Malts of Scotland Mortlach Tasting Notes

Malts of Scotland Mortlach 2006 (12 year old) 53.4%

Sherry Hogshead MoS18030/ Dist: 2006 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Oct 2019

A dense, pruney sub-Armagnac rancio with hints of barley, malt, heather and violets. Juicy and aromatic with late cinnamon and walnut shell notes. Water lightens and makes it more citric.

The palate is dense and malty with supple, dark dried fruits, cinnamon, toffee and cigar leaf. Polished and juicy with prune, date and walnut notes. Water brings out some coffee’d tannins. Long and bursting with dried sherry fruit, citrus, coffee, spice and tannin. Water emphsises the tannins and makes it a little shorter.

Highland Laird Mortlach Tasting Notes

Highland Laird Mortlach 1987 (27 year old) 57%

Bourbon/ Dist: 1987 Btl: 2014/ Tasted: Jan 2015

Aromas of sour cherries, damp earth and hints of baked fruit. Complex and mature with liquorice, balsamic treacle, brown sugar and lightly dusty oak. Quite woody but very pleasantly balanced.

The palate opens with the soft, baked fruit, malt and mature oak. Very oily with an oxidative, light rum-like dried fruit character. Quite deep and spicy on the middle with hints of herbs. Long and citric with a herbal spice bite in the finish. A very dark, Malty and Mature Mortlach.

Highland Laird Mortlach 1987 (27 year old) 57%

Sherry Hogshead/ Dist: 1987 Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Jan 2016

It must have been aged in a well re-used sherry cask as the sherry is practically imperceptible. In fact it opens with majestic dusty oak vanillins and hints of pollen. A touch of violet, white fruit, mature honey and buttery/ toasty oak appears.

Full and gentle with apricot, honey and mature wood notes. Very succulent with subtle baked fruit and malt. The slightly sawdusty oak comes through on the middle. Long and vibrant with a mouth-watering, citric finish. Beautifully juicy after-taste.

Edition Spirits Mortlach Tasting Notes

Edition Spirits ‘The First Edition’ Mortlach 2007 (13 year old) 50.2%

Wine Finish/ Code: EDI0684/ Dist: Jun 2007 Btl: 2021?/ Tasted: June 2021

A fresh and gristy nose with lime and winey white fruit. Hints of grass, lemon, honey and creamy oak follow. Late honeysuckle.

The palate is quite subtle and a little tannic to begin with. However notes of barley, honey. lime and white fruit appear along with a touch of spice. The finish is surprisingly masked with a woody, barley’d and tannic finish,

Edition Spirits ‘The First Edition’ Mortlach 2007 (13 year old) 54.5%

Code: EDI0687/ Dist: Jun 2007 Btl: 2021?/ Tasted: June 2021

A rich and honeyed nose. It displays a grapey Sauturnes-like sweetness along with a touch of barley, citrus, sweet spice, and ginger. With time pear, apple and creamy vanilla.

The palate is also rich, honeyed and winey with subtle notes of barley, white fruit and spice. Masked, dusty, tannic finish with lingering honey.

A drop of water really opens it out nd makes the nose wonderfully juicy and citric. Summery and exuberant now. The palate also opens and has become really juicy, honeyed and citric. Long, remaining juicy with a little castor sugar in the finish,

Carn Mor Mortlach Tasting Notes

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Mortlach 2010 (8 year old) 46%

Sherry Butt Finish/ Dist: 2010 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Oct 2018

Hmm, cider apple, cider vinegar, ascetic citrus and a touch of dried fig. What I’m saying is that it’s not overly clean! I think there’s a touch of sherry character but it’s hard to tell with all the vinegary notes.

The palate mirrors the nose, cider apple and vinegar. And it’s slightly soapy too! I can see why they dumped this into a sherry cask or two! However they didn’t leave it anywhere near long enough and it hasn’t masked the rough spirit. Hints of treacle, dirty dried fruit on the middle and a hot, acerbic, raw cereal finish.

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Mortlach 2007 (11 year old) 47.5%

Sherry Hogshead/ Dist: 2007 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: Jan 2020

A dense, pruney nose with the usual sherried raisinated fruit, walnut and dried citrus peel. Hints of burnt coffee, pecan, golden syrup and dark toffee.

The palate is full and sherry dominated but shows a touch more citrus lightness. Coffee, walnut, prune, raisin and herb infused sweet treacle on the middle. Long coffee and burnt herbs finish with lingering dried fruit. I could have guessed from the colour alone that it was going to be a big, chewy sherry monster.

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Mortlch 2008 (14 year old) 47.5%

Finished in 225ltr ex-Moscatel French oak barriques

Dist: 2008 Btl: 2022/ Tasted: Aug 2022

The nose opens with the grapey, winey honeyed Moscatel notes, followed by white fruit, citrus and minerals. Some oily malt notes appear and the Moscatel notes become slightly herbal and edgy. With time tangerine, herbal spice, barley and late harvested honey.

The palate is softer and less edgy with a profusion of juicy, oily, honeyed apricot fruit. Hints of white fruit, biscuits and dusty barley follow. Good balancing citric intensity on the middle with a touch of coffee and dried grape. Long, toffee, honey and citrus finish. A little sweet on the after-taste but overall, well balanced.

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Mortlach 1999 (16 year old) 46%

Bourbon Barrel/Dist: 1999 Btl: Jan 2016/ Tasted: Feb 2016

A lovely full and malty nose with plenty of mature barley and oak. Lightly honeyed with apple and apricot. The oak becomes quite creamy and the fruit develops a slightly baked character.

The palate is rich and fruity, again quite malty and barley’d – apricot, apple and a touch of pineapple. Juicy and lightly citric on the middle with some dusty oak notes. Long, crisp and mineral with hints of rose petals and grass.

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Mortlach 1995 (20 year old) 55.5%

Bourbon Hogshead 4123/ Dist: 1995 Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Aug 2015

The nose is quite coffee’d and malty with hints of tangerine, rhubarb and berries, all liberally sugar coated. With time hints of custard, straw and white liquorice appear.

The palate is soft and lightly honeyed with toffee and earthy barley. Hints of tangerine, malt and lightly coffee’d spices follow. Lovely mature finish with a juicy, succulent, lightly mineral and citric finish.

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Mortlach 1995 (21 year old) 52.6%

Bourbon Hogshead 4122/ Dist: July 1995 Btl: Apr 2017/ Tasted: May 2017

A robust, malty and meaty nose with baked fruit, barley and more malt! Hints of apricot and rose water lighten the nose a touch. Very subtly oaked but with time it does become pleasantly creamy. Late hints of gooseberry and lime.

The palate is robust and full with a lovely density of barley, apricot and malt. The oak adds some subtle toffee notes and a little bitter spice. A touch of mineraly lime freshens the middle and the citrus continues into the finish, but it’s beautifully balanced by the fruit and oak beneath. Subtle baked fruit after-taste.

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Mortlach 1995 (23 year old) 52.4%

Bourbon Hogshead 4124/ Dist: Jul 1995 Btl: Apr 2019/ Tasted: Jun 2019

A pleasantly aromatic and sexy nose of sweet apricot, apple, tangerine and honeysuckle pollen. Lovely, mature sawdusty oak appears along with a touch of pear, earth and straw.

The palate is beautifully mature and as sexy as the nose suggests. Honey and sawdusty oak notes mingle with the most delightful and juicy sub-tropical apricot, tangerine and pear. Lightly spiced middle as the oak begins to grip but the natural oils balance. Long and barley’d with straw, honeysuckle, apricot and melon on the finish. That’s a damn fine malt whisky!

Mackillop’s Choice Mortlach Tasting Notes

Mackillop’s Choice Mortlach 1997 (20 year old) 50.2%

Bourbon Cask 2977/ Dist: Sept 1997 Btl: Sept 2017/ Tasted: Nov 2017

Fragrant and straw-like aromas with fresh vanilla, floral and musky white fruit, acacia honey and barley. Very classy and evocative with late hints of gooseberry and lime.

The palate is elegant and delicate with a robust, malty core. Hints of straw, baked fruit, wood spice, light treacle and grippy, peppery tannins. Seriously complex and juicy with and exuberantly vanilla’d middle. Long and honeyed with a lovely, mature oak finish. Sensational stuff!

Mackillop’s Choice Mortlach 1991 (23 year old) 56.6%

Sherry Cask 5887/ Dist: Aug 1991 Btl: Jan 2015/ Tasted: Apr 2015

A nose of gritty coffee’d spices/tannins and sweet, herbal notes. Thankfully there is a good depth of dark chocolate infused dried fruit to counter the tannins. The herbal notes become a little rye-like and with time a hint of sweet barley appears.

The palate is uber soft but the tannins put in an appearance pretty quickly. Hints of treacle and liquorice counter allowing the lovely, aged dried fruit to emerge. The battle continues on the middle and it’s the herbal tannins that eventually win, but the finish is gorgeously juicy – sultana, apricot and dried grape all lavishly coated in dark honey and dark chocolate. A little citrus note freshens the finish. A damn fine old sherry butt, as they say!

Hunter Laing Mortlach Tasting Notes

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Mortlach 2007 (10 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2736/ HL14406

Dist: Jul 2007 Btl: Nov 20177/ Tasted: Dec 2017

Fresh aromas of crisp pear and lemon with dusty barley and hints of lemon grass, green banana, apridot and very subtle oak.

The palate opens with the sweet barley and honey with a little more toffee/ vanilla oak. Pleasantly balanced with hints of lime, green apple and more barley on the middle. Long, with lingering barley, dried spice, liquorice and coffee.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Mortlach 2008 (10 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2780/ HL14935

Dist: Feb 2008 Btl: Apr 2018/ Tasted: Jun 2018

Quite bubblegummy but very fruit with white liquorice, white peach, pear, apricot and tangerine. Hints of lightly perfumed honey, pepper and wood smoke appear along with subtle barley and oak notes. For its age it’s surprisingly complex.

The palate opens with some rummy dried fruit and gristy barley, followed by apricot, tangerine and hints of pepper and coconut. Lovely honeyed middle with a balancing, light minerality. Long, estery and barley’d with a lightly perfumed orange conserve finish and peppery, spicy after-taste.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Mortlach 2004 (11 year old) Wine Finished 50%

Wine Finished Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2531/ HL12150

Dist: Nov 2004 Btl: Nov 2015/ Tasted: Jan 2016

The nose is quite floral with malt and slightly gristy/ herbal barley. With time some subtle fudgy oak appears along with some sweet, possibly winey summer fruits.

The palate is quite weighty and full with oily oak and sweet barley. Broad and juicy with hints of citrus and grass. Medium length with lingering oak, citrus and white fruit.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Mortlach 2005 (12 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2641/ HL13298

Dist: Jan 2005 Btl: Feb 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

A slightly gristy, barley’d and honeyed nose with lightly astringent, herbal notes. Hints of cherries, boiled sweets, marshmallow, earth and citrus follow.

The palate opens with a little more in the way of toffee’d oak but the sharp citrus notes balance. Quite stony with an almost salty-minerality. Showeing a pleasant depth of white fruit, barley and subtle spice. Good intensity with the oak supporting. Long and fairly sweet with a touch of rose Turkish delight, berry fruit, malt and subtle coffee.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Mortlach 2000 (13 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2348/ HL10200

Dist: Nov 2000 Btl: Dec 2013/ Tasted: Feb 2014

The nose is pretty malt and straw-like with hints of lightly honeyed barley, white fruit and a little peppery spice.

The palate is soft and straw-like with apple, white fruit and crisp barley. On the middle there is a touch of darker honey and malt with some robust malt infused baked fruit. Good length with a light spiced finish and quite a sweet after-taste.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Mortlach 2007 (13 year old) Wine Finished 50%

OMC3032/ Dist: Jun 2007 Btl: 2021?/ Tasted: June 2021

Aromas of sweet, aromatic barley, apple, pear, peach and oodles of honey. Beautifully fruity with a distinct Alsace fruitiness. There’s a lovely balancing citrus note and late notes of vanilla and spice.

The palate is full, dense and barley’d. Slightly gristy with dusty/ grippy tannins although the lovely, rich, apricot, apple and pineapple counter balance. The spice build on the middle and into a long, juicy, barley’d and fruity finish with a subtle citrus and vanilla after-taste.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Mortlach 1995 (18 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2288/ HL9882

Dist: Jun 1995 Btl: Jun 2013/ Tasted: Aug 2013

The nose is pretty dense and malty with hints of sweet-ish barley and fudgy oak. The oak isn’t too overblown and show a good maturity becoming slightly sawdusty in character with time. Lightly herbal with a touch of citrus.

The palate is quite full and malty with sugar coated barley. Refreshingly mineral on the middle with the fudgy oak beginning to put in an appearance. Very long, herbal and lightly honeyed finish.

---

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Mortlach 2007 (7 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Code: HEP0058/ Dist: Feb 2007 Btl: Aug 2014/ Tasted: Sept 2014

A lovely, full, broad and pleasantly fruit nose of slightly tropical apricot and pineapple. Hints of sweet barley and a light herbal note appear with time.

The palate is very much like the nose with plenty of apricot, barley, honey and Sauvignon-esque white fruit and grass. Seriously mouth-filling with a touch of vanilla on the finish. Very enjoyable!

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Mortlach 2007 (7 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Code: HEP0103/ Dist: Oct 2007 Btl: July 2015/ Tasted: Aug 2015

Softly honeyed aromas with grass and herbal notes. Crunchy barley, granulated sugar and hints of digestive biscuits follow. With time the herbal notes become almost rye-like.

The palate shows a good depth of barley and white fruit along with hints of thyme and mint. A touch of vanilla and citrus comes through on the middle and the finish is very herbal with a lightly spritzy citrus finish.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Mortlach 2008 (7 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: HEP0143/ Dist: Nov 2008 Btl: Nov 2015/ Tasted: Dec 2015

A very fresh and citric nose with candied white fruit. Slightly perfumed and slightly bubblegumy with developing Sauvignon Blanc-esque grassy notes. The subtle, creamy oak sits beneath and with time hints of earthy barley emerge.

The palate is soft and bubblegumy with white fruit, apricot, grapefruit and grass. Lovely citric intensity with a subtle minerality. Long and remaining fresh with hints of white liquorice and spice. A lovely, wakey, wakey dram!

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Mortlach 2010 (7 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: HEP0255/ Dist: Jan 2010 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

Aromas of spritzy white fruit, bubblegum and grass along with a touch of barley and nascent sweet fruit.

The palate is full and shows more complexity. Sweet barley, white fruit, apricot and a touch of oak. Lovely freshness and intensity with a good citric finish with lingering barley husks and lightly peppery fruit.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Mortlach 2010 (7 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead?/ Code: HEP0297/ Dist: Jan 2010 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Nov 2017

A fresh and fragrant barley led nose with plenty of honey and hints of strawberry mousse, white peach and dusty spice. The aromas become quite sweet with time but the alcohol balances.

The palate displays a good balance between the citrus and honey, with hints of barley, white fruit and minerals. Some vanilla oak comes through on the middle. Long and mineral with white fruit and strawberry mousse.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Mortlach 2007 (8 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Code: HEP0220/ Dist: Oct 2007 Btl: July 2016?/ Tasted: Aug 2016

Pleasantly fresh aromas with granulated sugar sprinkled white fruit, apricot, pineapple,, malt and breakfast cereal. A lovely Sauvignon-blanc like grassiness appears along with some citrus to balance the slightly bubblegummy nature of the fruit.

The palate is fresh and citric, but full and honeyed too. The toffee’d oak is more noticeable but the Sauvignon-blanc like grassiness and tongue tingling spice gives the finish a real sparkle and vibrancy. Very enjoyable.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Mortlach 2005? (9 year old) 46%

Code: HEP0029/ Dist: ???? Btl: June 2014/ Tasted: July 2014

A nose of intense straw-like white fruit along with a touch of apricot and black pepper. A little hard with hints of barley and a developing perfumed note.

The palate displays more toffee’d oak with white fruition a touch of honey. The toffee notes begin to dominate but there’s some pleasant sweet barley. Reasonable citrus finish.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Mortlach 2005 (10 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Code: HEP0094/ Dist: Jan 2005 Btl: Mar 2015/ Tasted: Apr 2015

The aromas are quite heavy on the barley and chunky un-vanilla’s oak. However hints of lemon and lime add freshenss. With time hints of honey and vanilla appear.

The palate is initially fresher before the toffee and barley arrive. Quite malty with hints of baked fruit on the middle. Softly spiced finish with the returning citrus along with a lightly herbal pulped fruit note.

Gordon & MacPhail’s Mortlach Tasting Notes

Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach ‘Licensed Bottling’ 15 year old 43%

Sherry/ Btl: Dec 2013/ Tasted: Dec 2013

A soft, slightly dusty and sweet nose of refill-sherry dried fruit and barley with hints of orange peel and gin like botanicals. With time some malty, buttery oak notes appear.

The palate is soft and buttery with malt and lightly sherried fruit. Very clean with hints of citrus and soft spice. The sweetness builds on the middle and it finishes with the returning malt along with hints of walnuts, raisin and light treacle.

Mortlach Distillery Bottlings Tasting Notes

Mortlach New Make Spirit ?abv (probably 71-72%)

Tasted: Oct 2019

A heavy, sulphur and botanical laden nose. Quite oily with cabbage feints but also some sweet barley, cereal biscuits, latent honey, pear, apricot and a subtle floral note, lilies?

The palate is heavy and oily with cabbage, sulphur but a good depth of sweet barley, apricot, apple and melon beneath. Subtly floral with the alcohol masking and drying. Raw cereal and malt biscuits after-taste.

Water brings out an almost soapy perfume note on the nose and lessens the sulphur intensity. It has an almost corn-like fatness and sweeter feints notes. The palate is still quite heavy but again, less sulphured and shows more cereal, sweet fruit and latent honey. Very rich and malty on the middle. Longer, sweeter cereal and feints finish.

Mortlach Rare Old 43.4%

Bourbon/ Sherry

Tasted: Dec 2015

Aromas of herbal coffee and dark chocolate with hints of barley and subtle dried fruit. A little winey dried fruit and earth comes through along with vanilla and rose petal notes. Becomes quite sweet with a slight soapiness developing.

The palate displays toffee coated dried fruit. Relatively straightforward, but showing some mature elements and a pleasant intensity. A touch of dried fruit, chocolate and spice on the middle. Long and juicy with lingering, mouth-watering dried fruit, liquorice and dark chocolate. In conclusion: An attractive whisky with some mature spirit at work.

Mortlach ‘Flora & Fauna’ 16 year old 43%

Oloroso Sherry/ Tasted: June 2012

The nose is very heavy on the chocolaty first-fill Oloroso notes. Burnt leaves, damp earth, wood, toffee, liquorice and treacle. Yes there is no distillery character whatsoever (as expected) but it’s very clean and complex with a late orange marmalade note.

Full, soft and sherried with dates, treacle, liquorice, burnt wood and chocolate. Again very clean with a citrus-spirit note appearing.. A big, thick and juicy middle with a continuation of the sherry theme along with added brown sugar and a smidge of spice, again dark! Now you may think that this is a one dimensional sherry monster but that citrus-spirit note actually gives it quite a refreshing finish.

Mortlach 25 year old 43.4%

Tasted: Dec 2015

A nose of herbal sherry, green olives, malt, treacle, liquorice and sweet spices. The oak is quite toasty with a generous degree of dried fruit and hints of citrus rind.

Full and herbal on the palate with Armagnac-esque dried ark fruit, liquorice, treacle, spice and a hint of vanilla. Succulent and juicy with the citrus adding balance. So juicy and long with loads of dark honey coated dried fruit and a touch of violet incense and dusty oak spice. In conclusion: Wow! What a finish! I’d buy it for that alone!

Angus Dundee Distillers Mortlach Tasting Notes

Angus Dundee Distillers Mortlach 23 year old 54.4%

Bourbon/ Tasted: July 2011

A lovely intensity of honey and malt along with hints of grass, earth and white flowers. Good maturity with a touch of sawdusty oak. With water it becomes lighter brining out some orange notes. 

The palate is soft, honeyed and a touch simple although it has a good depth and richness. Dilution does bring out some sugar coated yellow fruit, gentle honey and a touch of banana. Finish: Neat the alcohol masks but with water it is endowed with a leafy-spice and oak finish. In conclusion: A lovely nose, but the palate is a lot less expressive.

Signatory Mortlach Tasting Notes

Signatory Vintage ‘Collection’ Mortlach 1990 (14 years old) 43%

Sherry Butt 4404/ Dist: Jun 1990 Btl: Jul 2004/ Tasted: May 2005

Aromas of aged dark Oloroso sherry, dripping in spiced honey and earthy notes. If it hadn’t been for the sulphur blemish it would have been very pleasant.

Dry, quite full with plenty of sherried citrus fruit along with a touch of spice and earth. Surprisingly salty and unsurprisingly sulphur tainted!