Mortlach Single (Bourbon) Cask

Mortlach holds an important place in my whisky journey. The man that kindled my interest in whisky seemed to like it. Of all the bottles in his collection, he had an open bottle of Mortlach from the Rare Malts series that I remember seeing whenever I visited. I still remember the piece of cork that was floating in it. He gave me one of those bottles, and one of my goals has been to taste a few quality examples of Mortlach until I felt ready to open that bottle (in his memory, as he is sadly no longer living).

This whisky was laid to rest in ex-bourbon cask 11668 on Aug. 31, 1999, and bottled on January 31, 2018. It was opened at an epic tasting on May 20 of this year, as part of our “dead bottle” theme, a bottle that had been bought with the intention of opening, but we never got around to it. I have many of those. This one belongs to @Fiddich1980 and I’m very grateful for the samples.

This expression is reviewed in my usual manner, in a Brilliant Highland whisky glass, allowing it to settle after which I take my nosing and tasting notes, followed by the addition of a few drops of water, waiting, then nosing and tasting.

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Nose: 21.5/25

Fruity and spicy. Some bright higher pitched notes like a sweet red apple. Very clean nose. With water, no real difference.

Taste: 21.5/25

Sweet and sour on arrival. Fruit forward. Peppery with a hint of mint on the development. With water the pepper is toned down and it becomes a bit sweeter. (22.5/25)

Finish: 21.5/25

Astringent, peppery, hint of menthol, medium length. Slightly less peppery with water. (22/25)

Balance: 22/25

The nose and the palate compliment each other. With water it balances out even more. A pleasure to sip. (23/25)

Score: Neat - 86.5/100 With Water: 89/100

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This is an excellent whisky. I can’t say that it completely represents the house style because Mortlach is often matured in sherry casks. But the distillate appears solid, meaty, as it is commonly described. The more quality Mortlach expressions I taste, the more I like it.

Thanks again @Fiddich1980 for opening it for us, and for the generous samples.

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