Mortlach The Katana's Edge (2023 Special Release)

Nose: Lots of pastries and breads. Custard Danish, apple pie, cinnamon swirl, raspberry coulis and butterscotch muffin. Plums, blackcurrants, a touch of milk chocolate, honey and sandalwood. A very fragrant, sweet and plush nose but the malt is fully obscured. Palate: The arrival is unctuous and full of chocolate, roasted nuts and toffee. Again the malt is submerged and the development sees mildly spicy flavors (pepper, cinnamon) over red berries, candied citrus peel and preserved glace fruit. Clove and wood become apparent near the finish. Finish: Medium/Long. Dark chocolate and spiced biscuits (speculaas?) Exactly what prompted the distillery to choose a mix of ex-Japanese whisky and ex-pinot noir casks for maturation is unknown, but it both works and … overworks. The nose is remarkably sweet and bready but surprisingly there is not a lot of cereal or malt aroma. This is because the casking has completely dominated the distillate, but not in the way you might expect. There is no intrusive tannin or obvious oak, it’s more that the fruity and floral-fragrant aromas and flavors carried by the woods (rather than the wood itself) have swamped the spirit. I enjoyed this but once again it’s hard to justify the very high asking price for what is essentially a weird-ass NAS. The company has been overcome with an obsession for oddball casking recently and I’d be relieved to see them calm down and just issue well made sherry cask matured for a change. Then again, I guess that’s what the core-range is all about and they need to make the Special Releases “special” somehow. It all seems a bit desperate to me, but the quality of the whisky is undeniable. “Very Good”: 85/100 (4 stars)

I appreciate the aroma; the palate offers a mild warmth; the finish is very potent, causing me to cough. It has subtle fruit notes but is overwhelmed by the intensity.