February 5, 2016

The Mortlach week, Friday

Our last Mortlach session – for the time being. Let’s gather our forces and find more interesting ones! Starting with this little baby that I had loved when I tried the first batch…

Mortlach 25 yo (43.4%, OB, 50cl, +/-2015)

Colour: deep gold. Nose: there’s a little honeyed sauce, and roasted peanuts at first nosing, but this sooty, slightly meaty, and rather citrusy style is soon to show off, together with more ‘beehivy’ notes of pollen and beeswax. Walnuts. It’s rather fresh, going on with apricots and juicy red peaches. It is rather more aromatic, and fruitier than what you’d expect from Mortlach, I’d say, but I find this nose really superb. Mouth: starts a tad dry, with some cinnamon and bitter chocolate, and rather develops on oranges, honey, and sweet barley. There is a sooty ash in the background, but little meat and leather, let alone spirit sulphur. So again, I find it excellent, just not wildly Mortlach. Finish: medium, rather spicier. Cinnamon and eau-de-vie. Comments: I find it a little different, rather less emphatic than the first sample that I got. Still great. SGP:551 - 89 points.

Another 25 please…

Mortlach 25 yo 1989/2015 (52.4%, Silver Seal, cask #3911, 480 bottles)

Yes, another one by Silver Seal. Colour: gold. Nose: this one’s mineral, grassy, and waxy. We’re talking clay, autumn leaves, cut grass, linseed oil, green tea (opening a new pack), even concrete and plaster… With water: gets earthy. Mushrooms, dead leaves, humus, moss, all that… The kind of ch-ch-ch-changes that we love at WF Towers. Mouth (neat): excellent, really. Wheelbarrows of oranges and lemons, a touch of strawberry sweets, then this grassy citrus that always ‘lifts’ any whisky (pink grapefruits, perhaps), all that being coated with some kind of mineral oil. Admirably zesty, but with Mortlach’s fatness that keeps it, well, fat. With water: perfect, just perfect. Another one that hints at old Rosebank, with just a little more fatness. Perfect lemons, grapefruits, oranges, mandarins, tangerines, clementines, bergamots, citrons, kumquats, pomelos (that’ll do, S.) Finish: medium, fresh, zesty, very clean. Lemons, grapefruits, oranges, mandarins, tangeri… (tsk tsk)… Comments: there isn’t much that isn’t perfect in this one. The fact that it’s not quite meaty? Well… SGP:651 - 92 points.

Mortlach 1994/2012 (55.2%, Malts of Scotland, sherry hogshead, cask #MoS 12059, 235 bottles)

Colour: amber. Nose: this one’s ridden with old walnuts, leather, black chocolate, wood smoke, and autumn leaves at first sniffs, before it gets fatter and fruitier at the same time. Corinth raisins, prunes, figs, old Sauternes, apple compote… A little bizarre, going from oloroso style to Pedro Ximenez within fifteen seconds. With water: the leather comes out more again. Mouth (neat): fat and sweet, with a leathery background. I find molasses, blackberry jam, some welcome notes of bitter oranges, then a little Demerara sugar and, funnily, hints of pineapple flambéed. With water: once again, its leathery side stands out. Cinnamon, coriander… Finish: quite long, well balanced, with orange zests and tobacco. Grassier aftertaste, with hints of sugar cane. Wood smoke again. Comments: the sherry does not dominate – I mean, not totally. Very very good, I think, if maybe a little raw. –Ish. SGP:652 - 86 points.

While we are at it…

Mortlach 16 yo 1992/2009 (57.2%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 263 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: more US oak influence in this one, with toasted bread and brioche, shortbread, cappuccino, custard… Whiffs of newly sawn oak as well, apple compote, a touch of leather… Had the hogshead been re-scratched? Or was it first fill? I also find hints of papayas. A gentler Mortlach. With water: strange-ish. Sour cream, leaven, not quite gym socks, but we’re getting there… Socks or no socks, I’m not sure this baby swims well. Mouth (neat): strong, with a little varnish, then bonbons and marshmallows, then green tea and lemon. A wee bit spirity, perhaps. With water: better, but still a little unlikely. Sour wine, artisan mead… Finish: medium, a little bizarre indeed. Jell-O made with dry white wine instead of water, or something like that. Comments: a funny one, that’s all I’ll say. SGP:461 - 77 points.

There’s only one remedy…

Mortlach 26 yo 1988/2015 (56.1%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, butt)

Colour: gold. Nose: there, this is a more traditional Mortlach (in a way), starting leathery, full of walnuts, and a tad sulphury (used matches, gunpowder). It’s quite ashy as well, and really very meaty. Smoked beef stands out. I also find some herbalness, around fruit stems, as well as a little cough medicine. A big old-school Mortlach! With water: more beef, cold cuts, parsley, even shallot… Plus pipe tobacco and, indeed, leather. Totally ‘Mortlach’. Mouth (neat): indeed, a super-beefy one. Can you season some beef stock with Grand-Marnier? And leather powder? I’d say this is not for everyone, but experienced malt enthusiasts may find a kind of… authenticity to this. With water: more bouillon, plus chestnut honey. If you never tried chestnut honey, please do, it’s hidden in many malt whiskies, you’ll see. Finish: long, a tad sweeter and jammier, but there’s some ginger and there’s some leather. And walnut wine. Comments: it’s obviously very cool to find a Mortlach that doesn’t taste like Glenfiddich or Cardhu (yeah or Rosebank). But once again, a word of caution, this is maybe not for the casual whisky lover. Me, I quite love. SGP:562 - 88 points.

A very last one, one that we’ll select because it comes from a city that’s been very important to us whisky lovers. And that wouldn’t be Elgin, Dufftown, or even Bowmore, because it’s… Limburg, baby!

Mortlach 17 yo 1991/2008 (56.6%, Villa Konthor, Limburg, sherry)

The Villa Konthor is one of the places where ‘some things happen’ during Limburg’s Whisky Fair. By the way, the WF crew (well, that’s me) should attend Limburg again this year, see you there? Colour: gold. Nose: well, it’s a fairly wacky one, with gunpowder, cabbage, and truffles to boot. Concrete and clay as well, coal smoke, Brussels sprouts… And plenty of leather. Particular, as they say, and time wouldn’t change much to the situation. With water: as usual, water only makes things more… obvious. Old tools, sulphur, leather, lemon juice, patchouli, cigars. Mouth (neat): beefy, leathery, gingery, peppery, marmalade-y. Not the easiest ever, I’d say. With water: improves a lot! Bitter oranges, ginger liqueur, cinchona, marmalade… The butterfly's coming out of his cocoon, but that’s a little late… Finish: long, good, on citrus and leather, with pickled ginger in the aftertaste. Comments: this little baby’s got its good sides, but others were a little difficult IMHO. Bah, I’m sure we’ll find much better Mortlachs at this year’s Limburg Whiskyfair. SGP:562 - 78 points.

We’ve tried thirty Mortlachs, unless my math’s wrong. That’s fair, that’s fair… But we’ll have more around spring! BTW, the clear winner has been the 1989 by Silver Seal. That doesn’t surprise me one bit, well done, Massimo!

(Many thanks David, Mark, Max, Michel, Ron, Tomislav, and other friends)

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