Information

Distillery: Mortlach

Age: 16 years old

Strength: 43.4% ABV

Place of Origin: Dufftown

Region: Speyside

Taste:

in brief… A very compelling, moreish and appetising Mortlach for those who like their whiskies robust; best enjoyed straight.

in a sentence… Astonishingly complex throughout and characterised by a fine interplay of meaty notes, malty sweetness and balancing acidity.

Nose

Rich and deep. It is slightly shy initially, but with a sense of massed weight. Stewed black and orchard fruits (damson, black cherry) with an immediate earthy note and some spice. While there is some honeyed sweetness, this has greater maturity than the 12 year old, coming across as leaf mulch, with a burnt element: dried Nora pepper/grilled red pepper and chocolate which moves the meatiness towards molé. The oak is more integrated allowing the gutsy almost feral weight of the distillate greater say but there is some planed wood alongside light varnish, then nutmeg and raisin. Complex with some roasting tin and touches of what seems to be smoke. It gets progressively darker and richer with some biltong/beef jerky hints balanced by the sweetness. It also gets slightly nuttier, reminiscent of mature Gouda/Emmental.

Palate

Big, quite deep, but also sweet. As on the nose, there’s some spiciness here. It is this sweeter element (toffee-like, with some dried apricot and the honey note seen on the nose) which comes over first. This softness then gives way to a chewy-mid palate where the darker fruits lurk. It then goes deep. Light, slightly leathery with malty elements then a gamey meatiness with supple tannins. However, rather than just the more powerful oak influence beginning to dominate the cooked fruits return adding a layered quality. Rather than sweetness you get a more savoury effect. Dark, full, liquorous, and rounded. As it moves into the back palate, so it starts to dry and pick up in terms of intensity and moves into the shadow of the trees.

Finish:

Coating, with a sparkling bitter-sweetness as found in a traditional cloudy lemonade or perfectly ripe raspberries. Ultimately drying and warming, with wood smoke or dried lavender and re-emerging cocoa nibs.