fruits, apples, gentle spices, and walnuts, all underpinned by some assertive citrus notes that maintain the freshness of the profile. With water: massive waves of butterscotch! Typical of relatively new wood. Finish: long, with even more citrus, a touch of garam masala, and a faint Cognac-like note. Comments: what can I say, it’s clear this is no accident. Absolutely excellent—Mortlach really is a superb base. Long live the Wee Witchie! (still no connection to French politicians—well, maybe…).
SGP:651 - 88 points.

Mortlach 15 yo 2008/2024 (50.8%, The Whisky Cask, sherry)

Mortlach 15 yo 2008/2024 (50.8%, The Whisky Cask, sherry) Three stars and a half
Some rather old-school bottlings at The Whisky (or Rum) Cask, always very good as far as I can remember. Colour: amber. Nose: classic sherry—earthy, with walnuts, old apples, and butterscotch, followed by broom flowers and light notes of anise and liquorice. This is the first Mortlach we’re tasting today with a distinctly floral side. Of course, we love that. With water: much the same. Also bag of old walnuts, but also a hint of coal gas. Mouth (neat): a touch of gunpowder and quite prominent pepper at first, gradually giving way to leather and tobacco, with even slightly tangy and salty touches. Well then… With water: earth, truffles, tobacco, and artichokes. Finish: long, now firmly on cooked vegetables. Roasted aubergines, to be precise. Comments: a magical nose and a palate that’s perhaps less, let’s say, consensual. It takes all sorts to make a world.
SGP:361 - 84 points.

Since we're at the 15-year-olds, let's have one last one, much older... Because here, it's Whiskyfun.

Mortlach 15 yo 1969 (56.3%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseurs Choice, for Germany, 75cl, +/-1985)

Mortlach 15 yo 1969 (56.3%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseurs Choice, for Germany, 75cl, +/-1985) Five stars
Old Banner Label, as we used to call it. Connoisseurs Choice at cask strength was very rare back then and has since become much less so. That said—sugar! Mortlach stopped using its own floor maltings in 1968. Just one year off; talk about bad luck... Colour: gold. Nose: the upper echelons, as they say. Remarkably, it’s striking how much it reminds me of the glorious 32-year-old 1971 official bottling from 2004. An interstellar level of fruitiness, with baked fruits (always apple, plus honeyed mirabelle and Sauternes—pretty much the same thing), along with chutneys and jams. Fig jam, in particular, stands out prominently. With water: this must have been malted at Ord—you can genuinely smell it (honestly!). Notes of olive oil, heaps of pollen, and beeswax. Mouth (neat): exceptionally firm, fruity, and liquorice-laden. Liquorice is a common whisky flavour, but here, it’s a true diamond. Tons of various honeys, waxes, and forgotten liqueurs… With water: the texture is unbelievable—you almost need a little spoon to scoop it out of the glass. I’m only slightly exaggerating. In short, it’s oily and fruity—almost like those intensely fruity olive oils that are so trendy these days. Finish: not overly long, but long enough—you get the idea. Honey, olive oil, ripe apples, and oranges lingering in the aftertaste. Comments: what a bottle!
SGP:651 - 93 points.

We'll stop here for now and pick it up again tomorrow; we've still got quite a few Mortlachs to taste...

(Thank you, KC)

More tasting notesCheck the index of all Mortlach we've tasted so far

 

 

 
   

 

 

 

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