Mortlach 26 Year Old Diageo Special Releases 2019

Mortlach – The Beast of Dufftown – has had quite a few tough years. After many years with only the 16 years old in the Fauna & Flora series, the malt was suddenly re-launched as a premium brand with ridiculously high prices. Big mistake and the bottles gathered dust on the shelves. It took until 2018 until the range was re-invented once again – back to ‘normal prices’ – but for the Special Releases it would seem that Diageo again goes for premium as it is the most expensive in the series. I fear that many of the more than 13.000 bottles will be left behind…

Oh, my! This is what I call deep sherry. Furniture polish, raisins, figs, old leather books, saddlebags, Ferrero-Rocher treats, walnut liqueur and orangettes. After a few moments an umami side emerges. Think gravy.

It’s a little bomb on the palate. Drying with lots of oak, but dark and sweet at the same time. Think gingerbread, cloves, raisins and a truckload of dates. Some mint and origin chocolate. Wow!

The finish is very long, very complex, dark and sweet with candied orange peel at the death.

The nose is out of this world, but on the palate it is just a tad too dry to score a fat 90. Having said that, this is an absolute stunner – but unfortunately so is the price. Around 1.700 EUR.

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