Mortlach 16 Year Old 1995 A.D. Rattray

A.D. Rattray is an independent bottler. It has, in my experience, bottled both jewels and lesser gods. I am curious what this 16 Year Old Mortlach on cask strength will do for me.

The sturdy and fresh nose bursts with fresh wood shavings and gooseberries. Honey and an especially big sweetness take control. Apricots and mandarin and even some banana. The longer I leave it, the more exotic it becomes. A bit of eucalyptus appears after a few minutes. Nice development. Pleasant surprise. Leave it for fifteen minutes and it actually becomes spectacular!

On the palate, it is slightly oily and juicy on southern fruits: apricots again, like when the juice drips from your chin. Citrus is present, as well as a bit of brown sugar. Acacia honey. Wonderfully piquant, thanks to pepper and cinnamon. Does not need water whatsoever. The oak also shines through. What a nice balance. Lo and behold, this is a complex whisky!

The long finish is sweet, spicy, slightly drying and wonderfully perfumed. Wow!

It is hard to believe that I had put Mortlach on the backburner for so long, after my initially disappointing encounter. This is a great Speysider. The distillery goes up on my list and I will try to find some other expressions to try. This one will set you back about 67 EUR.

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