Mortlach 13 Year (2021 Special Release)

Diageo Special Releases 2021 tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, June 22, 2022. Whisky #4 Smell: Peaches and cream, beeswax, almond meal, malted milk, and red berry compote with vanilla yoghurt. With water, the smell becomes less fruity and concentrates on grains, with honey muffins and Anzac biscuits appearing. The aroma is wonderfully fragrant throughout and gains body with water. Taste: An excellent start with soft, rich toffee, butterscotch, vanilla, candied citrus fruit, and crystallized ginger. In the development, I detected milk chocolate, honey, a faint hint of toasted coconut, and some subtle, supple oak tannin. The texture is excellently oily and mouth-coating when neat, and it gains an exquisite creaminess with water. Similar to the smell, the taste develops more body with dilution and changes slightly with sweet citrus notes appearing, but the profile always stays intact and never drowns. Finish: Medium/long. Toffee, walnuts, dark chocolate. It turned just a fraction dry and earthy in the aftertaste, which was perfect. Mortlach is generally found in a sherry-matured form and it is a big distillate that can handle sherry casking with ease. It’s often described as having a meaty quality and is affectionately called “The Beast of Dufftown “ by critics and enthusiasts alike. There is, however, another side to Mortlach that we do not often get to witness. This is almost exclusively experienced through independent bottlings and is floral, sweet, malty, and rich but without the earthy spice and brute force it normally extracts from sherry casks. This is such an expression, and Diageo deserves praise for giving us this presentation. The alcohol is very well contained. At 55.9% you would expect an ethanol bite, but there was none, and I did not taste alcohol at any time. The cask selection and presentation were perfect to showcase this distillate in its most elegant form, featuring sweet fruity aromas and flavors supported by mild malt and subtle spice. It also takes water graciously and is eminently enjoyable at cask strength or diluted to a considerable degree. It appears to be almost incapable of drowning, as spicy sweetness keeps emerging to fill the void as the proof is lowered. For me, this was one of the high points of the tasting and one of the most enjoyable whiskies I've tasted so far this year. It's a generous, bold, and delicious dram that is highly enjoyable right off the bat but shows considerably more complexity as you explore its depths. I noted 4.25 stars on the tasting card, voted for it as my favorite dram of the night (as did several other people), and hastened to purchase a bottle at the end of the event. At $225 on the night, it was an unmissable bargain. Highly recommended. “Very Good”: 87/100 (4.25 stars)

Nose: Summer fruits, powdered sugar, hard candy, and toffee. Palate: A rich texture coats the mouth. Woody, vanilla, quite sweet, with spices and a hint of menthol. Finish: Medium duration. Features toffee, chocolate, a touch of funk, and abundant pepper and vanilla. This marks my 500th review, and I was hoping for a notable dram – happily, this is a very good one! It prominently showcases virgin oak, presenting notes of vanilla and spice. The texture is pleasant and coats the mouth while maintaining a light spirit character. It's quite delightful, with spice, vanilla, and cereal notes. A true gem! It tied for third place among the six spirits tasted, earning 17% of the votes for the night's favorite. 78% of attendees indicated they enjoyed it. This spirit was a very close second choice for my vote.

Bottled at cask strength, 55.9% ABV. Appears to be natural color. No information about chill filtering. Appearance: Pale gold Nose: Malted barley, cereal, pear, banana, fusel alcohol, caramel Palate: Oily, hot, pear, lemon Finish: Sour, hot, sweet, short to medium length, with a very late, funky taste of mushroom/fungus appearing after I thought it was over, similar to what I get with a Springbank 10 Overall, a tasty dram with some good complexity that I find difficult to describe in my tasting notes.

Aroma: Deep and intricate with hints of dark toffee, roasted nuts, and subtly spiced oak. Taste: Full-bodied and rich, presenting layers of dried fruit, caramelized sugar, and a robust, meaty essence characteristic of Mortlach. Finish: Long and intense, featuring lasting notes of spiced oak, dark chocolate, and a faint smokiness.

Caramel, toffee, and buttered toast are prominent initially, followed by menthol mint and tobacco. It strongly evokes memories of a Newport cigarette from my youth. The finish is hot, showcasing the high alcohol content, but also has a semi-sweet orange peel quality. Solid.

Caramel aroma, with a sharp spirit scent, a strong flavor, quite sharp, a somewhat sweet, smooth but long and fiery finish.