October 27, 2015

Time Warp tasting, today Mortlach

Right, Mortlach. We’ve got hundreds of Mortlach yet to taste – no I’m not making this up – so let’s select these two with much care. How about one by the excellent and engagingly shy Signatory Vintage (we’re getting totally tired of loud brands, you know), and then we’ll see if we can find a very old one…

Mortlach 24 yo 1990/2015 (56.5%, Signatory Vintage, sherry butt, cask #6079, 590 bottles)

Even if it’s third fill – all for the better if you ask me – a sherry butt is still a sherry butt, right? Colour: straw. Nose: sulphur. And I mean, not candles or wicks like can be used in sherry casks, pure clean sulphur from the distillate. And that is lovely, mind you, even if the spirit can be marginally eggy, which is the case here. In fact, this is raw Mortlachness, a big fat spirit with a lot of depth and texture. Other than that, I find apples. With water: rocks and grasses. Not sexy, me likes. Mouth (neat): absolutely superb fat yet vibrant spirit, mineral, very oily – sure it doesn’t quite taste like 24 years – and exceptionally herbal. It’s 3D whisky, vs. 2D like can be seen at many other places. With water: deep deep deep. It’s not that it’s subtle, neither is it complex, but it’s the texture and the body that are impressive. Which does not happen too often, agreed. Finish: rather long, and very oily. Barley, sweet bread, sunflower oil. Comments: absolutely not whisky for ‘everyone’, I hasten to say. I know that sounds incredibly pretentious, if not pompous, but I think that’s true. SGP:452 - 86 points.

Good, we’ve still got an old one from the Corti Bros in California, thanks to the very efficient Formigine-Venice connexion. Time to try it…

Mortlach 15 yo 1971/1986 (86 U.S proof, Duthie for Corti Brothers, Sacramento)

86 us proof means 43% vol. Easy penny. What’s sure is that these Corti brothers knew their scotches. As for 1971, Diageo have issued a proprietary 32 yo 1971/2004 that was one of the best whiskies ever bottled. Just believe me. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s not quite sulphur that comes out, its rather soot, waxed papers, shoe polish and whatnot. And tree bark, roots… To be honest, I’m finding this baby a little shy. Shy-ish. Perhaps not for modern noses? Mouth: I’m afraid it’s great. Not deep, not wide, not ‘3D’, but great. I don’t know how these Californian noses used to select their whiskies from the lady in Aberdeen – that was before Cadenhead/R.W. Duthie moved to Campbeltown – but they were sure knowing what they were doing over there in the Bay Area. Must have been epic times back then, because I doubt many Californian connoisseurs had heard about Mortlach at the time. Yeah, same everywhere. So, the whisky’s just great, if not totally magical. Great fatness. Finish: only medium, but everything’s more than fine. Apples, wax, malt, lemons, soot, liquorice… Perhaps a salty touch in the aftertaste. Comments: in a way, it was a light fat one. Funny feeling. Quality was extremely high anyway. SGP:452 - 90 points.

Check the index of all Mortlach I've tasted so far

Pete McPeat and Jack Washback