What can I say, Mortlach is a special distillate with a special profile. First of all, Mortlach is known for its unique distilling regime where the spirit has been distilled 2.6 times. Mortlach is also known for its big and meaty Sherry profile, like the 16yo Flora & Fauna bottling or this 10yo Wilson & Morgan bottling. But even the lighter (ex-Bourbon) versions of Mortlach always bring something special to the table, like this 11yo Provenance bottling, not a high scorer, yet very interesting indeed, or this small batch 12yo Signatory bottling from 3 Bourbon Barrels. This time around however, we’ll have a look at a Mortlach that has its initial maturation in, most likely, American oak Bourbon casks and a finish in a second fill Sherry butt. As usual, no info about the type of Sherry, and we all know there are a lot of different types of Sherry around. Oloroso is no Palo Cortado, ain’t it! Nevertheless, this Whisky seems to be more on the light side, so at this point I don’t expect a meaty Sherry expression.
Color: Light gold.
Nose: Nice entry. This immediately reminds me of good Whiskies I tried in the early noughties (if you let it breathe for a minute or so), definitely brings back memories. A slightly mineral and somewhat Sherried barley note. Wow, really old-skool nose. Quite organic at first with hints of sugary sweetness, cardboard and white bread. Slightly biscuity. Fresh and vibrant nevertheless, since bread is not a vibrant aroma. Very classy and well balanced for a 10 year old dram. Some fruity notes emerge next. Initially some unripe cherries. More fruits in general, more syrupy yellow fruits actually. Peach syrup and candied pineapple. Sweet peachy yoghurt. Together with this a fresh and warm barley wind bringing a Gin-like freshness. Warm old wood in the sun. Slightly dusty and powdery. Not floral at all although it is slightly perfumy. It has quite a lot of different aroma’s going for it. For me personally Mortlach often has this meaty quality to it (especially when aged in a Sherry cask), but I’m struggling to find that here. It is definitely more fruity than meaty. Don’t think the fruit is masking it, I feel the meatiness just isn’t here. The longer this breathes, the fruitier and sweeter it becomes. Very appetizing fruity fresh and vibrant Mortlach this time. After some time a more soapy note emerges as well as some more freshness. Not in a bad way though. Definitely a quality nose. Maybe a little bit light, and this might have been ruined (a bit) if it would have been reduced. All in all definitely a quality and classy nose.
Taste: Nutty first, almonds, hazelnuts and fruity second yet not far behind. Big, sweetish and balanced. Did I mention that its nutty? Notes of burnt or toasted oak, and some cold dishwater to be honest. Big aroma initially which quickly becomes somewhat thinner. Definitely a fruity Whisky with lots of ripe yellow fruits and some red berry acidity. After the layered and complex nose, the taste is simpler and more straightforward. Notes of a yellow fruity beer and ever so slightly soapy. Even though the nose is way more complex, the nose and the taste of this Whisky are well balanced and suit each other well. Since this was finished in a Sherry butt, I guess this initially aged in probably two or three ex-Bourbon casks (barrels and/or hogsheads), and where I struggled to pick up on the Mortlach meatiness, I also struggle to pick up on vanillin from the American oak, so, probably not first fill. A vanilla note or ice-cream note, yeah, maybe, gets lost a bit in the slight thin-ness of the body. And maybe somewhat overpowered by the fruity acidity. Let’s say this is a summer expression of Mortlach. The aroma’s are transported well, so 57.3% ABV, yes indeed, but it doesn’t really show this much alcohol. More woody towards the finish, warming, with a bonfire like toastiness, as well as some paper and cardboard notes. Dirty and fruity, yet not meaty.
A Good summery Mortlach. The nose is really good. Sometimes the taste seems thin, but that also depends a bit on you yourself. For this review I tasted it twice on different days, and the second time around it wasn’t as thin as the first time. Very good Mortlach again, and this particular expression has some similarities to Bimber that has matured in Bourbon casks, Like this cask #194.
Points: 87
P.S:(I). This one is very nice after a cup of coffee…
P.S:(II). In case you are not German and you want to know who Walter Schobert is:
Walter Schobert (* 1943 in Erlangen) is a German museum director and author. Schobert studied Protestant theology and theatre studies. He then worked as a priest and as a film speaker for three years each. From 1974 to 1985 he was chairman of the working group for community film work. From 1979 to 2003 he was the founding director of the German Film Museum in Frankfurt am Main. He is the author and editor of numerous writings on film and film history and has taught film history at various universities. Since 1994 he has been an honorary professor at the Institute for European Art History at the University of Heidelberg. In 1995 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. In addition to his work on film history, he has published numerous publications on the subject of Scottish whiskey and regularly conducts tastings. He is a member of the “Keepers of the Quaich”, an association that looks after the whisky culture in Scotland [Source: Wikipedia].